The Shakespearian tragedy, Macbeth has been said to be one of Shakespeare’s most profound and mature visions of evil. In Macbeth we find not gloom but blackness, a man who finds himself encased in evil. Macbeth believes that his predicaments and the evils that he commits are worth everything he will have to endure. In spite of this towards the end of the play he realizes that everything he went through, was not worth the crown, or the high price he had to pay of losing his wife, and finding himself alone. Macbeth is shown as a kind and righteous man in the beginning of the play. He is the Thane of Glamis, and a brave warrior among men and is highly regarded by the king of Scotland. All these traits make Macbeth great. Conversely, several factors transform this one great man into a great tyrant and a malevolent murderer. Macbeth grows great throughout the play yet in reality becomes less and less as a man. Macbeth proves that wearing a crown and having the power does not fulfill all of one’s dreams and fantasies. Being the king does not necessarily make the man.
Macbeth, a tragedy, starts with a dying, bloody Captain talking about the valor with which Macbeth fought. How does this brave, devoted, valiant soldier become an insane, cold-blooded murderer, killing men, women, and children alike? The story of his downfall begins with his new-found ambition to become king after three witches tell him of his “imperial theme.” After fighting so courageously in battle, Macbeth, Thane of Glamis a title inherited from his late father, and fellow nobleman Banquo, encounter three witches. They greet Macbeth by his current title, by a title soon to be bestowed upon him, and last by the title of king. Immediately, Macbeth is intrigued by their prophecies, but unsure since the King and the
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is not in a position of authority yet still receives praise. Although Macbeth is not in a place of power, he is truly content with his life. Macbeth is looked up to and admired for begin so brave and courageous. In the beginning of the play Macbeth comes off as a genuine man who is admired by many people. This is demonstrated by a member of Macbeth’s battalion who refers to Macbeth as “the great Macbeth.” This man is covered in blood and hurt, yet he still speaks of how noble Macbeth is. This really shows how respected and faithful the citizens are to Macbeth. “For brave Macbeth he is the one to whom oh so many praise.” (1.2.18), said by the man. Hearing this news of Macbeth is very pleasing to the king, he now sees how noble and commendable Macbeth is, he then decided to give Macbeth the power of being Thane of Cawdor; by doing so he did not know what this decision was going to lead to in the future. The king gave him this power because he saw how fine...
In the beginning, Macbeth is a strong, brave and noble soldier. He is considered brave by all the people he was fighting around. When the captain is relaying the events of the battle, we find him saying to the king "For brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name" (1.2.16). As a result of Macbeth's actions on the battlefield, Duncan names him Thane of Cawdor in Act one Scene two. From this, we can see that Macbeth is a good soldier. He has no intention of doing anything other than serving the king.
Macbeth has a powerful position within the kingdom, (taking into consideration that he is Thane of Glamis and Thane of Cawdor) he is an overall good man but is flawed by the actions he takes on like killing King Duncan and going against his own people. He is punished by being decapitated by Macduff. Macbeth never understands that what he has become is deranged and only sees a glimpse of what he has transformed into as described in his tomorrow, tomorrow speech. He insists that there is no meaning to life anymore since his wife is dead and his own people stand against him, “life’s but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage...signifying nothing.” (Act V scene V Lines 24-28). Macbeth references a bad actor and that one day the bad actor will finally disappears and in my opinion I believe he is referring to himself.
Shakespeare's Macbeth as Tragic Hero
Shakespeare's Macbeth follows the journey of nobleman Macbeth that starts with him as Thane of Glamis and ends with him as King of Scotland. Macbeth is a tragic hero because he possesses all the traits that Aristotle outlined in his poetics. He said that the tragic hero must be a man that is higher than mortal worth, but has tragic flaws. Aristotle also stated that the flaws will lead to great suffering and usually death; the cause being fate. The flaws that lead to Macbeth's degeneration are his sense of ambition, his reliance on the prophecies and his influence and manipulation by Lady Macbeth.
We can interpret this by following the aftermath of King Duncans Murder, as stated in the Play Macbeth “This is a sorry sight" (2.2.29), he tells Lady Macbeth, looking at the blood on his hands. When he speaks further of the guilt he feels, Lady Macbeth foreshadowing her descent into insanity says, “These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us mad" (2.2.44-45). Therefore, leading us to know that this is the setting point of Macbeth, and lady Macbeth's Downfall, as to they have to pay the price of the power the overtook in a corrupted manner, that is immoral.
Macbeth as A Tragic Hero
The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean
tragic hero. There are many factors that contribute to the character
of Macbeth of which three will be discussed. Macbeth is a typical
tragic hero through his personality, actions, and qualities.
One of Macbeth's traits that evoke the idea of a tragic hero is that
he is worthy of the reader's interest. A tragic hero must be worthy of
reader's interest, concern, or sympathy.
What would you do if you made a choice which ultimately led to the compromise of someone’s life? A tragic hero is a person with a high position in society with the potential to be heroic. This hero is fated by the Gods or a supernatural force to great suffering. The hero struggles to fight against their fate, before fate wins the conflict (“Tragic” 1-3). In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth is classified as a tragic hero due to fatal flaws in his character, which led to consistent errors in judgement. This ultimately led to his timely death. Macbeth was a man of high position, being the Thane of Glamis.
Macbeth as a tragic hero
The character Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. There are many factors that contribute to the degeneration of Macbeth of which three will be discussed. The three points, which contribute greatly to Macbeth's degeneration are the prophecies, which were told to him by the weird sisters, how Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment, and finally Macbeth's long time ambition, which drove his desire to be king. Macbeth's growing character degenerate from a noble man to a violent individual.