Many traits make up a tragic hero. The perfect example of a character who is considered a tragic hero is Macbeth. The traits for a tragic hero is being of noble stature, having a tragic flaw, having free choice, a punishment exceeds the crime, an increased awareness, and catharsis. Macbeth meets all of those traits.
Macbeth
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When Malcolm was crowned the heir, Macbeth was angry. “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see“ (A1 s4). This quote shows that Macbeth plans to kill in order to achieve his goal of the throne. “Prithee, peace: I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none” (A1 s7). This quote shows how Macbeth is giving into his wife’s taunts. He does not want to be seen as anything less than a man so he believes that he must kill in order to be seen that …show more content…
One example is when he is getting haunted by the murder he had committed. He felt some sort of guilt after being haunted, who wouldn’t? He definitely should not have done the things he did, but at least he started to realize it at the end of the play. Not only was Macbeth feeling the affects, Lady Macbeth was too. The doctor was having to look over her due to her deteriorating mental health. “Cure her of that. Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased, Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, Raze out the written troubles of the brain And with some sweet oblivious antidote Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff Which weighs upon the heart” (A5 s3). As Lady Macbeth is falling deeper into Madness this brings Macbeth to a realization at what he has done. After the witches told Macbeth his prophecy and he was named the Thane of Cawdor, he was already having thoughts of murdering Duncan. “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, Against the use of nature? Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings” (A1 s3). However, here Macbeth is afraid of the idea. Not long after macbeth thinks this, he is blinded by his own ambition. Finally, at the end of the play Macbeth’s clouded judgement goes away. He sees what he did and would rather die than be seen for what he
In his ultimate quest for power, his bloodlust caused him to betray an old friend and brutally murder his family becoming a fiend in the process. To further support this, Macbeth preached about how he was going to murder to his friend and his family (Act four Scene one) “ Now I cannot kill him as I planned. From now on, when I decide to do something, I’ll do it immediately. I’m going to go to Macduff’s castle now and kill his wife and children before I change my mind.” Now with that being said, he demonstrates that he will do anything to ensure his position and now since he is king, he would do whatever it takes to maintain it. He believes that everyone he knows would be a threat, as well as those who opposed him, so he thoughtfully created a plan to kill them. His plan failed with Macbeth, but even with that happening, he still went through with the plan. Having regretting not killing Macduff, he went after his family and murdered them in cold blood to send a message and to make his old friend miserable. With this ferocious and treacherous act, he proves once and for all, that he does not care anymore about other’s lives. Now to further explore this, In his quest for power, Macbeth’s greed blinded him, causing him to murder his best friend and his son to safeguard his future. He arrogantly revealed that he will butcher
In order for a character to qualify as the tragic hero they must posses all of these qualities: high standing, a major flaw, and a downfall. A tragic hero is someone that is usually of royalty, of nobility, honest, or brave. During the story they usually show a major flaw or weakness. This usually leads to their downfall, loss of power, or even death. Many stories have tragic heroes.
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.
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.
The definition of a tragic hero, as stated on dictionary.com, is a literary character that makes an error in judgment that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy. It has been argued for years whether Macbeth from Shakespeare’s, The Tragedy of Macbeth, can truly be considered a tragic hero or whether he is solely a villainous tyrant. Although there are some valid arguments for the Macbeth is pure evil viewpoint, by looking at Macbeth in a holistic way you can see the tragic, the heroic, and the tragic hero within him. Macbeth is a tragic hero in every sense of the definition.
A tragic hero is a person of high rank, who accepts his or her downfall with dignity. A tragic hero also has to have four qualities to be considered a tragic hero. One, the person must be high born(royalty/high class). Two, he or she must have experienced a tragic flaw. Three, their tragic flaw causes them to have a downfall. Lastly, he or she must have an catharsis; realizes too late the error of his or her choices.
