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Analysis of the change in macbeth's character
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Analysis of the change in macbeth's character
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Is Macbeth A Tragic Hero Or A Tyrant?
Macbeth, one of Shakespeare's most emotive plays, is set in Scotland
during the 11th Century and follows the downfall of a man who is led
by temptation to mass murder and cruelty. Macbeth, at different stages
in the play, demonstrates many of the characteristics of both an evil
tyrant and a tragic hero. However, a tragic hero is defined as a great
man who falls because of a fatal flaw and Macbeth bests fits this
description. Therefore Macbeth fits the role of a tragic hero and not
a tyrant.
In Aristotle's "Poeticus", an ancient Greek drama, the definition of a
tragic hero includes several criteria. Firstly, the character must be
important and his actions must affect many people. Secondly, the
character must be good-natured, well known, respected and brave and of
good repute. The third criterion is that the character must have one
tragic flaw, which leads to his downfall. Last of all, the tragic hero
must redeem himself despite his flaw and eventually create sympathy
for the character.
Macbeth is presented at the start of the play as a noble man, one full
of all the good qualities a man could desire - bravery, strength,
loyalty, manliness and health. In Act 1 Scene 2, Macbeth is talked of
as a heroic warrior that "brandished steel which smoked with bloody
execution". Many other characters in the play also see Macbeth as a
honourable man, with the King acknowledging this with comments such as
"O valiant cousin, worthy Gentleman". Indeed, if Macbeth did not
display these characteristics, then the title of Thane of Cawdor would
not have been bestowed upon him in the first place. Already, Macbe...
... middle of paper ...
...dience's pity and sympathy
for the once great man rises to a climax. This ability to induce pity
and sympathy in the audience is the last ingredient of the 'tragic
hero formula'. Its presence proves Macbeth is not simply a tyrant.
In conclusion, Shakespeare's character Macbeth is a perfect tragic
hero, not a tyrant. Macbeth was once a great man of high distinction
whom, because of his fatal flaws of ambition, insecurity and
imagination commits the most heinous of sins and unwittingly brings
about his own downfall with the effect of creating sympathy and pity
from the viewers. Macbeth moves from a loyal heroic warrior, to 'hell
hound' to one who regains some of his earlier nobility and dignity
before he dies. These factors combine to produce a masterfully crafted
tragic hero who is far more then a simple tyrant.
At the start of Act 1, Scene 2 Macbeth is shown brave and loyal with
Comparing Macbeth to a tragic hero would be like comparing Spiderman to Venom. Although Spiderman was the hero in the beginning, he had a bad side too. This is much like Macbeth in the beginning of the story. He went against his wife and did not want to kill until she finally got into his head and convinced him that it was the only way for him to receive the throne. Now, is Macbeth a tragic hero? No. Macbeth is not a tragic hero due to the fact that tragic heros always learn from their mistake and always undergo some sort of meaningful suffering; Macbeth did neither.
Throughout the play Macbeth, Macbeth goes from a brave, honored soldier to a crazed tyrant. How does one make such a drastic change? Why did Macbeth come to accept his role as a murderer? Macbeth has come to be known as a tragic hero in today’s terms. A tragic hero is a main character who, throughout the story, realizes his flaw and accepts that he cannot control the outcome of his actions. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth has a lot of situations that ultimately lead to his demise and tragic conclusion.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play centred around opposing forces trying to gain power in the succession for the throne of Scotland. Macbeth, in the beginning, is known to be a noble and strong willed man, who is ready to fight for his country. However, one may see that Macbeth has a darker side to him, he is power hungry and blood thirsty, and will not stop until he has secured his spot as King of Scotland. Though Macbeth may be a tyrant, he is very nave, gullible, and vulnerable.
Thesis: To trace the degradation of Macbeth from a hero to a conscious villain to an unrepentant tyrant.
