Macbeth: A Tragic Hero? Essay

When William Shakespeare created "Macbeth" he included in the title character all the key elements of a tragic hero. Macbeth has a decline from his good standing, reaches a lowest point and soon after turns himself around, the epiphany, and finally rises in his morals and standing; however it is too late and his death is apparent. Macbeth's decline begins when he heeds the witches prophecies. His lowest point is reached when he decides that life does not matter to him anymore, soon followed by his epiphany when he decides that he will fight honorably even if it means his death. He then raises his moral standing and regains his honor. Through well written literature, William

Macbeth is portrayed as a heroic figure at the beginning, having all the characteristics to be fit as king. When Macbeth is approached by three witches, he is given three prophecies that determines his fate. The witches announce that he will “greet with present

The three witches foretold that, “...none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.20-21). This furthers Macbeth’s ego by reinforcing the idea that no one can stop him. Macbeth is unable to realize how many enemies he has made along his rise to power because of his ego, “I have almost forgot the taste of fears” (5.5.11). It is not until Macbeth recalls that the witches foretold that, “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood… ” (4.1.97-99), that Macbeth feels a moment of fear. On his rise to power, Macbeth killed the wife and son of Macduff. Macduff is seeking revenge, and at death door Macbeth is still certain that no harm shall come to him. “I bear a charmed life, which must not yield to one of woman born” (5.8. 16-17). In this scene Shakespeare uses exposition, to set force Macbeth’s death. Macduff explains that he is not “of woman born” but he was ripped from his mother’s womb (5.8.20-21). Macbeth knows that his time has come to an end, but wishes not to die as a coward. From the foretelling of his fate, Macbeth knows that this is the place he shall die, yet he fights to the death to protect his

The tragedy Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, follows the rise and fall of a loyal Scottish warrior. Macbeth is portrayed as a man of multiple sides, presenting three main traits – bravery, ambition, and self-doubt – throughout the play. The character is an example of how ambition and guilt can have terrible effects on an individual lacking in strength of character. Although some people may perceive Macbeth as malicious, his weak character shows that he is incapable of conquering guilt and self-doubt. The prime themes of the play are: ambition, loyalty and betrayal, good and evil, appearance versus reality, supernatural and fate. Shakespeare presents these themes through the actions of Macbeth and their results: the corrupting effects

Macbeth is a very complex character whom reflects man's thirst for power through the drastic changes of his personality; thus being one of the slightest reasons in which make this intriguing character, greatest of all Shakespearean’s well-known works.

The three apparitions which appear to Macbeth are, "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff, Beware the Thane of Fife. / Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man; for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth. / Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him." Macbeth translates these prophecies as a meaning that he will reign as king until the day he dies of natural causes and will no longer have to fear Macduff for he can do no harm to him. Although he is assured by the equivocate predictions, his uncertainty gets the better of him. This can be seen in his actions; he kills Macduff 's family but leaves the man himself alive, he enters into battles screaming that no man of woman born shall ever harm him, not knowing that Macduff was born of Caesarian section, and eventually his foolish actions lead to his death at the hands of Macduff.

The tragedies of William Shakespeare often include a tragic hero. A tragic hero is one who brings about his own ruin and the ruin of those he loves. The tragic hero is not necessarily evil, he is simply human and has human flaws. Often there is a "fatal flaw" which leads to his downfall. In the play, Macbeth the tragic hero is the lead character, Macbeth. He is tempted by the chance to take the throne and he will do anything to get it. He becomes progressively isolated until in the end he dies alone.

     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.

The tragic hero has been a major storytelling tool in recent years that makes the audience relate to, respect, and feel sympathy for a character which is undone by the end of the story. But can this title be given to Macbeth, the titular hero of the Shakespeare play by the same name? Yes, absolutely- Shakespeare’s Macbeth follows this plot path in numerous ways. Throughout the play, we are introduced to Macbeth’s belovedness, the crushing of said established belovedness, and his own undoing.

