The Importance Of Tragic Hero In Macbeth

According to Aristotle, "A man doesn't become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall. An Aristotelian tragic hero must possess specific characteristics such as flaw or error of judgment (hamartia), a reversal of fortune brought about because of the hero's error in judgment, the discovery or recognition that the reversal was brought about by the hero's own actions, excessive pride (hubris) and the character's fate must be greater than deserved (The Poetics). In the end these factors lead to a fatal demise to which they are destined. Corresponding to Aristotle’s genre of tragedy Macbeth is in fact a tragic hero. Although his actions do not bestow nobleness, other characters imply that he is honorable for example when Duncan states “True, worthy Banquo. He is full so valiant,

His easily impressionable nature causes him to not form his own thoughts, but rather listen to the words of Lady Macbeth and the three witches. At the point of this play the audience can note the change in Macbeth's character. Macbeth's first murder was a trying experience for him, however after the first murder; killing seemed to be the only solution to maintain his reign of the people of Scotland. Through this ambition Macbeth is able to organize these murders without a drop of remorse. This lack of remorse is his shrill that pushes him to continue with his evil conspiracies. This conveys Macbeth’s character at the beginning to be a misrepresentation because for him to have killed Duncan who was his king and cousin as well as Banquo a friend and man who he fought alongside in the war is not the actions of a noble man. However, he first acts on his ambition in (2.1) when Macbeth makes his “is this dagger before me” speech; he acknowledges that what he sees is not real, but through this vaulting ambition he visualizes the dagger as sign that he should kill Duncan. After he kills Duncan it is apparent that his