What is a tragedy? How does it relate to Aristotle’s definition? Macbeth is the embodiment of a tragedy by all accounts. In this paper I will show how Macbeth fits into Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy.
Aristotle fits tragedy into three different elements as follows: hamartia, peripeteia, and anagnorsis. Aristotle says “Tragedy is an imitation, not of men, but of action and life, of happiness and misery. And life consists of action, and its end is a mode of activity, not a quality.” Shakespeare shows this by saying “I have no spur to prick the sides of, my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself” (I.VII.26-28) Macbeths only reason for killing Duncan is his ambition which in the end becomes his tragic flaw.
Hamartia:
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Macbeth becomes excited about what the witches have told him, but in order for him to become king he would have to kill Duncan. As Macbeth realizes this he kind of backs off until Lady Macbeth questions his man hood. Being consumed by ambition Macbeth jumps into action and kills Duncan. After killing Duncan Macbeth feels an unbelievable amount of guilt.
Peripeteia:
Aristotle describes peripeteia as “a sudden turn of events, or an unexpected reversal”. After Macbeth kills Duncan to become king, he feels an unbelievable amount of guilt. He keeps seeing a blood filled dagger. Soon after the dagger Macbeth starts to see Duncan’s ghost. Toward the end of the play the roles were switched. Macbeth no longer feels guilty amd wants to remain killing as Lady Macbeth feels like the blood will not was off her hands saying “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” (VI.I.25)
Anagnorsis:
Aristotle describes anagnorsis as “a moment in the work where the main character makes a critical discovery”. At the end of the play Macbeth realizes the witches’ leads him to his death. The witches told Macbeth that “the power of man, for none of women shall harm Macbeth”. (VI.I.80-81) At the battlefield where Macbeth goes to fight Macduff, Macbeth believes he is about to free himself of all problems. Until Macduff tells Macbeth he is “not born a woman”, but “ripped from the womb of his mother”. Therefore Macduff is able to kill
The second apparition that Macbeth is shown, the bloody child, tells Macbeth that ".none of the woman born shall harm Macbeth"(Shakespeare 4.1.81-82).This apparition brings confidence into Macbeth by giving him this security that he basically should have no fear of men because he cannot be killed. Unfortunately, where the false part comes into play from the false security, is the man not born of a woman turns out to be Macduff, whose mother delivered him by what we now call a C-section. He was born out of a body. Thus, he was not born of a woman.
Macbeth thinks he is unstoppable now because of this revelation and continues with his conspiracy to kill people even though at times he regrets it.
The more Macbeth thinks about the witches calling him king, the more the idea interests him. Soon, all he can think about is becoming king. He is so tempted by their prophecy that he determines he must murder the king. Since the king is staying with him this is easily done. Lady Macbeth, eager to become queen, comes up with a plan to kill King Dun...
Macbeth is the story of a man who falls from his noble state. In the beginning, Macbeth was a courageous fighter for Scotland's King Duncan. Macbeth is soon overcome with greed for power, so he kills the king and crowns himself. He becomes worried of losing his newly gained power causing him to kill more people. In the end the lords and nobles join forces with the king's son, Malcolm, to destroy Macbeth. In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the character Macbeth was persuaded by the three witches to commit evil, leading to his tragic downfall.
The character Macbeth displays through his actions that ambition brings out the worst in him. After the Witches tell Macbeth that he will be king, Lady Macbeth tries to persuade him into killing King Duncan. Macbeth contemplates whether or not he should kill Duncan. Macbeth has always been loyal to his king, but he starts to
Macbeth feels a great deal of remorse after he has killed the king. He understands that he has committed a sin and will be punished. He is so terrified that he hears voices telling him:“ Macbeth does murder sleep, … , Macbeth shall sleep no more”(Act 2, Sc.2 p. 57). Macbeth is very upset with himself and wishes that he never killed Duncan. “To know my deed it were best not know myself.” When he hears strange knocking at the gate he wishes that it wakes up Duncan, “wake Duncan with thy knocking”, however it is too late (Act 2, Sc.3 p. 61).