Although Lady Macbeth took some time to convince him to commit regicide, the final decision was Macbeth’s. “I go, and it is done. The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is-knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell” (Ⅱ.ⅰ.75-77). The three witches predicted that Macbeth and Banquo’s sons would become king, so Macbeth decided to kill Banquo so that he wouldn’t have his descendants become king. The last words of Banquo was a warning to his son, Fleance. “O treachery! Fly good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge-O slave!” (Ⅲ.ⅲ.25-26). When Macbeth was told by a messenger that Birnam Woods was moving, he called him a liar and said, ”If thou speak’st false, upon the next tree shall thou hang alive till famine cling thee” (Ⅴ.ⅴ.44-45). This shows how someone in power treats those beneath them. The second apparition previously told Macbeth that “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth” (Ⅳ.ⅰ.91-92). When he heard this, he thought that he was invincible and became full of himself. He said “Bring me no more reports. Let them fly all. Till Birnam Wood remove to Dunsinane. I cannot taint with fear. What’s the boy Malcolm? Was he not born of woman?” (Ⅴ.ⅲ.1-4). He didn’t think that anyone would be able to harm him because he went right to the conclusion that every man was born of a woman. He later found out that Malcolm was born via a cesarean section. In result, Malcolm was able to defeat Malcolm so
A tragic hero is someone whos fatal flaw, combined with other external factors, bring about ones demise, which is demonstrated by Macbeth in Shakespeares play Macbeth. Macbeth is portrayed as a courageous, brave and noble man who was haunted by superstition and an overpowering ambition. Factors that contributed to the degeneration of Macbeth include the prophecies told to him by the witches, the influence and manipulation of his wife, Lady Macbeth, and finally, Macbeths deep driven intent to become king. Although seen as a daring and valiant hero at the beginning of the play, Macbeths evil desires and long time ambition causes his downfall. Even though Macbeth seems like a malevolent and murderous tyrant towards the end of the play, he
There has been a lot of discussion about what truly defines a tragic hero. If we take a look at the work of well known Philosopher Aristotle, he clearly defined what is needed for a character to be considered a tragic hero. He pointed out 5 specific traits that the person must have to fit the role. They must have skewed judgement, which normally puts them in the position that they are facing. The character must have a realization during the story, there should be an event where they find out that their immoral ways have led them down a path of destruction. They should figure out their wrong doings on their own by taking the time to reflect upon themselves and understand the mistakes they have been making in life, and how to correct them. The person should be filled with pride, as if no one can touch
Soon after, Macbeth gave in to ambition and is also encouraged by a prophecy and Lady Macbeth, which he murders the King to take his throne. Macbeth’s betrayal throws himself into a bad state of being guilty and full of fear. Now that he is guilty and fearful, he murders again and again to satisfy his phobia. Macbeth has now became a very evil tyrant and will rightfully kill for his crimes over and over again. "For brave Macbeth well he deserves that name, Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish'd steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valour's minion carved out his passage, Till he faced the slave." (1.2. 16-20).
Macbeth is seen as this very greedy and ambitious person, but can we see Macbeth’s universal human traits in ourselves. Macbeth saw what he wanted and did whatever it took to get it, even if it meant going all the way Some people argue that when you are reading Macbeth you are supposed to see yourself in him. This essay will help enlighten you on the ways that Macbeth’s character represents a universal human trait. In source 1, you can read and understand how ambitious Macbeth is. Macbeth was recently appointed Thane of Cawdor.
must be brave and noble. Hamlet is the perfect example of the tragic hero. Hamlet has all the good traits needed to be a tragic hero. He is brave and daring. One example of this is that when he went to England, he was taking a big risk and knew they were out to kill him. His loyalty to his father, was the reason he was so angry with Claudius and his Mother.
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.
Aristotle describes one of the most important elements of a tragedy to be a tragic hero. The tragic hero however must present certain qualities such as nobility and virtue. In the play Macbeth, Macbeth is a perfect example of a tragic hero. Macbeth begins the play coming home from battle,
In a tragedy, a tragic hero is a character who is doomed from the beginning, suffers, has tragic flaws, or all of the above. Othello, in the play Othello by Shakespeare, is a tragic hero due to his tragic flaws. His tragic flaws are his insecurity, his gullibility, and his misplacement of trust. The character of Iago uses Othello’s tragic flaws against him through misleading advice and lies. Othello fits the definition of a tragic hero.