ipl-logo

Macbeth Tragic Hero Essay

1045 Words5 Pages

Cale Schrantz Mrs. Thomas English 2, Period 5 11 March 2024 Macbeth’s Tragic Structure Throughout every tragic hero in literature, a character trait, or multiple, collectively leads the character to their eventual downfall. In his infamous tragic play, Macbeth, William Shakespeare explores the characteristics of a tragic hero through the main protagonist, Macbeth, the King of Scotland. Shakespeare exhibits this characterization by giving Macbeth many defining character traits that can be related to the traditional meaning of a tragic hero originating from Aristotle. Specifically, when Macbeth’s ambition overcomes his moral sense progressively through the play, and guides him into an unshakeable demise. Macbeth is a tragic hero because he displays …show more content…

Ere the bat hath flown, / His cloistered flight, ere to black Hecate’s summons” (Mac.3.3.95). When speaking with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is confident in his decision to send murderers to have Banquo and his young son, Fleance, killed. He does not hesitate to plot their deaths as soon as he discovers they may be a threat to his throne. Because of this, it is clear that Macbeth feels he has the freedom to make his own choices and decide which path he is willing to take, which demonstrates his foundational characteristics as a tragic hero. Literary critic, James Berquist supports this assertion that Macbeth is knowledgeable and understands his actions in his criticism “Macbeth as a Tragic Hero: A Defense and Explanation of Macbeth’s Tragic Character”: “When Lady Macbeth is trying to convince him to do the murderous deed, she first impugns his courage. This has no effect since he, along with everybody else in the play, knows already that he is courageous” (111). Along with this argument, contributing to the same notion, during the play, when Macbeth visits the witches, he receives the prophecy depicting that he is destined to be king. He takes this information into his own hands and makes the choice to do whatever he can to become king from that point forward in the

Show More
Related
284 Words | 2 Pages

Austin Shaff Olsen English 10 3/20/2023 Macbeth is portrayed as a tragic hero. The book illustrates how Macbeth's desire for power at all costs can ruin him. Macbeth is a story by Shakespeare. Macbeth is a flawed character described as a tragic hero with a dream of power. He makes fatal errors and suffers from the choices he makes.

Read More
324 Words | 2 Pages

But to be safely thus.¨ (III.i.50-51). In Macbeth's soliloquy he knows Banquo knows the prophecies the witches had given Macbeth. Macbeth feels like Banquo knows the king was murdered. Another reason he takes matters into his own hands is because Banquo was given the prophecy that his sons would be king. At the end of Macbeth's soliloquy the reader sees that Macbeth already has a plan to insure

Read More
675 Words | 3 Pages

Shakespeare sets Macbeth up as a tragic hero, someone who lets his fatal flaw get the best of him, because we can see how he ‘falls from grace’ as at the start of the play

Read More
489 Words | 2 Pages

A Tragic Hero Macbeth was a tragic hero because he is a character whose fate is a product of what others do and how he chooses to react. He represents humankind in a way of ambition and greed, and showed a lot of personal courage in accepting his fate of death or annihilation. To start off, Macbeth is a character whose fate is a product of what others do and what he chooses to do. For example Macbeth wanted to be king but he was smart enough to not use a blade of his own so he took the daggers of Duncan’s “ two chamberlains” that were sleeping so that they would be blamed for the murder of Duncan. However he did not want to plant the daggers back in the servants possession with the blood on them but Lady Macbeth seen the daggers but refused to fail so she mocked Macbeth’s courage and took it unto her own responsibility to plant the daggers.

Read More
1316 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout history, many of the most famous Shakespearean plays always include a tragic hero: a literary character that makes a judgment error that leads to his or her own destruction. In one of Shakespeare’s well-known plays, Macbeth, a noble and respected thane by the name of Macbeth turns into the crazed tyrant of Scotland due to his selfishness of becoming king. A question which flusters many is if Macbeth fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. Macbeth is a tragic hero because he possesses a tragic flaw, he obtains excessive pride, and he has a sudden realization of his reversal of fortune was brought upon him by his own actions.

Read More
1023 Words | 5 Pages

The idea of a tragic hero is characterized by uprising and downfall. The rise of power comes with the ruination of the mind and soul. Macbeth’s downfall happens gradually throughout the play. His uprising was his succession to becoming the King of Scotland and his downfall was the corruption of his character. Macbeth is a tragic hero because he has constantly been tormented throughout the play by his guilty conscience, until he somehow manages to lose his humanity and rules with a lack of compassion and his one flaw is his susceptible mind which powerful influences were able to exploit and poison.

