![]() His ambition leads to his degeneration as a character which resulted in his ultimate downfall, death. The audience gets to see the full cycle of a rise to power, followed by a great demise. Macbeth fits every characteristic of a Greek and Shakespearean tragic hero. The audience learns the dangers of ambition, and good is reestablished. With his death, Macbeth solidifies himself as a tragic hero. Macduff goes on to behead Macbeth, ensuring that his own family did not die in vain. In this moment Macbeth was enlightened about his vulnerability. His true anagnorisis came during his battle with Macduff, where Macduff revealed he was not born of woman, rather he was ripped form his mother’s womb, implying a Caesarean section. He was surprised when he was told that the forest was indeed attacking his castle, which was actually Macduff’s army carrying branches as a means of camouflage. Macbeth saw both of these things as impossible, so he did little to protect his castle. The three witches told him to be bold and fearless, that no man born of a woman could defeat him, and that he will never be defeated until the trees of Great Birnam Wood attack Dunsinane. However, he did not fear these people, as he fell for the deceptive words of the witches. Macbeth was aware that his evil deeds would lead to people wanting revenge. Macbeth’s bloody actions ended with him having to fear for his own life, as thousands in Scotland wanted him dead. With the bloody path he had made for himself, his fall from power was inevitable. Macbeth’s tragic flaws lead him to become a tyrant, who is quickly removed from power by the Scottish people. These tragic flaws go on to play a major role in Macbeth’s demise. His easily impressionable nature causes him to not form his own thoughts, but rather listen to the words of Lady Macbeth and the three witches. His ambition blinds him from seeing the destructive path he has created, ruling as a tyrant rather than a noble king. By the end of the play, four deaths can be attributed to Macbeth’s name, all murdered in hopes of protecting his kingship. Macbeth was crowned King of Scotland, which led to extreme paranoia, fearing anyone with a noble bloodline as a threat to his power. His lust for power, along with persuasive words from Lady Macbeth, led to him murdering King Duncan in his sleep. After the witches told Macbeth about his bright future of nobility in Scotland, his honorable nature seemed to fade, and was soon replaced by a “by any means necessary” attitude. He has multiple flaws in character, the most prominent being his vaulting ambition and his impressionability. ![]() Following the format of a tragic hero, Macbeth suffers from a tragic flaw. Macbeth’s blind ambition, along with the provoking of his wife, leads him to take a violent and bloody path to the throne. Duncan speaks highly of Macbeth, unaware of the destiny Macbeth will later impose on him. The manner in which the leaders of his country speak about Macbeth truly shows his respectable and honorable nature. In Act 1, Scene 2, Duncan addresses Macbeth as, “…valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!” and later as a “Worthy Thane”. These titles indicate that Macbeth is of great political importance, and is moving up in the ranks of Scottish nobility. He has already earned the title of Thane of Glamis, and as prophesized by the three witches, will soon take reign as the Thane of Cawdor. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the title figure of the play can be seen as a tragic hero.Įarly on in the play, Macbeth is established as being of great stature. ![]() Finally, a Shakespearean tragic hero will lose their life in the end of the play so the message of what is good in the play can be reestablished. The character reaches an anagnorisis, a critical discovery that completely alters the predicament they are in, often after they are already trapped in the situation. The tragic hero has a tremendous downfall, brought about by their hamartia. This person is predominantly good, but suffers a self-inflicted falling out due to flaws in their personality. Typically, a tragic hero is a figure of high stature, often of noble background. Before these factors can be discussed, it is important to understand what workings make up the characteristics of a tragic hero. There are a multitude of factors that contribute to Macbeth being labelled as a tragic hero. The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. The role of a tragic hero is commonplace in many of Shakespeare’s works.
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