Tragic Tragedy In Macbeth

1055 Words3 Pages

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most well known plays. Shakespeare enjoyed writing a variety of play types, like comedies and tragedies. Shakespeare liked how tragedies could make the audience feel emotions towards the character while learning a lesson about life. Tragedies contain a tragic hero, who experiences a downfall, and a tragic flaw in the hero, which causes the downfall to occur. The main character in the play Macbeth, is a man named Macbeth, who nobly represents the king of Scotland until he meets three witches. The poem takes place during the eleventh century Scotland, also known as the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages were a time where people were led a king, who had a few noblemen whom he trusted dearly, one of these noblemen in Macbeth As soon as Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecy, his ambition takes over. The result is the suffering of Scotland. Macbeth causes the deaths of the king, Banquo, Macduff’s wife and children, and Lady Macbeth. Macduff fears for the fate of Scotland because of the actions that Macbeth has committed. He proclaims that the “poor country” of Scotland will continue to “bleed” and “bleed” with Macbeth as king (4.3.32). Under Macbeth’s rule Scotland has broken into a civil war, with innocent families being murdered because Macbeth refuses to lose power. Lady Macbeth, the one who pushes Macbeth to kill Duncan even asks, “Will these hands ne’er be clean?” (5.1.35). Lady Macbeth’s hands are dirty with the murder of Duncan and she feels like she will never be able to get them clean. Macbeth’s ambition has clearly gone further than it should have as the person who seemed the most evil is more emotionally distraught than Macbeth. Macbeth’s own personality suffers a downfall as well. When Lady Macbeth dies, Macbeth is not emotionally distraught as one would expect, he simply states that “Life 's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more” (5.5.24-26). Macbeth does not mourn on his wife’s death, he simply accepts it and moves forward. The kingdom of Scotland is greatly affected by the acts that the ambitious Macbeth commits. Before his ambition was turned into a negative, he was a prosperous nobleman who was loved and highly respected by many. After the tragic flaw began to affect Macbeth negatively, Macbeth became known as a traitor who murdered the king. Macbeth’s well know reputation vanished and he was disgraced and hated by all of

Open Document