ipl-logo

Tragic Hero In Macbeth

1493 Words6 Pages

Aristotle and William Shakespeare lived ages apart, but Shakespeare was greatly affected by the work of Aristotle and showed the effectiveness in each of his plays. In Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth, the character of Macbeth perfectly fits Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero. This definition paves the way for a very dynamic character who can portray an extremely tragic situation. According to Aristotle, there are three elements that make up a tragic hero. The three elements include hamartia, peripeteia, and anagnorisis, in which all are present in Macbeth. Shakespeare utilizes these structural formulas in order to create the play. Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero also includes that the character comes from nobility, has a tragic flaw (caused by a simple mistake or a character flaw), undergoes a reversal …show more content…

Macbeth fits the definition of an Aristotelian tragic hero because he starts with nobility, and because of his tragic flaw of excessive pride, he suffers a fall from grace; however, he regains a small measure of the small nobility and self-awareness and these were all present in Aristotle’s definition and the three elements of hamartia, peripeteia, and anagnorisis.
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as courageous on the battlefield and is celebrated by King Duncan and the Scottish nobles. In Act 1, scene 2, the Captain recalls Macbeth’s heroic performance in the battle against Macdonwald’s forces by telling King Duncan. “But all’s too weak, For brave Macbeth-well he deserves the name-Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valor’s minion carved out his passage

Show More
Related

  • Macbeth Tragic Hero Quotes

    372 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tragic Hero’s In act three scene four Macbeth says, “It will have blood, they say. Blood will have blood.” this shows him being arrogant. Macbeth is a great example of a tragic hero because it shows him having Nobel powers, a fatal flaw, and the free choice.

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Tragic Hero Essay

    791 Words  | 4 Pages

    In any tragedy, the tragic hero is a great character with a tragic flaw and is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. The tragic hero conclusively can sometimes cause death upon himself due to his tragic flaw. Three main theories of the tragic hero are the Aristotelian model, the Shakespearean model, and the modern tragic hero. Each model has five defining characteristics, which are nobility, hamartia, downfall, anagnorisis, and suffering. In the Shakespearean mode of the tragedy, the play Romeo and Juliet best models the tragic hero.

    Read More

  • Tragic Heroes In The Great Gatsby And Oedipus The King

    341 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A man cannot become a hero until he can see the root of his own downfall.” This quote articulated by famous Greek philosopher Aristotle provided the basis for another category of heroes: tragic heroes. Throughout literature’s history there have been various tragic heroes from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby in the novel The Great Gatsby to Oedipus Rex in Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King. William Shakespeare created tragic heroes in his plays as well, one of the most famous being Macbeth in the title play Macbeth. In another of Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet, Prince Hamlet cries out, “To be, or not to be: that is the question:/” which appears similar to the question some readers still ask, “Is or is not Macbeth a tragic hero?” (INTEXTDOCUMENTATION).

    Read More

  • Macbeth Tragic Hero Essay

    1008 Words  | 5 Pages

    Macbeth being conscious of his actions show the qualities of a tragic hero as he acknowledges the fact that he brought his downfall upon

    Read More

  • Macbeth Fair Quotes

    523 Words  | 3 Pages

    One way Macbeth exemplifies a tragic hero is through his error and flaw in judgment throughout the play. Macbeth states “ I am settled, and bent up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat” (Shakespeare 1.7.89-90). This quote talks about how Macbeth will put everything he has into killing King

    Read More

  • Examples Of Creon In Antigone

    821 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to A.C. Bradley, Shakespearean tragedy have the following elements “although a tragedy may have many characters, it is pre-eminently the story of one person or at most two. The story leads up to and included the death of the hero. The story depicts also the troubled part of the hero’s life which precede’s and leads up to his death. The hero is a conspicuous person, a person of high degree. The suffering and calamity are exceptional, of a striking kind.

    Read More

  • Tragic Flaws In A Streetcar Named Desire

    1366 Words  | 6 Pages

    According to Aristotle the characteristics of a tragic hero are to provoke sad emotions, such as pity or fear, from the audience. When these sad emotions are provoked from the audience, it is hoped that after seeing the tragic hero leading themselves to downfall or death it will transform the audience into good human beings. The characteristics of a tragic hero are shown through Blanche in the play A Streetcar Named Desire, showing tragic flaws. Hamartia is when a tragic flaw causes downfall for a hero.

    Read More

  • Essay On Tragic Hero In Julius Caesar

    1099 Words  | 5 Pages

    Proving a Tragic Hero A character who makes a judgement or error that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction, defines a tragic hero, according to Aristotle. In William Shakespeare’s writings, one character generally identifies as a tragic hero. Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, comes from the true events that took place in Rome during the time that Caesar rose and gained power as dictator. After Pompey’s death in Egypt; caused by each of their power-hungry desires, Caesar declared himself dictator of Rome.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Tragic Hero Quotes

    724 Words  | 3 Pages

    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. Macbeth is a tragic hero because of his excessive pride. This can be seen in Act III Scene IV when Macbeth says, “Ourself will mingle with society, And play the humble host.”

    Read More

  • Creon Is The Tragic Hero In Antigone

    798 Words  | 4 Pages

    He is considered a man of misfortune that comes to him through an error of judgment.” Notice that Aristotle uses the words he, man, and him and not she, woman, or her. This hints that the tragic hero must be a man, not a woman. A tragic hero must also have certain characteristics such as hubris, hamartia, peripeteia, anagnorisis, nemesis, and catharsis. These all mean that the character’s tragic downfall must have a beginning, middle, and end and emanate a feeling of pity and fear in the audience.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Tragic Hero Quotes

    563 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, many of the main characters can be classified as tragic heroes. A tragic hero can be labeled as a character with a fatal flaw which eventually leads to their downfall. However, I believe that the main character, Macbeth, is overall the biggest tragic hero within the play. Macbeth's selfish ambition, low self-esteem, and general obsession with more power all contributed to his grand title of being a tragic hero.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Tragic Hero In Macbeth

    1291 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Tragic Hero Essay

    760 Words  | 4 Pages

    Macbeth: Why He is a Tragic Hero Exactly what is a tragic hero? A tragic hero, according to Aristotle, is a literary character who makes a judgement error that leads them to his/her own destruction. They have been further described as an imperfect someone who has noble status who caused their own downfall. They are also known to gather sympathy from the audiences and readers.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: An Aristotelian Tragic Hero

    703 Words  | 3 Pages

    An Aristotelian tragic hero is a character born of noble birth and, by destiny, has a tragic flaw that inevitably leads to his or her downfall and redeems his or herself by the end of the tragedy. For one to consider a play a tragedy, the character of the play must be noble, and the play typically starts off with happiness and wealth. The play ends with sadness and the hero has a tragic flaw that causes their downfall. In The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth fits the definition of an Aristotelian tragic hero. Macbeth is a tragic hero because he starts by being loyal and trustworthy, develops a tragic flaw that leads to his downfall, and he redeems a small measure of himself before he dies.

    Read More

  • Essay On Othello As A Tragic Hero

    738 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Aristotle a tragic hero is a person, usually a man, of high position with outstanding qualities and greatness about him. In the plays Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and Othello by William Shakespeare the main characters are classified as tragic heroes. Oedipus grew up with his adoptive parents as his biological parents did not want him fearing a prophecy that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother. Othello was betrayed by a soldier, Iago, because the soldier did not get the position he wanted. Iago began to spread lies about Othello’s wife, Desdemona, as well as other people he trust.

    Read More

More about Tragic Hero In Macbeth

Open Document