Macbeth: Macbeth a Tragic Hero - His Strengths, His Weaknesses, His Tr

The characterisation of Macbeth in the beginning of the play constructs him as as a meritorious and noble person, who returns from war as a hero, and has the title of Thane of Cawdor bestowed upon him. These traits are established as part of Macbeth’s character before his first appearance, positioning the audience to view him in a positive light, as the protagonist of the play. He is described by King Duncan as his “valiant cousin, worthy gentleman! (1:2:26)”. Macbeth is commended by many others, for he is “brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name— (1:2:18)”. The build up of praise for Macbeth serves to provide a shock factor for the audience, leaving them

Macbeth’s unrestrained ambition to gain power turned him into someone completely different from who he was originally. When the play begins and Macbeth is introduced, he is labeled as brave, honorable, moral, and kind. He is such a well-versed person that his wife fears his nature is too kind for the harsh world, speaking of him with words of, “Yet I do fear thy nature; It is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness…” (1.5.16-17). He makes his first appearance to the audience just after arriving from battle, and his behavior on the field is described by, “For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—…” (1.2.16). Macbeth is a man that many admire, even King Duncan himself, who shortly thereafter names Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. Following his new label, Macbeth, with the help of three witches’ prophesies suggesting he will become king, notices the power that comes with such a title. Kenneth Deighton describes Macbeth’s behavior with, “When he is informed that Duncan had made him Thane of Cawdor, he at once gives way to the temptation suggested by the words of the witches, and allows his ambitious thoughts to

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.

Macbeth decides that he must murder the current king in order to fulfill this prophecy and claim his rightful place as king. This takes him down a dark path that ultimately leads him to his own downfall. Macbeth appears to play the role of a tragic hero. His own ambition causes him to go from the kingdom’s greatest hero to its most despised villain. So the question remains, is Macbeth a tragic hero that falls victim to his own flaws or is he simply a power hungry villain?

A tragic hero is literary character who makes judgement errors that potentially leads to their own destruction. This is evident in the play Macbeth. The main character, Macbeth is shown as a hero of high degree and noble birth, who has a tragic flow called hamartia, and suffers and dies. Macbeth has shown many traits as a tragic hero throughout the play.

In William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” an important character that developed throughout the play is the title character, Macbeth. Shakespeare characterised him as a typical tragic hero. At the start of the play he is very ambitious. However, this leads to madness and greed. Finally, we see him as the tragic hero whose fate caught up to him.

     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.

Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy Macbeth is the story of a man who, because of his selfish ambition, murders his way to power only to suffer his downfall by the sword of fellow nobleman Macduff. This is only one reason why Macbeth is an example of the literary tragic hero. Macbeth is a tragic hero because he is of nobility, has a tragic flaw, and suffers his downfall because of his flaw.

Macbeth develops into a pernicious king as the play advances, as he commits horrendous actions that result in his own wrecking. Nevertheless, he has differentiated himself during the battle against the treacherous Thane of Cawdor, and the King of Norway. He is the brave soldier who leads King 's Duncan force to victory through his strength and skill level. King Duncan addresses Macbeth as his "…valiant cousins (and) / (A) worthy gentleman" (I.ii.25). This shows, how the King recognizes Macbeth 's skill on the battlefield, and therefore rewards Macbeth with a higher title, the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth displays these characteristics once again in Act IV, as he ignores the witches ' prophecies, don 's his armour and fights against a heavily armed army, which is a greater size than his own Scottish infantry. This performance displays that Macbeth still holds the attributes of bravery as he did initially. For the first time, he makes a decision by setting aside the prophecies. In the play, the townsfolk see their malicious

Macbeth; Scotland’s greatest and most formidable general, the Kings loyal servant, worthy Thane of Cawdor, respected gentry of Scotland’s bosom. A murderer, tyrant, fiend, and ‘Hell-Kite’. The tale of Macbeth represents how actions and fate can change the reputation and future of anybody, and that absolute power will corrupt absolutely. Prior to the encounter Macbeth had with the Witches, he was seen as the Hero of Scotland, and battle worthy and proven soldier; gallant and friend to many, “My noble partner” (Banquo). After he is exposed to the evil and supernatural demeanour of the witches, he is overwhelmed, overcome by ambition, lust for

“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.”(Macbeth 1:4:53-54). Are these the words of a man who was once a valiant warrior? Is this someone that knows they’re on the verge of corruption? In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, readers are introduced to a main character that is battling his life’s struggles on mental and personal levels. Many aspects of Macbeth’s life change such as his wife, his friends and fellow soldiers, his power, and, of course, his mental status. Aspects such as these have all caused Macbeth to stray onto a path of darkness making him the quintessential tragic hero.

Macbeth from the “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is a solider that fights and shows loyalty to the king, named Duncan, as the king sees his actions he praises him and says, “For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)” and he will retrieve more power due to the respect and positive actions he has made towards the king (I.II.18). Macbeth begins to have a desire for power after his first encounter with the three witches on his way back home from battle, they hail him his title given to him by King Duncan as The Thane of Glamis and then hail him again but as The Thane of Cawdor which is the Kings title. The three witches begin to unfold truths as they greet Macbeth which leads to him believing their presence and statements, “The witches appear to have considerable supernatural power and their strength is reinforced through the sequential order of the events” (Minter). Macbeth tells his wife about his encounter with the three witches and Lady Macbeth reveals she has thoughts about killing King Duncan so that her husband Macbeth can be crowned and not be told what to do, this gives Macbeth a sign that the

Macbeth, a tragedy play by written William Shakespeare. Throughout the play the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is the engine that drives the tragedy of the play. Macbeth is a play about a Scottish knight named Macbeth who comes back from battle and meets three ‘witches’. They predict that Macbeth shall become king. At first he was skeptical though when it was announced by King Duncan that he will be made Thane of Cawdor, the next in line for king for his bravery on the battlefield he believed that their prediction was possible. With this event Macbeth believes the witches' predictions are true so he informs his wife Lady Macbeth whom upon hearing the news becomes excited and supportive of the idea. The two of them murder

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.

As defined by Aristotle, a tragic hero is an individual who is presented as a well- respected being in society and is then brought down from that status as a result of a tragic flaw which ultimately leads to the individual’s demise. A tragic hero can be identified when the evil within him/her overcomes the good which leads to a catastrophic destruction of the hero and others. In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the character of Macbeth is portrayed as a tragic hero as he fulfills the Aristotelian criteria of a tragic hero. Primarily, Macbeth possesses the tragic flaw of ambition which leads to his downfall. Consequently, Macbeth’s poor judgment leads to a turn of events in his fortune and fate. Conclusively, Macbeth accepts his fate after he reaches the point of no return in his life, after committing all of his evil deeds. Ultimately, Macbeth is appropriately defined as a tragic hero which leads to his demise.