Essay on Shakespeares Macbeth - The Tragic Hero - 717 Words

Macbeth - The Tragic Hero Every true Elizabethan Tragedy comes complete with a tragic hero. The tragedy Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, has a perfect example of a tragic hero, otherwise known as Macbeth. A tragic hero must be a man who is great and admirable in various ways. He should be placed in society in such a way that everything he does affects all of the members of his society. A tragic hero should at some point reach the top of Fortune’s Wheel, but land up at the bottom by the end of the tragedy due to the continual change of fate. Macbeth fits the description of being a tragic hero, displaying his strengths, his weaknesses, his tragic flaw, and how influential outside influences are on him.†¦show more content†¦Macbeth feels guilt at the very beginning and very end of the play, contributing to his weaknesses. This weakness is one that benefits Macbeth’s society, but is disadvantageous to his own cause. At the initiation of Macbeth, the title charact er’s plan to murder Duncan is almost overturned due to his own guilt. It gets easier for Macbeth as the play presses on, seeing that he states the succeeding quote: I am in blood Stepped so far in that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er. (III, iv, 168-170) Nevertheless, by the end of the play, the injurious emotion of guilt is established once again. The last thing that makes Macbeth a tragic hero is the fact that he is so easily predisposed by outside influences. His character is made corrupt and immoral initially by the influences of the three witches (â€Å"Macbeth – Tragic Hero†). By telling him that he is to become Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland, his curiosity is stirred as he thinks up ways to achieve this goal (I, iii, 50-55). Macbeth is influenced greatly by Lady Macbeth, as well. Lady Macbeth stimulates Macbeth to act in undesirable and adverse ways. She challenges Macbeth’s manhood at one point by saying the following: Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, Any live a coward inShow MoreRelatedEssay on Shakespeares Macbeth is a Tragic Hero956 Words   |  4 PagesMacbeth is a Tragic Hero  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeares tragic hero is a man of noble birth who falls from a position of honor and respect due to a flaw in his character. He freely chooses a course of action which ultimately causes him suffering and brings him to a fatal end.(Campbell 129) Macbeth is the epitome of a tragic hero who rises high then falls rock bottom to his death. 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