Mason Cooley's Character Analysis

Mason Cooley, an American aphorist known for his witty aphorisms said, “The tragic hero prefers death to prudence. The comedian prefers playing tricks to winning. Only the villain really plays to win.” Tragic heroes line Shakespeare’s writing and characteristically have high social and moral standing, a tragic flaw and fall, and come to recognize wrongdoing in a dignified manner. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth’s character encompasses these as he clings to power against all opposition. High social and moral stature build up the precipice from which tragic heroes fall. The King holds Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, in high regard as a trusted warrior and kinsmen. After the battle against the Norwegians, he greets Macbeth in humility with “O worthiest

His lauding of Macbeth contrasted with expressed inconvenience at Lady Macbeth’s hospitality later that same act put Macbeth on a pedestal of his own (I.vii.11). Macbeth’s relationship with the king surpasses kinsmen to a level of absolute trust when Duncan shares with them that “Sons, kinsmen, thanes, / And [those] whose places are the nearest” must uphold Malcolm as the heir of Scotland (I.iv.36-37). Interwoven in the affairs of the kingdom, Macbeth stands well above common plebs. Additionally, Macbeth’s kind nature automatically dismisses thoughts of foul play for the crown. Instead he checks his moral compass to reassure himself of the correct choice and says, “If chance will have me King, why, / chance may crown me, / without my stir” (I.iv.143-144). Instinctively, his loyalty to the king trumps pursuing of the crown, and his underlying kind nature dismisses the desire as merely a thought. After sharing the events which occurred with the witches to

On Macbeth’s prolonged fall from power, he is able to reflect on his actions and come to terms with his transgressions. After Macduff reveals his mother died before giving birth to him, Macbeth realizes that he has been manipulated by the witches and exclaims, “Accurséd be that tongue that tells me so, / For it hath cowed my better part of man!” (V.viii.17-18). Claiming that the witches pandered to his sense of pride and courage, he quickly grasps that he never stood a chance. The witches made a show of Macbeth’s life and fate, but while Macbeth doesn’t feel remorse for his actions, he does meet his defeat with dignity. Speaking to himself before his final battle he asks, “Why should I play the Roman fool, and die / On mine own sword?” (V.v.1-2). While it can be argued that continuing to fight shows lack of remorse for his actions, Macbeth sees obstinate defeat as the only dignified way to move forward when compared to the tyrants who came before. Instead of the cowardly act of suicide, Macbeth chooses to meet his defeat in an ironic display of his very flaw; pride. Manipulated and misunderstood, he allows Macduff to slay him in battle, and continues to hold his soon-to-be disembodied head high even while in the grasp of his victorious