Macbeth Tragic Hero Research Paper

458 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: How macbeth went from good to evil

Does a tragic hero function as an instrument of the suffering of others? In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare portrays how a tragic hero leads to his own self destruction. In this play, Macbeth for many reasons, is the tragic hero. He shows how his choices are going to influence the suffering of his or her surroundings. Macbeth’s ambitions to become king causes agony and death to the people who were close to this tragic hero. Macbeth fits the model of a tragic hero. According to aristotle, a tragic hero is neither good nor bad. Macbeth starts out as a military hero at the beginning of the play. He was loyal to the king and the king was proud of him for being a war hero. On his way home some witches filled his mind with prophecies of him becoming king. Later on in the play he ends up killing the king for his own selfish desires, leading to him killing more men and even families. He was determined to remain king, no matter the cost to his mortality or other human lives. …show more content…

Once Macbeth crosses the line and commits murder by betraying the man he has sworn loyalty to, there is no turning back. He murders his good friend Banquo and attempts to murder his son, but that failed. As he grows more and more immune to suffering he then takes out Macduff's wife and son. Seeing that these gruesome events start to strip life from its meaning for Macbeth, it also adds emotion to the play.
The suffering upon others contributes to the characteristics of a tragedy by the purging of emotion. In a tragedy the audience goes through and builds tension until it builds catharsis. The audience and readers of Macbeth pity the tragic hero of the play because he is blinded by his own ambition and the supernatural world. Eventually he loses his wife and later his own life. The temptation of his dream robs him of his existence as a human being and leaves behind nothing but a discontent and worthless

Show More
Related

  • Monsters and Men in Macbeth, Beowulf, Frankstien

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth was a tragic hero. Traditionally, a tragic hero is someone who is born as an example of greatness but somehow along the way they acquire a flaw in character that brings about his own downf...

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Walking Dead And Macbeth

    194 Words  | 1 Pages

    The novel Macbeth is usually described as tragedy written by William Shakespeare presents how a good hearted man can develop to a cold-blooded failure due to his egotistical mindset. The character Macbeth is a tragic hero in this novel. He had too much faith in the three witches who promised that Macbeth will presume to be king of Scotland. Although Macbeth carried uttermost ambition and this only resulted to deficient bearings. His inferior behaviorism can only predict how much of a downfall lies ahead of him.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Macbeth And Sir Gawain

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Tragic Flaw Quotes

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    Greed is a quality that many have, but too much of it can be catastrophic. In the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the character Macbeth has a tragic flaw that leads to his eventual downfall. A tragic hero is generally defined as someone who has great potential; someone who is born into nobility and could have a great future. However, they are doomed to fail and often die because of a tragic flaw. These characters usually learn a lesson from their deeds. However, it is usually too late for them to have a happy ending. These characteristics apply to Macbeth, whose greatest flaw is his greed for power. Shakespeare uses characterization, conflict, irony, and foreshadowing to show the audience that Macbeth is a tragic hero.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Tragic Hero Quotes

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    A tragic hero is a person of noble birth or potentially heroic qualities. The role of a tragic hero is common in many of Shakespeare's plays such as Macbeth. The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. A tragic hero often has a noble background. This person is predominantly good, but suffers a terrible fate falling out due to glitches in their personality. The tragic hero has a monstrous downfall, brought out by their fatal flaw. Macbeth is named a tragic hero because he learns through suffering, he is isolated, and he exhibits personal courage in his acceptance of death.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Literary Critic Essay

    803 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth would not be the best first choice of literary character to use as an example of a hero. He is a hero in the beginning of the play and arguably a hero in the end, it is in the middle where his heroism falters. In Act One Macbeth is showered in compliments after defeating the Thane of Cawdor, he is noted as a “brave”, “valiant cousin, and “worthy gentleman” (1.2.17-26). He is of noble status and gains the title Thane of Cawdor for his victory over Macdonwald. Macbeth is a remarkable war hero.

    Read More

  • Macbeth is not a Hero in William Shakespeare's Macbeth

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    Macbeth is not a tragic hero because a man is responsible for his own actions and this is the case with Macbeth. By deceiving and murdering his friends, he proves he is not a hero. He lets himself be corrupted by the prophecies of the witches. This weakness demonstrates that he lacks the qualities to be a hero (Johnson 1).

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Macbeth was a Tragic Hero

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: The Tragic Hero

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the play Macbeth allows his pride to interfere with his judgment and succumbs to the witches’ prophecy, leading to his tragic downfall. “Macbeth orders a slaughter of innocents in a vain and futile attempt to preserve kingships threatened by prophecies” (Hassel). He murders King Duncan, his good friend, in order to secure his fate as king. Although Macbeth knows the difference between right and wrong, he is a victim of his tragic flaw: his ambition. His tragic flaw repeatedly leads him to deceit and murder.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: A Tragic Hero

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: Describe Macbeth As A Tragic Hero

    1340 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Macbeth: Tragedy

    906 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shakespeare’s Macbeth is definitely a tragedy in the sense that it arouses feelings of pity and fear in the audience. Macbeth is a weak minded man who, if sees an opportunity for power follows his ambitions and takes it, even if this is not the rightful thing to do. He is easily persuaded and suffers great guilt. Macbeth the character on his own creates the feeling of pity and fear in the audience. This added to the abundance of other developed characters creates a great tragedy.

    Read More

  • Bloody Mary South Pacific Interpretation

    273 Words  | 1 Pages

    While lyrics might seem to be the easiest way to dissect a song, there are other factors at play. The next layer to a song other than lyrics is the instruments that back up the singer. In the musical South Pacific, the character known as Bloody Mary sings the song Bali Ha’i. Bloody Mary attempts to entice the character Joe Cable over to a seemingly amazing island. The musical accompaniment is able to display the allure of the island just as well as the lyrics. One instrument, in particular, that does this is the harp. A harp is heard throughout most of the song and harps have a strong association with heaven in western culture. Since Joe Cable is an American, it is assumed he would understand the link between the harp sounds and heaven. The

    Read More

  • Discuss The Concept Of Tragedy In Macbeth

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    The tragic hero is a very specific character and must meet several criterias. This tragic character must not be an extremely virtuous individual that instead of the audience feeling pity or fear for their downfall, they feel anger. The character must as well not be so evil that the audience wishes their downfall, simply for the sake of justice. This tragic hero is best described as someone ‘’who is neither outstanding in virtue and righteousness; nor is it through badness or villainy of his own that he falls into misfortune, but rather through some flaw", Macbeth fitting this character perfectly. He is introduced to us as a military hero who has proven himself in battle time and time again, but still an average man, easily comparable to a modern day soldier. Along with all of Macbeth's many positive attributes comes his tragic flaw, a moral weakness of being extremely ambitious. It is this seed planted in him that inevitable takes over this ordinary man and entraps his will and leads him down his

    Read More

  • macbeth as a tragic hero

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Macbeth Tragic Hero Research Paper

Open Document