Shakespeare's Macbeth does not Follow Aristotle's Standards for a Tragedy

1581 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Symbolism within macbeth

Macbeth does not Follow Aristotle's Standards for a Tragedy

There have been many great tragic authors throughout history: Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles from ancient Greece; Corneille and Hugo from France; Grillparzer and Schiller from Germany; and Marlowe, Webster, and Shakespeare from England. From this long list of men, Shakespeare is the most commonly known. Many Shakespearean critics agree that Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are great tragedies. Many critics also claim that Macbeth is a tragedy, but if one follows Aristotle's standards for a tragedy, Macbeth would not be a tragedy

To really determine if Macbeth is a tragedy according to Aristotle, one must first look at his guidelines. The majority of Aristotle's standards relate to the downfall of the central character. To set the character up for a downfall, Aristotle thought he or she should be of the middle class. This was because he felt the poor had nothing to lose. He also felt the downfall should be caused by a fatal flaw. Another characteristic Aristotle believed was important, was a conflict between the central character and a close friend or relative. According to him, the main character should also have an enlightenment at the moment of his or her downfall. Aristotle also believed that the feelings of pity and fear should be felt by the audience during the play. He thought that these feelings would lead to a catharsis, or release of emotions. Although most of Aristotle's characteristics of a tragedy had to do with the downfall, he had two that did not. First, he thought the central character should not be totally good or evil. This was based on the belief that the ruin of a totally good character would be too painful, and the ruin of a totally bad char...

... middle of paper ...

... not even thank is wife for the plan that made him king. Due to Malcolm's final speech, the reader is left with positive, not negative feelings.

Overall Macbeth is not a tragedy according the Aristotle's standards. Macbeth's downfall does follow the guidelines: he has something to lose, he has a downfall, and he has conflicts with his friends and relatives during his downfall. But, the heart of the play, which is the emotions created, just do not follow Aristotle's standards. The reader should feel pity, and grieve. Yet, there is no reason to feel this way because Macbeth is all evil, and in the end, the "good guy" is restored to power. Shakespeare put forth good effort in trying to make Macbeth a tragedy, but he came up too short.

Works Cited:

Shakespeare, William. “Macbeth.” The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Longman, 1997.

Show More
Related

  • How did Jackie Robinson Overcome Racial Discrimination in Sports

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...the Breaking of Baseball's Color Line." 261.4 (2014): 183. Literary Reference Center. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Essay on Fate in Beowulf, Grendel, and Macbeth

    2183 Words  | 5 Pages

    Shakespeare, William.  Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul   Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.

    Read More

  • Comparing Macbeth To A Tragic Hero

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Breakdown and Restoration of Order in Macbeth

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare, William.  Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.

    Read More

  • Iago: One of Shakespeare's Most Misunderstood Villains

    1329 Words  | 3 Pages

    Iago is one of the most misunderstood villains in Shakespeare literature. We side with Othello from the start because his name is on the cover of our paperback, we read Othello when learning about heroes, so we expect Iago to be a villain, a ruthless manipulator. We don’t know why, he doesn’t state it plainly or in simple English, so we assume that he’s evil, that he’s just a disgruntled sociopath out to exact his exaggerated revenge on good and noble Othello. Iago’s misunderstood reputation is a result of not truly examining his character, and answering the “why” factor behind his actions. After all, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. His goal in the play was not just to destroy Othello for the fun of it. His objective, rather, was to bring justice to the wrongs done to him by Othello.

    Read More

  • Analyzing the Setting of “A Good Man is Hard to Find”

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    O’Connor, Flannery. The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor. Ed. Sally Fitzgerald. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1979, Print.

    Read More

  • American Sign Language Essay

    1631 Words  | 4 Pages

    Visual language as such as sign language is the concept of gesture, body language, facial expression, and movement. Sign languages had many different languages in the world; for example, Mexican Sign Language, Japanese Sign Language, Chinese Sign Language, langue des signes Francaise, American sign language, etc. In the present day, million Deaf Americans use American Sign Language to use communicate each other as a visual language in anywhere includes America, Canada, and some countries. It is not audio language, but it is an official languages recognized since 1988 by the government due issue of Deaf President Now for protest by Gallaudet students and Deaf people at capitol hill and Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. American Sign Language

