Is Macbeth a tragic hero? Traditionally, a tragic hero is one of high birth who possesses a flaw in character that brings about his own downfall. This is true of Macbeth. How is Macbeth a hero? Macbeth is a hero because in the beginning of Act I, we hear the other characters talk about how heroic Macbeth was in a fight in defense of his king's land and how he defeated the enemy.
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.
With this alliteration used by Shakespeare, we note the paradoxical formula which summaries Macbeth’s world and also the character of the protagonist; Macbeth is both "foul and fair", both "villain and heroic". 4- From the beginning of the play, Macbeth demonstrates a fair amount of heroism, winning the battle against the rebel Macdonwald and the invading Norwegian king. Macbeth has fought bravely and courageously in the service of his king. We hear about Macbeth even before we meet him, in Act 1 Scene 1, when the third witch says: "there to meet with Macbeth". In the scene with the captain, we hear that Macbeth is like a hero and is faithful to his king (Act 1 Scene 1.. Duncan: "O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman").
Macbeth is a tragic hero, a person of high rank who is brought to eventual ruin by a flaw in his character Macbeth`s tragic flaw is his ambition,which leads him to a series of bloody and increasingly indefensible acts. The most apparent flaw, and perhaps the most in Macbeth`s character, is his lack of patience and temperance. These shortcomings haunted Macbeth,causing him to let his overvaulting ambition rush fate, and hasten his doom. Macbeth could not wait for an appointment to a position of more power. Instead , he murdered the king to take his place.
In act 1 scene 3 the three witches foretold that Macbeth would become Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. If not for the prophecies Macbeth’s curiosity and ambition to become King might never have begun in the first place, however when hearing the prophecies of becoming king, horrible imaginings of murder came across his mind. As it gets further into the play Macbeth increasingly relies on the prophecies given by the witches, this lead to the murder of many people and slowly corrupted Macbeth near the end of the play. The manipulation and influence of Lady Macbeth was also a factor of Macbeth’s becoming more and more evil. When Lady Macbeth reads her husband’s letter, she is afraid that Macbeth is not evil enough to do what he must to get the crown.
Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, is a tragic play which tells the tale of Macbeth, a decorated and respected hero who spirals into darkness because of his greed and willingness to do anything to achieve ultimate power. Debates have raged over the ages about the role of supernatural elements in the downfall of Macbeth. During the course of the play, there are many interesting sections which could be concentrated on due to the suspense and the involvement of the supernatural. The use of the supernatural in the witches, the visions, the ghost, and the apparitions is a key element in making the concept of the play work and in making the play interesting. Throughout Macbeth there exists confusion as to what is real and what imaginary, and, for the most part, it is Macbeth himself who is confronted with these confusions.
However, as the play continues, the audience becomes increasingly aware of Macbeth’s ‘vaulting ambition’, a character flaw which leads him to his fall as it leads him to murder Duncan. This fall from grace is not only highlighted through the change in his reputation and social status, as he soon becomes known as ‘black Macbeth’ and a ‘Hell-hound’, but his murder of Duncan can also be seen as a disruption of the divine right of Kings: ‘his angels will plead, trumpet-tongued, against the deep damnation of his taking off.’ Thus, there is also a similar ‘fall’ in Macbeth’s disruption of the natural religious order, playing on the contextual fears of a Jacobean audience. This realistic fear is a common element of the modern Gothic genre, as well as the following shame Macbeth experiences, which sets up a clear opposition of pride and shame between the beginning and the end of the play. This swing from one extreme of excessive reputation and pride to another extreme of shame and guilt can also be interpreted with a modern Gothic reading, as it highlights the frightening but realistic capability of man and so may incite great terror into the audience. The intense mental deterioration that occurs is exemplified in Nunn’s production of the play as the darkness and illuminated face highlights his psychological isolation.
“Vaulting ambition,” is what drives Macbeth into the woe, where he commits the miserable deeds of murder and treason. Many characters in the play show ambition but the main portrayals of ambition are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Ambition is the catalyst of the play and the events, which take part in the text. “To have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself.” “He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear his hopes ‘bove wisdom, grace and fear.” 3. Appearance VERSUS Reality (Influences of the Supernatural) The existence of superstition of the Supernatural World is one of the critical themes in this text.
The tragic hero was to be pitied, but not forgiven. Macbeth exhibits elements that reflect on great tragedies. William Shakespeare develops multiple themes in the play Macbeth, which includes Ambition. In addition to themes, two other examples are Warrior Honour and Sleeping and Feasting, which are represented by Macbeth himself and Lady Macbeth, which are furthermore explained by G. Wilson Knight. The protagonist Macbeth was once this great Scottish hero, but he was a victim of his own ambition for power, which in the end was the cause of his tragic downfall.
How does Macbeth fit the role of a “Tragic Hero”?? To understand this piece of coursework you have to understand what is meant by a “tragic hero”. A tragic hero is a person whose greatness is destroyed through a combination of human weakness and circumstances beyond his or her control. The character Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero, and in this coursework I am going to explore how he fits this role. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is at his highest point.