Macbeth and Edward Ii- Characteristics of a Tragic Hero

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“Character is destiny”. Analyse the treatment of Macbeth and Edward II as tragic heroes in light of the above statement. In Christopher Marlowe's Edward II and William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the overthrow of two tyrants is dramatized. The two monarchs, eponymous and different, share many characteristics. They are involved in the rise and fall of men- a cycle of fate that replaces one man with another, which establishes a major component in each play: the opposition figure- treated differently by Shakespeare and Marlowe. Marlowe portrays the rise of Mortimer as a result of the decline of Edward II; as Mortimer wanes in turn, Edward III rises. Shakespeare treats his characters in such the same manner- Macbeth brings about the fall of Duncan-the Scottish king- and takes his place, only to drown deeper into the deceit that he has chosen to hide behind and to be overthrown by MacDuff. There has been ample debate about whether or not Macbeth is truly a tragic hero- for to murder, and keep murdering is proof of man being fundamentally evil. However, according to Aristotle, “tragedy occurs when noble or great persons being led, through pride or a secret high flaw in their personalities, to suffering that changes their fortune. They must begin in a high position and end in death or some sort of a degraded role”. This downfall is inevitable due to errors in judgement, over confidence, and driving ambition. Marlowe’s “play appears to fulfill what Elizabethans considered to be the legitimate purposes of history, and… is drawn from a chronicle source … we may call it a history play". Edward II is a tragedy revolving around the destruction of a “potentially good man” brought about because of “inherent weaknesses which make him incapable of coping with a crisis he himself has helped to create” 1. Edward’s decisions are sins of the government, bringing ruin to his

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