    Read More

  • Evoking Sympathy for Macbeth

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    Within Macbeth the tragedy and demise of Macbeth is an important factor in determining his character as a tragic hero.  However in order to elucidate on this point we need to define what is a tragedy.  Aristotle within ‘Poetics’ highlighted what characteristics he believed to define tragedy these being;

    Read More

  • The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    To conclude, Macbeth does in fact qualify as a Tragic Hero. He starts off as a very respectable and admirable protagonist, also with very relatable human characteristics. However he possesses a good amount of self-confidence, which is knocked down by his downfall. Macbeth goes through an insane amount of suffering, like the loss of his wife and the inevitable downfall that is his death. Despite all of his flaws and mistakes he has made, Macbeth still manages to make the audience experience a catharsis. All of which is crucial to being a Tragic Hero.

    Read More

  • Discrepancies and Similarities between Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Macbeth and History

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the eleventh century, an age of discordance, people quarrel over the throne and its succession. William Shakespeare, a playwright of the Renaissance, sculpts events from this era into a dramatic sequence of events. The Tragedy of Macbeth displays Macbeth, a zealous thane, and his successful homicide which results in his succession of the throne and his downfall. Each of The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare and history has discrepancies as well as similarities between its characters, settings, and plot events.

    Read More

  • Aristotle's Tragic Hero in Shakespeare's Macbeth

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    Aristotle's Tragic Hero in Macbeth. Aristotle and Shakespeare lived ages apart, but Aristotle had a great influence on Shakespeare's plays. In Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth, the character of Macbeth is consistent with Aristotle’s definition of the tragic hero. Aristotle's tragic hero is a man who is characterized by good and evil. He is a mixture of good and bad characteristics.

    Read More

  • Jackie Robinson and the Struggle for Equality in Baseball

    3755 Words  | 8 Pages

    Baseball has always been known as America's pastime. But America's pastime, along with America's past, have both been saturated with the brutal force of racism. For hundreds of years, from the time of slavery until the middle of the 20th century, African-American children rounded up their friends and headed to the baseball diamond. There, for thousands of young black players, the smell of the grass, the cloud of dust that formed when running the ninety feet between bases, and the feeling of safely sliding into homeplate for a run marked the glimmer of fun and excitement in an otherwise dreary day. However, due to the color of their skin, black children were not awarded these luxuries. For aspiring black ballplayers, a baseball field with bats and actual baseballs would be a dream come true. Instead they were forced to play with rocks and sticks in an alley or run-down sandlot. But this would never stop them, the thrill and joy of baseball was too great. When playing, it seemed as if all their worries and fears floated away and only one thing mattered...baseball. Baseball was their escape, their livelihood, and the topic of all their hopes and dreams. For young black ballplayers, baseball was much more than a game. The word aspiring must also be clarified. See, for black players, one undeniable truth was always present. No matter how good you were, no matter how many homeruns or stolen bases you had, how hard you hit the ball or how fast you threw the ball, no matter if you had the ability to play with the best of the best, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, and Mickey Mantle, there was one thing you never had...the right skin color. The word aspiring did not exist in the...

    Read More

  • mot theories

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    .... One of the significant features of this motivation theory is that it eases to explain employee motivation with clear guidelines. According to the motivation model people`s effort derived from 3 factors:

    Read More

  • Incinerator Case Study

    1403 Words  | 3 Pages

    She notes that the waste volume decreased significantly even while both population and gross domestic product increased after the scheme implemented. Her example of Taiwan can demonstrate “reduction at source” is the root solution to solve the waste problem. With the purpose of settling the waste problem, the Hong Kong government seems to be seeking solutions actively. The government, however, is neglecting the key element of the problem. It is noticed that either setting up the incinerator or expanding the landfill area are only methods tackling the problem at the surface, but not the root. Although the government claims that she has “learnt from the experiences of other metropolises in the region at a similar stage of economic development,” (Green Hong Kong February 2011. 1) which are Taiwan, Japan and Singapore, it is actually misleading the general public. The above-named countries are not using incinerators as their “only” treatment, nor even a “main option” of waste management, it is observed that there are lots of policy to coordinate with. They are using, instead, “Producer Responsibility Scheme.” By a close coordination of the

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Dietary Diversity In Nutrition

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    The most potent dietary inhibitors for iron absorption are phytates and polyphenols. Their inhibitory effect can be to some extent overcome by vitamin C[*****].

    Read More

More about Shakespeare's Macbeth does not Follow Aristotle's Standards for a Tragedy

Open Document