The genre of Macbeth is a tragedy. It is a play that dramatizes the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power. Macbeth is an anomaly among Shakespeares tragedies in certain critical ways. It is shorter than other Shakespearean tragedies, and it is distinctively Christian. The play follows the classic definition of tragedy, with the protagonist traveling down a dark path of treachery and violence that inevitably leads to his own downfall.