The tragic hero, a noble individual, who is brought down by a hammer, leading to his devastating, ultimate demise. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth serves as a classic example of a tragic hero. This essay proves that Macbeth’s character embodies this definition perfectly by touching on three main points. Initially, it will be shown that despite what it may seem, Macbeth was in fact a great man, secondly, it will highlight Macbeth’s fatal flaw, his ambition and lastly, Macbeth’s resultant final destruction will be spotlighted and made clear. To begin, let us discuss Macbeth's greatness. Macbeth’s greatness is established early on in the play through his valour and loyalty. He is portrayed as a hero on the battlefield, earning the respect and admiration of his peers and superiors. This idea is seen through the …show more content…
As his ambition spirals out of control, Macbeth finds himself isolated and overwhelmed with enemies. His realization of his dire situation is poignantly expressed as the final battle of play turns against him in a quote in which he utters, ‘They have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly’ signifying his entrapment and the inevitability of his downfall. He expresses how he feels trapped like a bear tied to a stake, forced to fight to the death without any possibility of escape and thereby forced to face the reality of his ultimate destruction. Another example of an event when Macbeth’s destruction is made evident is when Malcolm refers to the once great and noble Macbeth and his wife as “this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen,” which underscores the extent of his moral degradation and impact of his unchecked ambition. It is through these two quotes that one can see just how much Macbeth’s once noble character is ultimately reduced to that of an evil, cruel individual, whose death brings about a sense of justice and restoration of