Macbeth a tyrant or tragic hero? It’s a question and an opinion that differs from person to person as they read Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most controversial plays. Macbeth, set in Scotland during the 11th century, follows the life of a man who is driven by temptation and ambition to mass murder and cruelty. Macbeth, in the play, is portrayed as a courageous, brave and noble man who was haunted by superstition and an overriding desire. Factors that contributed to the question of a tyrant or tragic hero include the prophecies told to him by the witches, the influence and manipulation of his wife, Lady Macbeth and finally his deep driven determination to become king. Macbeth, at different stages in the play, demonstrates many of the characteristics …show more content…
To me he was a true Shakespearean tragic hero. He had many noble qualities as well as several tragic flaws just as tragic hero’s do. He was a courageous, brave and worthy nobleman who was troubled by superstition, weakness and an overwhelming ambition and manipulation. In Shakespearean times, someone who was classified as a tragic hero was someone who was tempted or persuaded to commit a crime and I believe this is what Macbeth unfortunately faced in his life. His wife, Lady Macbeth does a very good job of persuading and manipulating Macbeth to kill Duncan. When Macbeth refuses to kill Duncan in Act 2 she says, "And live a coward in thine own esteem,". This enrages Macbeth, which in turn sparks his ambition to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth is very clever because she uses Macbeth's good personality and his bravery against him to do evil things. Macbeth conforms to the image of the tragic hero by possessing a flaw and dying because of it. His flaw of being led too easily is evident through the actions of characters who influence Macbeth. Macbeth is involved in a story tangled with evil, disorder, conflict and failure which all resulting finally in his death. These factors of the play let Macbeth to fit all the characteristics of a tragic hero He is an important character in the play, has a character flaw, has good qualities, has someone to tempt him, deserves his fate, and was punished for the multiple crimes which he has committed. To me, Macbeth definitely is the tragic hero of the play
the way it is written and the time period it's takes place in says that Macbeth is a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a little different from a normal hero because tragic hero will experience some supernatural being that will be the purpose of his actions and is said to experience a bad end when these said actions lead him or her there. In Macbeth, this is very true. Throughout his life, he displayed characteristics that would be considered a tragic hero.
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.
William Shakespeare draws Macbeth as an ambitious usurper who nevertheless has certain virtues: courage, righteousness, and a devoted love for his wife. In doing so, Shakespeare shows he understands the dual nature of human beings. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a courageous and noble warrior, who valiantly fought for his King, until he finally meets the witches. “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name”, (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 16). Dramatic irony is tied in as only the audience know that Macbeth will soon betray the king – displaying his duplicity. Macbeth is praised for his courage in battle by the Sergeant. “O valiant cousin! worthy gentleman!” replies Duncan, and we, the audience see the esteem Macbeth is held in and the nobility he has shown as a loyal solider and kinsman. This leads to Macbeth being ennobled with the Thaneship of Cawdor which later engenders in him hope for inheriting the crown. Soon, Macbeth meets the witches and they prophesise that Macbeth will be crowned king of Scotland – unleashing his passion for ambition whi...
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.
At the beginning, Macbeth is spoken about by the three witches and we can tell that Macbeth must have had a reputation for being popular. He is called ‘brave Macbeth’ and is involved in bloody conflicts. Described as the hero, we learn that Macbeth himself killed Macdonwald in a battle that could have gone either way without the help of Macbeth’s talent on the battlefield. He is also portrayed as a heartfelt and caring man, when he himself decides that it is the wrong thing to do to murder the country’s own king – Duncan, so that he can be king like the witches said. Everything about his character near the start of the play is good, and it seems as though he was the person people idolised at the time.
In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, the main character Macbeth is labeled as either a tragic hero or a villain. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction. A villain is the bad guy of the story. They are the ones who come up with a diabolical plot to somehow cause harm or ruin (“Literary Terms.”). As of now where we are at in the play, it seems as if Macbeth is a character who does reckless things but intends to do the right thing. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is faithfully serving the king by slaying the enemies who try to invade the great land of Scotland. Although selfish by killing King Duncan, his righteous morals and servant attitude says otherwise in the
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth tells the story of a general who commits a regicide in order to become king. Early in the play, Macbeth is conflicted as to whether or not he wants to kill his kinsman, the king. In the first two acts Macbeth is not portrayed as a ruthless killer; he is a sympathetic character who succumbs to the provocation of his wife and a prophecy foretold by three mysterious witches. In contrast, Lady Macbeth is a manipulative, immoral woman.
Initially MACBETH is seen as a great soldier, a fearless fighter who has loyally defended his King against a treacherous rebellion. However, he is corrupted by evil in the form of three witches and their supernatural prophecies, and by ambition, not so much his own at first but by Lady Macbeth's ambition for him to murder Duncan, thus attaining the crown of Scotland.
In Shakespeares “Macbeth”, Macbeth is an anti hero. He is very ambitious and courageous. However, he is also a moral coward, this is Macbeths fatal flaw, which in the end leads to his doom. Shakespeare defines Macbeth as a hero very clearly. His valor in defense of Scotland is significant in the opening scene. However, he is very ambitious to be king. At the beginning of the play, he was loyal to the king. While he did imagine the murder his mind rejects it and said, "Why, if chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me," (1.3.12-13). Yet his ambition increasingly defeated his good nature.
Macbeth is presented at the start of the play as a noble man, one full
Macbeth is put together with many character traits. He is a very complex character. In the beginning Macbeth was brave and loyal. He won the battle of Norway and became the Thane of Cawdor. For brave Macbeth disdainding fortune with his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution( ACT1 SC2 LNS18-20). Macbeth is also a gullible man, when he runs into the witches he believes them when they say, all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter(act1 sn2 line 50) . He is so gullible to what these witches said that he killed his best friend Banquo and nearly kills Banquo's son. Macbeth also was convinced by his wife to kill Duncan. Macbeth conscious becomes guilty after he kills Duncan when he said, will all great neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?(act2 sn2 lines 79-80). He is thinking that nothing can take back the murders he had committed.
The Tragedy of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare is a tale of a man and his un-bridled ambition, set in ancient Scotland. Macbeth is a nobleman of the king of Scotland, Duncan, who is in mid-war with Norway. Macbeth and his fellow general Banquo encounter three witches. The witches tell the pair that Macbeth will be king, and Banquo’s children will also be kings. Any person in their right mind would question information given to them by strangers, let alone witches, but for some reason these statements intrigue Macbeth. They temp Macbeth to do evil things such as treason, and worse, to kill. Although un-bridled ambition is his main tragic flaw, there is one more that plays a big role in his decisions and the outcome of the story; Macbeth is far too impressionable.
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.
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.
Then there was the witches, whose ability to fool with the minds of men almost killed the king themselves. Macbeth was gullible and those witches took advantage of that weakness quite well. They told him exactly what was needed to drive him right into action. The combination of the witches, Lady Macbeth and his blinding ambition was obviously enough to make him kill not only his majesty but also his friend. Those are all good points and like I said I understand why some people could feel bad for him and call the play a tragedy.