Macbeth: The Use of the Classical Tragic Mold in Character Development
In Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, there are many characters. Only
one character stands out, and his name is in the title of the play.
Macbeth's character was made in the mold of the ancient Greek tragic hero.
Besides being endowed by Shakespeare with an abundance and variety of
potential traits and characteristics, Macbeth also follows the Classical
Tragic Mold, which is presented with a hefty supply of hubris, and in this
case, ambition. Because Macbeth follows the Classical Tragic Mold, he is a
Classical Tragic Hero.
The first step of the Classical Tragic Mold is recognizing the
problem. The problem in Macbeth is not a true problem that presents itself
outwardly. The problem for the character of Macbeth is deciding if he
should listen to his ambition and kill Duncan. At first, he ponders reasons
why not to kill his king. He at first thinks that he cannot kill him
because of four reasons: Macbeth is Duncan's subject, Duncan is a good king,
they are blood-related, and Macbeth is his host. These reasons dissuade
Macbeth at first, but later Lady Macbeth convinces him, by questioning his
manhood, to commit the dastardly crime. When he finally murders Duncan, the
problem comes to closure. But, even long before then, the next step in the
mold had begun: the descent into the abyss.
The "decent into the abyss" is the second step in the Classical
Tragic Mold. It is started with Macbeth's second soliloquy. This is after
Macbeth hears from Duncan that Malcolm was to be named the Prince of
Cumberland. "The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall
down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies ... Let not light see my
black and deep desires." (Shakespeare, 281). This quote from the soliloquy
indicates that Macbeth has, indeed, told himself that he will commit the
murder of Duncan, although he doesn't actually admit it until his wife
pressures him to do so. With this decision, the reader (or audience) reads
(or sees) that Macbeth is straying from the righteous path, and descending
into the abyss, even though he is keeping his feelings to himself. His
decision to murder Duncan tarnishes his "war hero" image and casts it in an
ominous shadow.
The third step in the mold has two parts and is known as
Transformation and Transcendence. The character of Macbeth goes into
Transformation during his fourth soliloquy. "...I have lived long enough.
My way of life is fall'n into the sear..." (Shakespeare, 343).
I side with Loades on this as despite resentment from the nobles, after the Perkin Warbeck imposture there were no more serious uprisings which strongly support the success of Henry’s policies. Whilst most nobles would see his methods as unjust (especially the wide of use bonds and recognisances) Henry succeeded in increasing the crown’s standing at the expense of the nobility, securing his position whilst weakening the nobles. Through most of his policies Henry was successful in limiting the powers of nobility. Henry sought to restrict the noble’s power and yet at the same time needed them to keep order and represent him at local levels, therefore Henry sought not to destroy the nobles but to weaken them enough that they did not pose a threat, he needed a balance of control over the nobles and strong nobility.
...ad been in a state of economic crisis for an extensive time. These actions created a rift between his subjects; many remained loyal to the church and wanted Henry to reinstate it, while others believed it to be corrupted, and accepted the new change. Revolution hung in the air and threatened the stability Henry had been pushing to create. He knew that the tension would recede should he bear a son to carry on the Tudor name.
Macbeth is captured by his wild ambition at the opening of the play when he and Banqou meet the three witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he is the Thane of Cawdor, and later will be king. They tell Banquo that his sons will be kings. Instantly Macbeth started to fantasize how he is going to be king. He understood that in order for him to become king he has to kill Duncan. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”(Act 1 Sc. 3, p.23). He was pondering about the assassination until the moment that he could no longer control his emotions. “To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on the other-“(Act 1 Sc. 7, p.41). Because of his “vaulting ambition” he killed Duncan.
King Henry VIII was born in 1491, and became king in 1509, until his death in 1547. He is probably most known for his six marriages, which he had two of his former wives beheaded. As king, Henry VIII was responsible for separating England from the Roman Catholic Church creating the newly formed Church of England. As a result of this reformation, King Henry VIII discontinued all monasteries serving Rome in England to get rid of all Catholic influences which ultimately led to a new form of church music being written for the Anglican Church. King Henry VIII was a unique king in the sense that he was a strong advocate for the arts especially music. He was a composer, musician, and had a very large court fill with some of the best musicians in Europe. His compositions were some of the most popular songs in England during the Renaissance. He was originally intended to play a major leadership role in the church, but due to the death of his elder brother Arthur he became king. The education and training he received for the church naturally played an enormous role in the daily life in his court. The fact that he was so involved with music really shaped his ideology on what should be the role for the arts in his monarch and how his court should function on a daily basis.
This shows that he really didn't want to kill Duncan, but he did it in order to prove himself to Lady Macbeth, and to become the king. By the end he had no fear, and had killed not only Duncan but also many other people. He now had different views from which he had in the beginning of the play. Macbeth realizes that he is no longer afraid "no, nor more fearful. (Act V, scene vii, l 9). He is now considered a man, but he doesn't like the fact that he has killed all these people.
