A tragic hero is a character who makes an error of judgment that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy. In addition, this character is happy at the beginning of the play. A tragic hero must be of noble birth and demonstrate a tragic flaw throughout the story. This character will realize their flaw once it is too late to overcome the conflict. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, Marcus Brutus exhibits qualities that make him the tragic character.
Is Oedipus a Tragic Hero? In the play of “Oedipus the King”, Oedipus is in fact a tragic hero according to Aristotle’s definition. Aristotle defined a tragic hero according to these standards: A tragic hero has to be a king or a man of noble stature, a tragic hero must be an honorable man and his downfall occurs from an act injustice cause by ignorance, the downfall of a tragic hero is his own fault and nobody is to blame for, the hero’s downfall is not always earned but his punishment goes beyond from his or her crime, and after his or her downfall the hero learns a valuable lesson. They play is written like it was purposely wrote to meet the qualities of a tragic hero according to Aristotle by using Oedipus as an example. Oedipus meets all the qualities of a tragic hero by him being a man of noble and honorable stature, but his downfall is caused by his own fault but by an act of unfairness, his downfall is not earned by his acts, but at the end he learns a lesson.
“For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—/ Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel/ Which smoked with bloody execution/ Like valor’s minion carved out his passage” (I, i, 16-19). The captain is retelling all the heroic details of how Macbeth defeated Macdonwald and his rebels. Here Macbeth is everything that an honorable man should be. Everyone that is in the room listening to the captain recall all of Macbeth’s heroic deeds is in awe of how great of a man Macbeth is. His valor and strength he showed in battle is what earned him his new title of thane of Cawdor and what lead to everyone respecting him so much in the beginning.
In any piece of literature a tragic hero must fulfil several criteria. These are: the play must be concerned with the main character, who must be of noble birth and have positive qualities, and must possess a fatal flaw. Along with flaws, outside forces must intervene to bring about his downfall. Finally the protagonist must die at the end of the play. The aim of this essay is to determine whether or not Macbeth is a tragic hero based on these requirements.
Macbeth was seen as a brave and noble man by all of his peers, and even King Duncan himself. This is why Duncan proclaimed “What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won,” (1.2.67) referring to the fact that he named Macbeth to be Thane of Cawdor. One would think that after such accomplishment, Macbeth would be satisfied with his position. However, this is not the case. Chris risks his family, his secrets, his position gained in the high class society.
In Homer's lyrical verses and in his use of detail, diction, meter and imagery, he paints his own portrait of a classic hero through the brave deeds as well as the human flaws of Hector and Achilles that eventually lead to the downfall of proud and powerful Hector. Another characteristic that defines a hero in The Iliad is that they are generally honorable men and very respected by the people that surround them. Hector and Achilles are both strong and fearless soldiers, and because of this they are looked up to and depended upon by the Trojans and the Achaeans. When either hero speaks, the people around him listen and obey. Often, Homer sets off the words "And Achilles strong, swift, and godlike..."(129;Book 1) from the rest of a stanza, conveying a sense of power and authority that the two heroes exert when they speak.
In the play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, the character Marcus Brutus is a tragic hero. A tragic hero is defined as a character that has some type of tragic character flaw, which eventually leads to making a serious error in judgment, and leads to his defeat. In Julius Caesar Brutus displays the traits of a tragic hero throughout this play. Brutus’s attempt at doing what he thinks is right, yet doing the wrong thing fits the definition of a tragic hero. However, the factors that show that Brutus is a good man is his noble personality, ability to trust others blindly, and his caring nature toward others.
As the audience, we can see how Macbeth's character turns from good to evil, from a "valiant cousin" and "worthy gentleman" to a "bloody butcher" and a “tyrant” which leads him down the path of self-destruction. The change in Macbeth’s character helps to illustrate the themes of natural order and vaulting ambition that are integral to the play. Macbeth finally realizes towards the end of the play the consequences of vaulting ambition. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is known as a "noble" and "valiant" soldier who is well valued. He respected the King and proved to be brave in battles as the Captain described him, "…Till he unseamed him from the nave to the chops and fixed his head upon out battlements” in Act 1, Scene 1 (lines 10 – 20) He was also well admired by King Duncan who defined Macbeth as ‘O valiant cousin!
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies. Macbeth is a brave soldier and a powerful man, but he is not a virtuous one. Due to the prophecies of the three witches, he is easily temped into murder to fulfill his ambitions to the throne. In the play, Macbeth is considered a tragic hero. He was of high standing, came from a noble background, and possessed a flaw in his character that brought him to his own downfall.
The reason Macbeth suddenly changes is because he has realised that Duncan genuinely has respect for him and lauds him often. Duncan says ‘O worthiest cousin, the sin of my ingratitude even now was heavy on me’. Duncan is praising Macbeth huge amounts because he feels Macbeth has fought bravely in battle and has come away with an extraordinary victory and this shows the respect given off by Duncan. Duncan also gives Macbeth the title of the Thane of Cawdor, which is big news, and when Ross brings the news he says ‘thy praises in his kingdom’s great defence’. This shows that Ross is another person respectful to Macbeth not because he has to but because he has earned it.