In Macbeth, William Shakespeare portrays the end of a famed hero who chooses to go down a dark path, rather than choosing a path which would have led to glory, making him a tragic hero. When Macbeth is told his prophecy of becoming king, he intends on doing it on his own terms and decides to make impulsive decisions, such as killing Duncan, Banquo and slaughtering Macduff’s family. These impulsive decisions were an effect of Macbeth being blinded by becoming king, as he felt he had other options. Although it may seem that Macbeth was influenced by society to commit these atrocious acts, he was fully aware of the consequences and went ahead with his plan. Macbeth truly fits the role of a tragic hero as he brought his fate upon himself, through …show more content…
The witches tell Macbeth “that [he] shalt be king hereafter”(1.3.53), foreshadowing his impractical rise to power. As Macbeth prepares to kill Duncan, he draws his dagger and says,”Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going/And such an instrument I was to use”(2.1.54-55). This exemplifies Macbeth’s true and impatient motives as he was never told to kill Duncan, rather chose to out of his freewill. Killing Duncan wasn’t enough though, as Macbeth needed someone to blame the murder on, so he framed the guards who were there to protect Duncan. Lady Macbeth decides to “smear/The sleepy grooms with blood”(2.2.63-64), which Macbeth could have objected to, but still continued, which made him worse of a person, steering him into a disastrous path. Macbeth made the decisions on his own, which would eventually lead to him becoming a tragic hero and sealing his …show more content…
As Macbeth prepares to kill Duncan, he realizes that “this blow/Might be the be-all and the end-all here”(1.7.4-5), meaning this might be the end if he gets caught. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth to “proceed no further in this business”(1.7.34), telling her to stop thinking about killing Duncan. Macbeth does not listen to his own advice and continues to think about murdering Duncan, which he achieves. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth looks towards Lady Macbeth as he says,”This is a sorry sight”(2.2.28), truly acknowledging his actions and feeling guilty for them. As Macbeth lets the murder sink in, he realizes that the blood will never be “[c]lean from [his] hand”(2.2.79). The blood of the dead will stain Macbeth’s hands forever, in which he will feel eternal guilt. Although Macbeth realizes this, he continues his journey to becoming king by committing several other murders. In a discussion between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he is “in blood/ Stepp’d in so far that, should he wade no more/ Returning were as tedious as go o’er’”(3.4.168-170). Macbeth has regret and guilt for his actions, since he knows he is too far in to go back to his original, heroic life. Macbeth being conscious of his actions show the qualities of a tragic hero as he acknowledges the fact that he brought his downfall upon
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
Macbeth is a tragic hero because he got something he didn’t deserve from being greedy, and everyone is greedy at some point in their lives, and eventually there is someone that comes and guides that greedy person in the right way and teaches them how to not be greedy and tells them that they should appreciate what they have already. In this case Macbeth is lead the wrong way by his wife lady Macbeth, and is told to go much further with his greedy and selfish thoughts. He could have done something else that could of made him a better man, something that
He acknowledge his role in his demise. Macbeth exemplifies of all the characteristics of an Aristotelian tragic hero. Macbeth’s
Macbeth feels guilty for killing the king which shows his internal struggle between good and evil.
Macbeth is a tragic hero due to his high rank and tragic flaw of overconfidence. Fate's role changes him throughout the play, which reveals his tragic flaw of hubris ultimately leading to his downfall. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is very powerful and highly ranked. He killed the traitor and is being commended for his heroism in battle by the captain, “ For brave Macbeth-
Macbeth feels regret and guilt after murdering King Duncan. He is beginning to understand the consequences of his actions and the disruption of the natural order that he has caused. Macbeth’s guilt shows that he still has some understanding of the natural order, but his ambition and desire for power are clouding his judgment. “I am in blood / Stepp’d in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.136-138).
When it comes to a tragic hero, they are described as the leading role that was once a hero; although, had a fall from grace from their tragic flaw and their life ended due to that flaw. Within Shakespeares’ Macbeth, the main character, Macbeth, follows that criteria. The play follows the rise and fall of Macbeth in which his fall is caused by his tragic flaw of over-confidence or pride. The work of Frederic Morgan Padelford, “Macbeth the Thane and Macbeth the Regicide” enforces the idea of what a tragic hero is, in which Macbeth was greatly liked by the audience for how they saw the way his character deteriorated gradually as the play went on. Thus,Macbeth displays how he was once an honored noble, spiraled into darkness, and realized his
He continues to climb the ranks through his hamartia and soon reaches king status. Macbeth was already on a higher level than his peers, but soon became head and shoulders above the rest when he becomes king. Finally, the last reason for why Macbeth is the most tragic hero is because at first he is pretty content with himself and his role. However, he soon becomes too ambitious
William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth explores the fall of a tragic hero who is influenced by the supernatural into committing regicide and evil deeds, resulting in destruction and severe consequences. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth to support King James I and to demonstrate to his audience the importance of being supportive to the reigning monarch and abiding by the natural order of society. Shakespeare demonstrates that Macbeth is partly responsible for his downfall, however it is the influence of evil individuals that are mostly responsible for his tragedy. Although, it is due to Macbeth’s ambitions that causes him to first consider committing regicide, Shakespeare emphasises that it the impact of the three witches and Lady Macbeth’s manipulation
Macbeth’s own choices and actions is what caused the rest of the murders after king Duncan’s death, since lady Macbeth did not hear about the plan of Banquo’s murder until after it was done. Macbeth had power to tell Lady Macbeth not to continue with the plan of murdering king Duncan, yet he still went forward with the plan. In the play when king Duncan announced that his son Malcome would be the next king, Macbeth was not happy that he was not the one chosen as king. “Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires.” (1, 5, 50-51).
His ambition causes him to choose the wrong choices and affects the outcome of his life. In the beginning of the story, the witches tell Macbeth that his fate is to become king. Macbeth believes that fate will just simply make it true and that he will not have to do anything. However, his ambitious nature makes him ponder the thought of being king in his own way. He decides his final decision by the push of Lady Macbeth.
From honored soldier to murderous tyrant, Macbeth killed his way into power. He was informed of his “destiny” and stopped at nothing to achieve it. He had multiple chances to rethink his actions. He didn 't however, he kept on his march to power leaving only himself to blame. Macbeth is the only one to blame for his actions and ultimately, his death.
Starting off the play with glorious achievements, Macbeth is a character beloved by his companions and superiors alike. This exists as a foundation for his position in the play, not as the noble and victorious protagonist, but rather as a tragic hero. While all unique in their own ways, Shakespeare’s famous tragedies have a few things in common, namely a hero whose one tragic flaw brings on their downfall. In his play ‘Macbeth’, Shakespear demonstrates how the protagonist’s excessive ambition has influenced not only himself, but the events of the play to the point where he had to be killed in order to regain peace.
William Shakespeare’s play introduces Macbeth as a brave warrior, whose fame on battle wins him great honor and pride from the king, Macbeth eventually becomes vulnerable and naive as his lady begins questioning his manhood. He is pushed to an extent that he feels he must commit murder to prove his manhood. He is often emasculated by his wife. He is an ambitious man whom is greedy and rash and would do anything for power. This essay will briefly discuss the character traits of Macbeth and how he was a victim of his own demise; his traits include bravery, vulnerability and ambition.
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.