Read More
1008 Words | 5 Pages

In Macbeth, William Shakespeare portrays the end of a famed hero who chooses to go down a dark path, rather than choosing a path which would have led to glory, making him a tragic hero. When Macbeth is told his prophecy of becoming king, he intends on doing it on his own terms and decides to make impulsive decisions, such as killing Duncan, Banquo and slaughtering Macduff’s family. These impulsive decisions were an effect of Macbeth being blinded by becoming king, as he felt he had other options. Although it may seem that Macbeth was influenced by society to commit these atrocious acts, he was fully aware of the consequences and went ahead with his plan. Macbeth truly fits the role of a tragic hero as he brought his fate upon himself, through

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

A story of tragedy is not uncommon with William Shakespeare and his works of prose. In his plays, death and despair is more likely than honor and prosperity. This is an included facet to Macbeth as well, having sinister themes of greed, manipulation, and brutality. Macbeth, by the infamous playwright, Shakespeare, presents us with multiple aspects factoring into whether the main character controls his actions that lead to the tragic events.

Read More
759 Words | 4 Pages

Should his wife suffer for macbeth's faults, he doesn't deserve her dead and she doesn't deserve to be dead. Also when Macbeth says “ I will not be afraid of death and destruction until Birnam forest picks itself up and moves to Dunsinane.(A5S3) he is saying it to prove that he will never be afraid of death, but when his messenger says that the forest is actually moving, we can't help but feel bad for the man. Increased awareness is another Characteristic of a tragic hero. Macbeth seems to have an idea of what the future has in store for him.

Read More
966 Words | 4 Pages

William Shakespeare, one of history’s legendary writers, created the play Macbeth with a tragedy that still burns with pity and sadness for Macbeth to this very day. From Macbeth’s tragic flaws, his continuous errors in judgement, to his complete downfall, this character actively demonstrates many characteristics of a Shakespearean tragic hero. The character Macbeth is a tragic hero in the play Macbeth. One of the reasons how Macbeth is a tragic hero is by his tragic flaws.

Read More
565 Words | 3 Pages

In Shakespeare’s well known tragic story,“Macbeth”,there are multiple various scene’s involving war, celebration and murder. In the play, many character’s are described to have different types of literary characteristics and Macbeth, the main character, is considered a tragic hero. Macbeth’s tragic flaws qualify him as a tragic hero, these flaws are ambition and having lack moderation. The tragic flaws contributed to Macbeth’s downfall since it set his life to be in danger from the events taken place after the tragic decisions he made from his actions/flaws. Macbeth in Shakespeare’s well known play is considered as a tragic hero, with tragic flaws and those flaws contributing to his death.

Read More
803 Words | 4 Pages

In conclusion, although some believe that Macbeth is aware of what he is doing for himself Macbeth is a tragic hero. In Shakespeare 's Macbeth he holds high praise of being Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, knows of his flaw and after putting himself in a situation he fought to the end of his own death. By Aristotle 's characteristics guide of a tragic hero and how Macbeth responses to his flaw is what makes Macbeth a tragic hero instead of an

Read More
760 Words | 4 Pages

In the story of Macbeth, the protagonist is seen to have all the characteristics of a tragic hero. Unlike Lady Macbeth, Macbeth is a prime example of a tragic hero, not only because he is the main character of a tragedy, but because he was at first a noble and great character, who soon turned out to be average, his downfall was caused by his own flaws (mainly due to his excessive pride), and he gathered some sympathy from the audience. Firstly, a characteristic of a tragic hero is someone of high status, who is not perfect so that

Read More
703 Words | 3 Pages

He let his ambitions take control of his actions. Macbeth is a tragic hero because he redeemed a small measure of his nobility. He redeemed himself by fighting until the end of his life. He understood his fate and still fought.

Read More
1592 Words | 7 Pages

Macbeth is Foul, Macbeth is Fair: An Analysis of Macbeth as a Tragic Shakespearean Hero In modern-day life, a tragic hero is an ordinary person who makes a grave mistake in judgement which causes his or her downfall, but does not necessarily result in death. However, in Shakespearean tragedies, a tragic hero is defined as a great literary character of high nobility whose tragic flaw and poor decisions lead to his or her unanticipated downfall and destruction. Ajsdhfjdhalsdhf Macbeth, the main character of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, fulfills the role of a tragic hero because of his rising status, the catharsis he provides for the audience, and his tragic flaw which leads to his unforeseen downfall. In every Shakespearean tragedy, the tragic hero is known to be either a war hero or a character of high status before the story turns for the worst; Macbeth covers both of these

Read More

More about Macbeth Tragic Hero Essay

Open Document