Within Macbeth the tragedy and demise of Macbeth is an important factor in determining his character as a tragic hero. However in order to elucidate on this point we need to define what is a tragedy. Aristotle within ‘Poetics’ highlighted what characteristics he believed to define tragedy these being;
...e murdered. When king Duncan thanks Macbeth for his heroic service in the battle he replies “Your highness a king cares for his people as a father cares for his children and the people represent the loyal children to the father (I, iv, 23-25). Later in the scene, Lady Macbeth shames her husband so he can continue with the plan of killing Duncan. To shame Macbeth, she calls him a coward, questions his manhood, and tells him that he should be as tough as she is, (1.7.54-59). The second apparition is a bloody child which shows Macbeth "The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth" (4.1.81). This shows that no man can harm Macbeth because everyman is born of a women except Macduff. He says that Macduff was born untimely and was ripped out of his womb . This was abnormal because being ripped out of your mothers womb is being born.
Macbeth realises at this point that he has committed so much murder and unnatural acts for nothing, and this whole thing never benefited him, snapped out of his delusions, his thoughts ending with his
They tell him that "no one born of a woman shall harm Macbeth. " The witches are being sneaky here to give Macbeth the illusion that he cannot be harmed. Macduff eventually kills Macduff. Does Macduff, who is not born of a woman, (his mother passed before he was born) kill Macbeth because of fate?
Macbeth ‘sees’ a bloody dagger in front of him even before he kills the King; this shows that he feels guilty even before the evil deed. He tries to convince himself and his wife that he should not kill Duncan, and at one stage he orders her not to go any further with the deed. Lady Macbeth...
While the genre of some works of literature can be debated, Macbeth written by William Shakespeare seems to fit into a perfect mold. Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy, combining seven elements that he believes make the genre of a work a tragedy, is that mold. Displaying all seven aspects, Macbeth fits the definition precisely.
Macbeth’s ambition to obtain power convinces him that it is his destiny to become King of Scotland, and that he should do anything to fulfill that destiny, even if it involves him committing tremendously immoral acts such as murder. After Macbeth realizes that the witches may actually speak the truth due to the second prophecy (Thane of Cawdor) becoming true, he begins to have an eerie and frightening thought of him killing his king and friend, Duncan, in order to ac...
Duncan is the most unlikely character to be killed because of his personality, but his title as King of Scotland, causes for Macbeth to loathe Duncan. In the play there is very little interaction between Macbeth and Duncan, showing the little time in which Macbeth gets more power. Prior to the witches’ prophecies Macbeth is loyal to Duncan, and would never imagine killing him. After the one of the witches’ prophecies comes to be true, the thought of killing Duncan, Macbeth "yield[s] to that suggestion / whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / and make my seated heart knock at my ribs" (1.3.146-148). Partly because of Lady Macbeth’s suggestion his "vaulting ambition" is starting to take over, and he begins to take into consideration killing Duncan, to become king. Macbeth however, does not feel comfortable in killing Macbeth, giving himself reasons why not to kill Duncan: “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself,” (I, vii, 13-16) Lady Macbeth, convinces Macbeth, that killing Duncan is the right thing to do until right before he performs the murder. We learn from this murder that Macbeth truly had faith in the king and was very loyal, but knowing that one day he would become king, his ambition and the persuasion of Lady Macbeth, causes him to perform the act, that he will regret. This murder changes Macbeth as a person, however, and he soon feels little regret for killing King Duncan, but this act will soon aid in his downfall.
Aristotle's tragic hero is a man who is characterized by good and evil. He is a mixture of good characteristics and bad characteristics. For example, Macbeth was an honorable Thane of Glamis. He was a valiant fighter who had protected his country of Scotland well, but he wanted to be king. His "vaulting ambition" caused him to kill King Duncan which ended up in his fall. Aristotle's tragic hero has a tragic flaw, or harmatia, that is the cause of the downfall. Macbeth's vaulting ambition, though it is what brings him to his height of power, it is also what leads him to his downfall. Vaulting Ambition is Macbeth's only flaw; it disables him to achieve his utmost goals and forces him to face his fate. Without this ambition, though, Macbeth never would have been able to achieve his power as King of Scotland or have been able to carry out his evil deeds. In these instances, ambition helped Macbeth do what he wanted to do. But, consequently, Macbeth's ambition has another face and is what leads him to his tragic downfall. Had he not been so enveloped with becoming King and remaining powerful, he would not have continued to kill innocent people in order to keep his position. It was because of these killings and his overbearing attitude that caused him to be overthrown and killed himself.