Macbeth exhibits most, if not all, of the classic traits of a Shakespearean tragic hero almost flawlessly. From his rise to greatness to his ultimate destruction and death, he is most certainly a tragic hero.
Even though Macbeth can be called a tyrant and a murderer, he is nonetheless, very courageous. In the beginning of the play, he fights very bravely for his king and country.
A tyrant is someone who does not take equity into account. His decisions are primarily based on self-satisfaction, rather than the wellbeing of others. The protagonist Macbeth, whom Shakespeare describe to be a ‘valiant cousin’, has different phases of respectability, all molded by his inevitability of fate. As an audience we interpret and form an opinion though Shakespeare’s use of psychological audience manipulation. Throughout the beginning of the play we are lead to believe he is a ‘noble warrior’, a loyal man to his administrator whom represents that of divine, Duncan. His metamorphosis all began with the confrontation with the ‘wayward sisters’. This was an inevitable ‘accident of life’, which was to have serious repercussions on Macbeths future role, as ‘fair is foul and foul is fair’, implying that beneath every human is a potential to be either.
Tragic heroes, who destined for a serious downfall, are the protagonist of a dramatic tragedy. A tragic hero is usually a great hero, who gets the most respect from other people; on the other hand, a tragic hero can also lose everything he gained because of his mistakes. His downfall is the result of a wrong judgment, a flaw which might combined with fated and external forces. The downfall can cause the tragic hero to suffer for the rest of his life. In many literary works, the downfall of the tragic heroes usually happen in their highest point. In the same way, Macbeth is a tragic hero in the play called “The Tragedy of Macbeth” which is written by a legendary writer, William Shakespeares. Macbeth is a great general who gained many respect from the people and even the king. In the highest point of his life, because of seeking for greater power, it created Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth, a tragic hero, causes suffering for himself and others by committing murders and creating distress, which are the negative effects of seeking for a greater power.
Macbeth, at the beginning of the play seems to be a very noble person. He is characterized as being very loyal and honorable. He fights in the battle against ...
The play of Macbeth begins with following the main protagonist Macbeth himself as he transforms from a man with very little confidence and courage to a courageous and strong willed man seeking approval from his wife Lady Macbeth. He desired the confidence to show his wife that he was worthy of her and also worthy of the throne of Scotland. To accomplish this goal and show his confident and courage he knew the only way to prove to her
MACBETH AS A TRAGIC HERO Tragic heroes are within everyone, but cannot be fully exposed or understood without the essential tragic qualities. One must be a potentially noble character who has heroic qualities and has respect and admiration from the society. Consequently, they are essentially great. Also within the character must be a flaw or weakness that leads to a fall. Lastly, one is required to possess an element of suffering and redemption.
The question that is going to be answered in this paper “Is Macbeth a tragic hero or a villain?.” Now many people if they had read the book would most likely think that Macbeth is a villain, but in my opinion I think not. I say that because he has not been a villain in his entire existence in fact he has been more of a hero than a villain. A tragic hero is described as a person of noble birth with heroic or potentially heroic qualities. His person is fated by the Gods or by some supernatural force to doom and destruction or at least to great suffering.
A Shakespearean tragic hero starts out as a noble person; a great exceptional being who stands out. A tragic hero has a tragic flaw of an exaggerated trait that leads to their downfall and eventually to death. William Shakespeare often made his main characters tragic heroes in his plays. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the role of the tragic hero is given to the main character: Macbeth. This is because he starts off as a loyal and well liked man in the beginning, but has a tragic flaw of ambition which ultimately leads to his downfall.
The first time we see Macbeth in the play, he is returning from the battlefield after a victory alongside the Norwegians against a rebel army. “For brave Macbeth” (I, 2, 16) is used by an army Sergeant to describe his actions in the battle. Such phrases as “worthy gentleman” (I, 2, 24) are used by the King. This shows that Macbeth really was a hero, as such a compliment from the King was considered a great honour.