Macbeth’s capacity for suffering also leads him to be a tragic hero. Before the murder of Duncan, Macbeth has a personal moment of truth and thinks about what he is going to do. He imagines the dagger in his hand and thinks about the nightmares he will be invaded with. Macbeth is so obsessed with murder; he begins seeing things, and must be quiet and not wake anyone, for he would give himself away.
Henry VIII had been engaged to his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon. Henry VIII protested against the marriage, but in the end, in a few months the marriage was complete. This was mostly due to the pressure lead on by Catherine’s father. At first young King Henry VIII toke little interest in politics and for the first 2 years of him taking the throne, his affairs were managed by the pacific Richard Foxe and Warham. Cardinal Wosley became supreme, Henry was immersed his other interest, including sports.
Macbeth’s ambition to obtain power convinces him that it is his destiny to become King of Scotland, and that he should do anything to fulfill that destiny, even if it involves him committing tremendously immoral acts such as murder. After Macbeth realizes that the witches may actually speak the truth due to the second prophecy (Thane of Cawdor) becoming true, he begins to have an eerie and frightening thought of him killing his king and friend, Duncan, in order to ac...
Henry VIII became interested in the navy and toke on learning of new subjects. His new found interest led to the new design of war-like plans on France. Henry VIII followed an English army across the Channel in 1513, “and personally took part in the successful sieges of Therouanne and Tournay and the battle of Guinegate” (Jokinen, 2012), which led to the peace of 1514. Ferdinand deserted the English alliance and everything Spanish. There was talk of a divorce between Henry VIII and his wife, Catherine of Aragon. The birth of Lady Mary held out hopes for Henry VIII and his desire for a male heir. The question of a
Macbeth is swaying between the forces of good and evil. He wants to stop killing but he also wants to become king and in his mind the only way to do that is to kill whoever is in his path, saying “I am in blood/ Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er.” (3.4.168-170). Macbeth is already deep into this situation and if he were to turn back now, it would cause him greater hardship than relief. Macbeth has been dealing with this inner conflict ever since he was told by the weird sisters that he is fated to become king. This conflict ties everything together, between fate versus free will and sane or insane. Macbeth started the play as being a glorified war hero, however as time moved on he transformed into a bloodthirsty tyrant. Macbeth has gone through so much that he has shifted into a guilty man haunted by nightmares and hallucinations but will not stop until he gets what he came for. Macbeth has gone so far into the void of guilt that his name has now fell into infamy, as shown by quote by Young Siward saying “The devil himself could not pronounce a title/ More hateful to mine ear.” (5.7.10-11). Macbeth had already grown a name for himself while he kept his innocence, however with all the killings macbeth has made, he has done nothing but shame his name. Macbeth name to others is more hateful and there is nothing that Siward would rather do than to end Macbeth’s life, thus ending all the guilt and evil inside
To begin, Macbeth experiences an internal downfall due to his ambition where he battle between his desires and moralistic values. Initially, the idea of attaining power over Scotland by killing King Duncan sparks a sense of fear and paranoia in Macbeth, however, his conscience struggles to take over his ambition: "that we but teach/ Bloody instructions, which being taught, return/ To plague the inventor. [...] I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Valuing ambition, which o'erleaps itself/ And falls on th' other-" (1.7.8-28). At this moment, Macbeth contemplates on killing King Duncan as he visualizes the long term consequences of committing the crime. The reader can grasp his moral judgement as he understands that by proceeding with the murder, he is only causing his own demise and punishing himself. With that b...
One particular instance where the reader has the potential to feel pity for Macbeth appears in the dialogue immediately before Macbeth decides whether or not to kill King Duncan. Macbeth is unsure of the morality of the murder. During much self-deliberation, he agonizes in the monologue,
The civil war had resulted in the ever-changing amount of kings over the years. This lack of stability could result in Henry being faced with a lack of support from his subjects. Their faith in a king who would guide the country was low, and their interest in the monarchy was fading. They needed consistency, which Henry could not offer considering his unsteady path to safeguarding his position on the throne. The nobility was another issue he had faced. Growing power of nobility in England could be met with resistance to Henry being on the throne. Henry was a calculated king, whom was not interested in the common characteristics of a king; drinking, constant lavish gatherings… Henry was more interested in being a strong and strict king. An opposition from the nobility could result in large reluctancy to follow Henry, further causing insecurity. However, he still had the more favourable opinion than Richard, who was strongly disliked in England, apart from in the north of
Macbeth’s character changes dramatically when he commits the murder of king Duncan. He is immediately changed to attempting to cover up his action and placing the blame on someone else. He is upset and worried about what he has done and feels very guilty about it. Macbeth is unable to say “Amen” because of his guilty conscience. His seeing the ghost of Banquo and losing his composure at his feast with his guests also prove his guilty mind.
Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his ambition and it consequentially leads to his downfall and ultimate demise. Macbeth is a tragic hero who is introduced in the the play as being well-liked and respected by the general and the people. He brings his death upon himself from this tragic flaw. His strengths turn into his weaknesses and his ambition drives him to the edge and sets himself up for his tragic death.