Macbeth - A Tragic Hero

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. Lady Macbeth is delineated as the villain in Macbeth because of her evil, mischievous, formidable temperament. Lady Macbeth is in a position to simply manipulate her husband whereas Macbeth solely thinks he's doing the heroic factor to become king. Macbeth is a tragic hero who causes suffering by committing murder and distress, exemplifying the negative effects of a bloodthirsty desire for power.

This all revolves around the idea of the unnatural influencing Macbeth and causes much of the tragedy within the play to occur. Lady Macbeth wishes to throw out her morality for the sake of gaining a title. With the help of invisible sprits, she wants to make herself able to commit a terrible act of murder to make her dreams of the royal life come true, without having reservations or remorse. She approaches Macbeth with her intent to kill King Duncan. Macbeth, although wanting th... ... middle of paper ... ...s insanity and madness which he has brought upon himself from the witches prophecy, his ambition was so overpowering that it took control of his mind and focused only on success and power which eventually led him to insanity.

This deception is evident soon after when Banquo is concerned about the witches trying “to win us harm. / The instruments of darkness tell us truths /... ... middle of paper ... ...ower illustrate that even at the root of even the noblest man, can lie chaos and terror. In an ironic twist near the end of the play, Macbeth laments life and at the same time provides a perfect description of his own: “It is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing” (V. v. 29-31). Although Macbeth has strived to become king, in reality his power was nothing but an illusion, created by his twisted fantasies and the sin residing within him. Works Cited Pilkington, Elaine.

This being the case, in the play Macbeth, Shakespeare puts forth the idea that by betraying others one is in turn betraying themselves. Shakespeare proves this by showing that at the conclusion of every murder Macbeth commits, he gradually declines on the ladder of respect and nobility. Macbeth starts off as a noble and respected leader. He is kind and a brave fighter. But after three witches give him a prophecy, he starts to betray other characters and becomes an evil malicious man.

Although a combination of external forces and Macbeth’s own vaulting ambition doom the tragic hero (Macbeth) and result in his downfall, he is also doomed because of his own actions. This is because the tragic hero chooses to commit certain actions of his own free will which create a trail of destruction which leads to his eventual downfall. This may be seen in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth where the protagonist, a well-respected nobleman allows his ambition to cloud his better judgement. This causes him to listen to misleading advice which eventually causes him to commit many crimes which plunge his kingdom into chaos leading to his eventual demise. Firstly, the witches’ prophecy ignited Macbeth 's desire to be king.

This killing spree that results propels Macbeth and his wife to a fate of madness and death. The first function of imagery is to express ideas throughout the play and to help bring different points together. Macbeth, who creates an image of himself as an almighty and all-powerful ruler, discards all moral boundaries in his quest for power. The effects of Macbeth's actions show the overwhelming effects of evil and the power it can have on one man. These images in Macbeth express the picture of himself.

His avidity towards gaining power leads to his tragic death. In conclusion, Macbeth has committed treasonous and despicable crimes to both his friend, Banquo and the King of Scotland in order to obtain rank. He may be referred to as a monster, however he is the classical definition of a tragic hero. His reversal of his fortune foreshadows his doom, despite his treacherous behaviour and disloyalty, the audience experiences sympathy for Macbeth and his ambitious nature evokes his tragic, untimely death. Shakespeare effectively uses Macbeth to model the dangers of unchecked ambition and its consequences.

Macbeth English Units ½ Shakespeare essay: Macbeth Topic: “The instruments of darkness brought about Macbeth’s downfall.” Do you agree? William Shakespeare’s Macbeth demonstrates the ultimate downfall of a tragic hero manipulated by evil. The forces of evil, namely witches, initiate Macbeth’s downfall, seducing him with the concept of power, firing up his ambition to become king. However, despite their obvious involvement, Macbeth delves deeper into the darker side of his nature on his own, seeking evil and wading further into his imagined river of blood. His downfall was brought about by the instruments of darkness – they planted the idea of Macbeth’s rising power in his head and their influence saw him fall from a noble man to a tyrant of a ruler but regardless of this it was his own conscious choice that ultimately led to his fall from grace.

Thus, he is very disturbed and unsettled if he should continue with the murder. In conclusion, Macbeth possesses a lot of evil traits and he is one of the most unique entities in the play. He is very ambitious, but, on the other hand, he is even willing to commit a crime such as murdering his King and cousin, so he can obtain the crown. Since the witches’ prophecies, all the darkness has gathered in his head. Thus, all of these songs are devoted to Macbeth because it represents one specific part of Macbeth’s life.

Interestingly, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, clearly illustrates Macbeth’s ambition to becoming the king. In order for Macbeth to become king he uses poor judgment when he decides to kill King Duncan. After he is king, he struggles in maintaining his position. Moreover, it is also argued that Macbeth’s judgment became negatively influenced by the witches prophesies, as well as Lady Macbeth. It is as if they were able to poison his mind and alter his sense of moral and ethical judgment.