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the character of Macbeth is discovered to be a classic example of a tragic hero. Macbeth is a very ambitious and courageous person who lets three main things turn him into a violent individual. Two of the points, which most greatly contribute to Macbeth’s fall, are the prophecy, which were told to him by the witches, and how Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment. These two factors along with his tremendous ambition to be king is what caused him to fall from a noble man who was loyal to his king to a violent man who would kill his king to become king!

The Three Witches then summon three apparitions, which state, “...Macbeth! Beware/ Macduff;/ Beware the Thane of Fife/...laugh/ to scorn/ The pow’r of man,/ for none of women born/ Shall harm Macbeth/… Macbeth shall never vanquished be until/ Great Birnam Wood to High Dunsinane Hill/ Shall come against him.”(4.1.121-123). The interpretation of the apparitions is Macduff will stand in his way, no one who is born that of a women shall kill Macbeth, and that he will never die until he fights against Great Birnam Wood to his castle hill. This gives a sense of overconfidence to Macbeth, if never have known this info who knows what would have happened and what he would have done. He fights a war against the the English Army who are in command of Macduff and Malcolm. They tell their men to dress themselves up in camouflage so they use the Birnam Wood branches to march up to his castle and so the third prophecy is fulfilled. Macbeth knows about this and accepts this prophecy so, he leaves his castle to fight in the battlefield. Young Siward and Macbeth have a fight because Macbeth still thinks that he can’t be killed of a man born from a women, who then kills him fueling his overconfidence even more. Macduff finds Young Siward dead and hunts for Macbeth, who tells Macduff that no one that is born of a woman can harm Macbeth; Macduff was not naturally born from a woman he was “ripped out of his mother's womb”. Finding out this info Macduff knows he can kill Macbeth and Macbeth knows that he is going to die. He accepts death rather than suffer humiliation so Macduff kills Macbeth confirming the first and second

It takes both the audience’s pity and fear to make a tragic and heroic character become a tragic hero. Macbeth earns both. The audience can fear Macbeth because they know that he is capable of murder. He lacks the ability to stand up to Lady Macbeth when he knows something is not morally right and that is frightening, but even after all the pain and suffering of other characters the audience

More people start to become treats along with becoming suspicious to Macbeth. In order to make sure that he stays in power without letting anyone know about his previous scandals Macbeth hires people to do it for him. Macduff finds out that his family was murdered and wants to kill Macbeth before he destroys the kingdom. At the end of the story. Macduff battles Macbeth saying “I have no words,My voice is in my sword. Thou bloodier villain,Than terms can give thee out! (Act 5 Scene 8) meaning that Macduff is full of rage and wants Macbeth dead. As the battle continues, Macbeth is defeated knowing that he couldn't be killed from anyone born from a

In William shakespeare’s Macbeth,Macbeth is a classic example of a tragic hero in shakesperean work.Macbeth display the major characteristics of a tragic hero throughout the play until his tragic end.The play potrays Macbeth as a lost cause by showing how he fell from being a honest and just man who fought for whats right, to a cruel,superstitious,ambicious dictator.In william shakespreares Macbeth,Macbeth is a tragic hero because he compromises his honor and negates his moral values in order to obtain power which results with lots of tragic events such as character deaths leading to his tragic end.

Finally, act 5 scene 3 adds to the plot by using Macbeth’s stubbornness of the witches prophecy against him. Because of the seemingly impossible requirements that need to be met before Macbeth’s death, Macbeth develops a feeling of immortality to all things. In line 2, he reports, “Till Birnam Wood to Dunsinane I cannot taint with fear.” The reality of this event’s likelihood has struck Macbeth. This makes him seemingly unaware and unprepared for the army that approaches the castle and lessens the distance every hour. At this point in the story, Macbeth can be seen as either a protagonist or an antagonist. Macduff seems to be the one working for the cause of good, while Macbeth strives for power and immortality. This statement that Macduff makes leads us to the climax of our story, where the thought and imagination of Macbeth get’s ruined by the reality of Macduff’s birth.