The fall from heroism into villainy is a substantial fall. A tragic hero is someone who is typically an exceptional human being who has ordinary qualities in their personality, however they have a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. Though the most accurate description of a tragic hero seems to be Aristotle´s, “A literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction”. This seems to be the most accurate definition to compare to a character in a story like Macbeth. Macbeth is the main character in Macbeth, a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Macbeth had a tragic flaw that had led to his downfall, yes, that does fit the definition of a tragic hero. However, it should be clear that Macbeth was no hero, …show more content…
There are so many good examples of tragic heroes, and Macbeth truly does not fit in with them. “Tragic heroes are the types of characters you really bond with and that you see making mistakes that lead to their death, loneliness, despair, or some other kind of undoing.” (6 Tragic Hero Examples for a Heroic Essay). For example, Cinna from the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Cinna was a tragic hero killed by the Capitol due to his pride and rebellious attitude. Or another example, Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. His tragic flaw would have been that he loved Lily so much that he had died protecting her son from her murderer. Or even, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. The Giving Tree’s tragic flaw would be his loving and giving personality had gotten him cut down to a stump. Noticeably, Macbeth is nothing like these tragic heroes. A tragic hero should be someone who is simply a hero who was ruined by one of their traits. Unambiguously, Macbeth does not fit as such, and should not be considered as a tragic hero. If one could be any more dramatic on the question, it is almost disrespectful to other tragic heroes to consider Macbeth as