How Is Napoleon A Tragic Hero

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In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, and Shakespeare's play Macbeth, the characters Napoleon and Lady Macbeth can both be recognized as tragic heroes. A tragic hero is often times of noble birth, or someone that others look up to, and someone who stands up for his or hers beliefs. The character also suffers from a tragic flaw in their moral character; in this case, both characters are consumed by their own want for power. This causes them to make choices that lead them to committing wrongs, and realizing their faults too late. The downfall of the character arouses pity or fear in the audience.
From a noble standpoint, Napoleon is looked up upon by his followers. As the book progresses, so does the level of obedience towards Napoleon as he takes over Animal Farm. He definitely stood up for how he believed things on animal farm should be and executed them. Although the animals didn’t agree with everything Napoleon said, he put fear into his followers, making them scared to stray away. Lady Macbeth is not one who is born of noble birth but is admired due to her position in the Kingdom. Since she is Macbeth’s spouse, her nobility increases. She forces her beliefs on Macbeth, driving him to murderous actions. Both have outstanding qualities of determination. …show more content…

Napoleon is so prideful of himself, he doesn't see that what he is doing is wrong. He especially uses treachery and falsity to promote his own cause. Lady Macbeth acts and behaves in a confident manner, which displays that she has pride in herself. Another major character flaw the two have is being power hungry. Once Napoleon rose to power, he only wanted more and more of it. He continued making rules and changing some to benefit himself. Lady Macbeth urge Macbeth to kill Duncan so he could be King and she could be queen. Her evil thoughts continued to influence Macbeth and the quest for more

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