A Shakesperean Tragic Hero – Macbeth Essay Example

thoughts into actual words.As the play progresses, Macbeth slowly relies on the witches prophecies. Shakespeare uses the witches as a remedy for Macbeth's curiosity which corrupts his character. The influence of Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth also contributed to his fall of character.

Lady Macbeth's character in the beginning reveals that she is a lovable person. When Lady Macbeth was ready to kill King Duncan herself, it showed that Lady Macbeth could not murder King Duncan because he reminded her of her father. This proves that Lady Macbeth has a heart deep inside her.Lady Macbeth plays an important role in this play because she provided a scheme which caused Macbeth to assassinate King Duncan. After Macbeth had killed King Duncan, he later regrets on his wrong doing. At the point of this play the audience can note the change in Macbeth's character.

Macbeth's first murder was a trying experience for him, however after the first murder, killing seemed to be the only solution to maintain his reign of the people of Scotland. Therefore, it was Lady Macbeth who introduced the concept of murder to Macbeth. Macbeth's ambition also influenced his declining character.However, Macbeth's ambition had not been strong enough to carry the motive to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth's influence also comes in to play because if not for Lady Macbeth, his ambition would not have been intensified enough to drive him to obtain and maintain his title of King of Scotland no matter what it took, even if it meant murdering.

Macbeth's ambition influenced the cause of his new character. This new character of Macbeth contained greed, violence, and power hunger. Aristotle's theory of a

tragedy is used by Shakespeare in this play to further clarify Macbeth as a tragic hero.At the very beginning of the play, Macbeth and Banquo are returning to Scotland from a fierce battle between the Norwegians and the Scottish. They have just won the war for Duncan.

This shows a noble virtue of Macbeth, a requirement of a tragic hero according to Aristotle. It shows that Macbeth is a loyal person to the King and that he is a great warrior. Later in the play, through his actions, Macbeth is shown as a hubris character. He thought nothing of killing Duncan nor of Banquo. He was not afraid of the consequences of his actions although he knew very well what they would be. This is another part of Aristotle's theory.

Later on, when the Macbeth meets the witches for the second time and hears the three apparition’s prophecies he thinks he has it made; that nothing can take his crown away from him now. This is another example of hubris in the character of Macbeth. According to Aristotle's theory, in order for a character to be a tragic hero, the character must not be a saint nor a villain, he should have some virtues, have a tragic flaw, and have hubris. Macbeth meets all of these requirements, and can therefore be called a tragic hero. The power of nemesis is shown clearly at the end of the play when Macduff comes back to murder Macbeth.

The once forgotten great warrior Macbeth is shown once again at the end of the play when Macduff challenges Macbeth to a fight. At first Macbeth says he will not fight, so

Macduff says ? Then yield thee, coward...? (A 5, S 8, 23).

Macbeth answers ? I will not yield...? (A 5, S 8, 28). Macbeth finally realizes what he has done and how the witches prophecies and apparitions have all come true, but he will not just give up like a coward.

He will fight like the great warrior he once was. He will fight to his death! Macbeth’s whole story after Duncan’s murder was one of continuous character deterioration.Once he had begun his life of crime he became further and further detached from his wife to the point where she had lost all control over him. He had become so accustomed to violence that he did not hesitate at all in the planning of Banquo and Fleance’s murder ("The very firstling of my heart shall be/ The very firstling of my hand"). He even went as far as to murder Macduff’s wife and family when he knew that their death would not aid him in any way.

He became so isolated, to the point where he could not trust any of the other lords ("There’s not a one of them but in this house I keep a servant fee’d").His cruelty and treachery ended up making all of Scotland suffer ("Sighs and groans and shrieks that rend the air, are made, not mark’d"). Macbeth started as a courageous and brave general who loved his wife very much. But because of the faults that must accompany every tragic hero, he was led to his ruin by his overwhelming ambition, superstition and moral cowardice. Macbeth changed from a noble hailed as the savior of his country, a

"valiant cousin," a "worthy gentleman," to a man of boundless cruelty.