Shakespeare's Macbeth As A Tragic Hero

Macbeth, throughout the play, is presented in an eminent position in society with major flaws, and, as such, fulfills the basic requirements of a tragic hero. Shakespeare introduces him as a brave general, an intelligent resolute man of action whose major flaw of ambition for power leads him to his last battle of death. Because Macbeth was such a strong character in the opening of the play, every perfect hero, has a dark side. The Thane of Cawdor, who later becomes King, is categorized in three sections: bravery, ambition and guilt- and to many, Macbeth, is a true tragic hero.

“Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red.” (Act II, Scene II) Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in the 1600’s, is the shortest of Shakespearian tragedies. The main character, Macbeth, receives a prophecy that he will become King of Scotland. Ambition takes over him and he commits many murders to keep the throne. Consequently, a war breaks out and takes Macbeth and his wife. Macbeth is considered a tragic hero because of his excessive pride, reversal of fate when Fleance escapes, and his tragic flaw ambition.

The namesake of the play, “Macbeth” is a man who faced a decision between his own personal passion and his moral obligations and duties. The two choices pulled at him and seemed to torment him even after he made a decision. Through the conflict that Macbeth felt because of his decisions, the reader can better empathize with him, and can obtain a more profound lesson from the story concerning decisions between personal passions and moral obligations.

“If fate means me to be king, then fate may crown me without any act on my part.” There are many different types of tragic flaws that a tragic hero may have. The main three that Macbeth possesses are: noble stature, hubris, and free choice. There are other ones, of course, but these are the main ones.

I personally think that Macbeth is a hero. I think he is a hero because in Act 1, he cut Macdonwald laterally in half. That’s most definitely not the only reason why I think he is a hero. He doesn’t always do heroic actions. With that being said, I think Macbeth is a tragic hero.

Redemption is a strong word that is not given often but given out of empathy. In the dictionary, it is defined as “deliverance from sin; salvation.” (Dictionary.com, “Redemption”) Redemption is the common phrase of “giving a second chance” or “forgiveness”. The true question still lies, is Macbeth redeemable or irredeemable?

Ricky Martin, a famous Puerto Rican singer, exclaimed, “Heroes represent the best of ourselves, respecting that we are human beings. A hero can be anyone from Gandhi to your classroom teacher, anyone who can show courage when faced with a problem” (www.brainyquote.com). Everyone has their own conception of heroism as it exists in reality and fiction. In literature, authors often incorporate their ideas of heroism. Shakespeare’s books repeatedly feature a different kind of hero referred to as the tragic hero. Shakespeare has several complex ideas regarding a tragedy. His books demonstrate his ideas concerning the structure, purpose, and intended effect of a tragedy. Shakespeare is well known for his enthralling tales of tragic heroes. The titular

1. What traits of a tragic hero does Macbeth possess (if any) in Act I? Explain how Macbeth fits those traits. Macbeth is the great example for Shakespeare’s tragic hero who is the person with high stature background, and good characteristics; but he had an crucial downfall through an significant factors

“You wish to be great. You have ambition, but you lack the ruthlessness that should go

“For brave Macbeth”, Shakespeare gradually indicates that Macbeth is a tragic hero. The characteristics of a tragic hero are usually they come from a noble background, they have a tragic flaw, and they have a tragedy happen to them. In order for this to be a Shakespearean tragedy there must be a tragic hero.

Macbeth is a nobleman of Scotland. Early on he is known as Thane of Glamis, but later becomes Thane of Cawdor after the original Thane of Cawdor is killed for treason. Macbeth is extremely ambitious and has the thirst for power and is always looking for a newer better title. His wife manipulates him into these deeds. He murdered King Duncan to fulfill the witches’ first prophecy to become king, kills Banquo because his family was destined to become rulers over Scotland, and kills all of Macduff's family. The whole story seems to be about Macbeth and all of his efforts to get and keep the throne. Macbeth is definitely a guilty person and is shameful for his action but this is one of the main reasons that he is a fascinating character.

In Shakespeare’s’ tragedies, one element is consistent- the tragic hero. Each tragic hero shares certain traits that contribute to his tragedy. They possess a fault that will eventually lead to their demise. Shakespeare’s tragic hero is a man of noble birth who falls from a position of honor and respect due to a flaw in his character. Hamlet and Macbeth are portrayed as tragic heroes through their nobility, tragic flaws, and errors in judgment.

A tragic hero is defined as a great character who is all but destined for downfall. The tragedy of Macbeth falls in line with this depiction perfectly. Macbeth was a noble warrior, he experienced a downward spiral at the top of his game, and was overcome by a flaw, his pride, that led to his ultimate destruction.

Villain, a character whose evil actions or motives are important to the plot. Just like the definition of villain states, they show traits just like macbeth. In Shakespeare 's “ The Tragedy of Macbeth”, the character Macbeth is displayed as the villain throughout the play. Macbeth shows the readers that his amiton gets in the way and makes him do things that are considered “evil” until the end of the play.

Tragedy of Macbeth is a story written by William Shakespeare about a man who is power hungry to become king. This story is called a tragedy, a tragedy is a type of story that doesn 't have a happy ending. A tragedy will end up with the protagonist dieing or making a great sacrifice. Shakespeare has made many tragedies such a Romeo and Juliet for example. In every Tragedy there must be a tragic hero and in this story it shows that Macbeth is the tragic hero, is a round character, and also a very dynamic character.