Shakespeare's Macbeth As A Tragic Hero

A tragic hero is a person who is a great and respected person but is destined for tragedy. He is admired by others and is a prominent member of the community. However, he has a flaw extreme hubris, or being too proud. Overall, a tragic hero is a good person who experiences a tragic fall from his status in the community from a bad decision that is rooted in his pride. John Proctor was a tragic hero in Arthur Miller’s classic drama The Crucible.

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

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.

The Story of a Tragic Hero Every tragic hero has a fatal flaw. Macbeth had a tragic flaw and it was greed. This greed caused him to break family ties, ruin friendships, and go power hungry. Macbeth already had power by birth but wanted more.

Hail to thee thane of Glamis! … thane of Cawdor… thou shalt be king hereafter (Witches, Act I, sc III, 50-52)¨. These witches are telling him that he will be thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is already thane of Glamis because it is the name of the area he rules over. Soon after he was told these prophecies King Duncan named him thane of Cawdor.

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. "For brave Macbeth — well he deserves that name — Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish'd steel, which smoked with bloody execution, like valour's minion carved out his passage till he faced the slave."

Macbeth’s mental condition begins to dwindle as time goes on, starting with the murder of Duncan. At first, Macbeth is seen as a soldier that everyone aspires to be, strong, brave, and compassionate about his duties to the king. In act one scene two, Captain says, “...For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-...” This shows that he is a likeable person who has only the objective of serving his king. After meeting with the witches and hearing his prophecy, Macbeth starts to think about what it would be like to be king of Scotland.

Tragic Hero characteristics As read in Mrs. Horne’s notes (Horne, “Shakespeare’s tragic hero”), a Shakespearean tragic hero is a “man of noble stature, a man with potential greatness and tragically-flawed,” in Macbeth’s case his flaw was his lust for power, an example was his intention of killing the God-like King Duncan for power and to gain the throne. It was not compulsion to kill Duncan.

In conclusion, I believe Macbeth to be a tragic hero due to his flawed character and blinded ambitions. His flaws play a major part in his downfall as a noble, brave, and courageous warrior. His wanting for power along with his wife's honeyed words led him to take the throne by force, leaving him as a tragic hero, who could've once been great. We watch his steady and harrowing rise to power, then his consequent spiral to his eventual demise.

“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. A characteristic of a tragic hero is being high in society. In act 1, Macbeth appears to be a very noble man, as well as high in position in Scotland.

He was ¨a heroic warrior of an era of brutal, hand-to-hand combat.¨ (Clothier) which not only made him a powerful and respected figure by Duncan and his peers but also very popular in all of scotland. He was also a nobleman and a very loyal subject to King Duncan protecting him at all costs. However going back to his Hamartia Macbeth had unchecked ambition and thirst for power therefore because of his previous power and loyalty it was very easy for him to kill Duncan because he had more knowledge on Duncan that he used against him to kill him. This soon led to more violence and brutality which also ultimately led to Macbeth's

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. Macbeth is thinking to himself that it is not fair that Duncan 's kids will become king so he kills Duncan and has his sons flee.

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 in the story, such as his hamartia, or his close relationships.

He let his ambitions take control of his actions. Macbeth is a tragic hero because he redeemed a small measure of his nobility. He redeemed himself by fighting until the end of his life. He understood his fate and still fought.

“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. Noble stature is the most common flaw in tragic stories.