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Macbeth as a tragic play
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Recommended: Macbeth as a tragic play
Macbeth could justly be classified a “Tragic Hero” as his tragic story fills out the defined criteria for a tragic hero. Macbeth holds a significant social status, reveals essential truths about humanity through his suffering, has tragically wasted talent, contains a “tragic flaw” leading to his downfall and finally he finds some relief in his death. Macbeth, throughout this play, has held a substantial amount of power in society. Firstly he begins as the Thane of Glamis before becoming the Thane of Cawdor and finally King of Scotland. His death greatly affected everyone in Scotland, both those who stood by him and those who opposed and finally killed him. *****quotes from both sides***** Macbeth’s downfall would have meant that finally the rightful king was on the throne of Scotland and this would have been significant for the Scottish people of all socio-economic classes. The suffering of Macbeth throughout the play is a disconsolate process. Throughout the stages of his grievous downfall essential truths about humanity are dubiously displayed. Macbeth’s ordeal reveals the ev...
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...
that he is compelled to commit so many acts of violence by his lust for power.
According to Webster’s dictionary, the term hero is defined as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. The perfect example is displayed in one of Shakespeare’s many, yet popular, works entitled “Macbeth”. There are an assembly of factors that contribute to Macbeth being labelled as a tragic hero. Before these factors are discussed, it is extremely important to understand what makes up the characteristics of a tragic hero. Typically, it is a figure of high stature with a noble background.
The great Aristotle, created the term ‘tragic hero’, defining exemplary characters like Hamlet, Oipedus the King, and my personal favorite, Macbeth. The term, simply means, a character with the qualities of noble, and high-standing, but has flaws eventually leads to a tragedy. Macbeth is like any other human, with morals, goals, and of course, bad human qualities. William Shakespeare conveys Macbeth as tragic hero when he is represented as noble, brave soldier, but falls to the manipulation of his wife and the witches, making ambition and over confidence his tragic flaws.
When looking at a hero, some instantly think the stereotypical character that saves the day, is inhumanly perfect, and gets rid of or ultimately defeats the antagonist, but never think of the opposite, a tragic hero. A tragic hero is defined as the character that fails due to his or her own weakness or human error, so when thinking about the Shakespearean character of Macbeth one does not instantly think to use the word hero to describe him, but he is actually an excellent example of a tragic hero. Macbeth shows many tragic hero characteristics such as Noble Stature, Tragic Flaw, and Increased Awareness which eventually leads to his failing fate.
What is a tragic hero? Aristotle once said that a tragic hero is a man “who is not eminently good and just, whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty.” A tragic hero is a man who is not predominantly evil, but rather has evil forced upon them, has evil whispered into his ear and like an itch on one’s nose, it has to be scratched. A tragic hero is a hero who, although is virtuous and morally upright, possesses a fatal flaw - a flaw or ideology that eventually leads to a character’s downfall. The most tragic of these heroes however, is the moonstruck king of Scotland, the maltreated Macbeth.
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.
Thesis: Macbeth fits the definition of a tragic hero because of how the witches predicted that he would become king, Lady Macbeth’s drive to push Macbeth to get to power, and Macbeth’s reckless ambition.
The Tragedy of Macbeth is still one of the most popular plays of Shakespeare, lasting through nearly 400 years of literature. Macbeth is a story of man that was so obsessed with the prophecies of three witches that it ultimately leads to his downfall. The twists and turns of this tragedy go from ambition, to greed, to murder, to tyranny, and ends with a tyrant's death. Through this story the character Macbeth’s actions bring consequences and one of these is losing himself. The changes of the man named Macbeth are very important to the end of the story.
William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, written in the 1600’s is a perfect example of Shakespeare’s ability to manipulate his audience through creating a tragic hero. A tragic hero who, because of a flaw, tumbles from a well-respected hero to a cowardless murderer. It is through Shakespeare’s manipulation of figurative language, dramatic conventions and social expectations of the seventeenth century, do the audience witness the demise of this mixed up man. Macbeth’s persona of the tragic hero is enhanced even more when the characters around him influence his decisions, creating mayhem inside his mind and disorder throughout Scotland. Shakespeare positions his audience to respond to the central theme: the struggle between good and evil, by illustrating to the audience his weaknesses, which through the guidance of the supernatural, leads to murder and mayhem and eventually madness. It is this influence of the supernatural that leads to Macbeth’s tragic persona and in turn his physical and mental destruction. Shakespeare utilises these techniques to embody in Macbeth characteristics indicative of that of a seventeenth century tragic hero.
Macbeth: A Tragic Hero? A Tragic Hero is a common figure in many of Shakespeare’s works. A Tragic Hero is usually a figure of royalty, fame, or greatness. This person is predominately good, but falls from prominence due to personality flaws that eventually lead to self-destruction. Macbeth’s major flaws are his ambition and impressionability.
Macbeth is portrayed to be a tragic hero. A tragic hero is described as a character that is noble and possesses a tragic flaw, which ultimately leads to their demise. While it could be argued that Macbeth was not a tragic hero because of his lack of virtuousness, he does possess a tragic flaw that eventually destroys him. Macbeth’s actions amplify his flaw, and the theme that too much ambition is destructive.
“Macbeth”- A revered play written in the 16th century by the famous playwright: William Shakespeare. The theme of “Macbeth” is centred on how power and the thirst for it can corrupt a person and lead to their insanity. Power-hungry and manipulating Lady Macbeth, with the help of the prophecies of the three malevolent witches, persuades the eponymous Macbeth to kill his king, so that she can be the queen. But unfortunately, for her, her plans do not ultimately run smoothly. Both Macbeth’s guilty conscience and his wife’s insanity give them away and eventually lead to their down fall. The purpose of this essay is to discuss to what extent Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as a truly evil character throughout the play.
Macbeth’s uncontrollable desire for the throne makes him the perfect example of a tragic hero. Macbeth was first recognized as a great general and an asset to the kingdom. He had the respect of the people and even the king, whom he first seems to have much respect and care for. After winning one of the biggest battles Macbeth and his friend Banquo encounter three witches, drastically changing the plot of the story. The prophesy from the three witches awaken Macbeth’s desire for the throne, however he didn’t stand alone. Lady Macbeth represents a very important role in the play of the story, and in the changing of Macbeth’s character. In this play, Macbeth’s character is being highly influenced by the prophecies of the three witches and his wife, Lady Macbeth, making his
Macbeth, a tragic hero, has authoritative status throughout the drama, but a flaw in his character eventually brings out his demise. As the play “Macbeth” begins, under King Duncan’s reign, the protagonist, Macbeth, is the Thane of Glamis, who then goes on to become the Thane of Cawdor, a hero who helps keep King Duncan’s reign powerful. With power, the crave for more power becomes accessible. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, soon gets greedy with Macbeth’s power and wants to rule the land with Macbeth as king. Lady Macbeth drives the idea of power into her husband’s head, making him a notorious traitor. At the end of the play, Macbeth is a backstabber who killed King Duncan to gain control. After completing a bad actions, the only way to feel