Through history and literature, many memorable protagonists have passed through time. From the classical tales of Oedipus and Hamlet to the storylines of modern day motion pictures Star Wars Darth Vader are all memorable characters. They all are tragic heroes as they start with notable goodness, but the flaws are revealed and the protagonist is confronted with a tragic end due to their own actions. William Shakespeare is notably famous for writing many plays that contain tragic endings for the protagonist. This can be seen in the play Macbeth which is written by Shakespeare. The play tells the story of a great and honorable Scottish general controlled by his ambition and greed to rise to power and rule as a zealous tyrant. He was seduced by
…show more content…
Macbeth’s hamartia impacted his actions and eventually led to his undoing. One of his most prominent faults is his inability to control his greed and ambition. In Macbeth’s soliloquy, he considers whether to kill Duncan and says, “I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o 'erleaps itself/ And falls on the other”(1.7.25-28). He is saying that the only motivation to kill is his ambition for power. He did not want to kill but was conflicted by his desires. His greed was his hamartia as it led him astray from the path of good. He was enticed by the prospect of power and allowed his impulses to rule his actions. His ambition kept him wanting more and more power and eventually drove him mad. Moreover, Macbeth loved his wife dearly and that allowed him to be susceptible to be manipulated by Lady Macbeth. When discussing the plans to murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth said,”Wouldst thou have that/ Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,/ And live a coward in thine own esteem, / Letting ‘ I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’”(1.7.41-44). Lady Macbeth challenged his manliness and called him a coward for not taking what he wants. Men were thought to be strong and able to protect and provide for others. Macbeth loved his wife and wanted to prove that he was no less of a man. His flaw was his weakness to his wife and it impacted his decision to go through with his ambition. Finally, Macbeth gained his hubris after learning information from the prophecies from the witches. From the prophecies, Macbeth thought that nothing could stop his reign on Scotland. He was told he could not be vanquished or harm until trees could move or if there was a person that was not born from a woman. Macbeth thought both these cases are extremely unlikely to occur, therefore he thought that he was invincible and he could do anything. His hubris would be his downfall because despite learning movement of trees
Macbeth’s hamartia impacted his actions and eventually led to his undoing. One of his most prominent faults is his inability to control his greed and ambition. In Macbeth’s soliloquy, he considers whether to kill Duncan and says, “I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o 'erleaps itself/ And falls on the other”(1.7.25-28). He is saying that the only motivation to kill is his ambition for power. He did not want to kill but was conflicted by his desires. His greed was his hamartia as it led him astray from the path of good. He was enticed by the prospect of power and allowed his impulses to rule his actions. His ambition kept him wanting more and more power and eventually drove him mad. Moreover, Macbeth loved his wife dearly and that allowed him to be susceptible to be manipulated by Lady Macbeth. When discussing the plans to murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth said,”Wouldst thou have that/ Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,/ And live a coward in thine own esteem, / Letting ‘ I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would’”(1.7.41-44). Lady Macbeth challenged his manliness and called him a coward for not taking what he wants. Men were thought to be strong and able to protect and provide for others. Macbeth loved his wife and wanted to prove that he was no less of a man. His flaw was his weakness to his wife and it impacted his decision to go through with his ambition. Finally, Macbeth gained his hubris after learning information from the prophecies from the witches. From the prophecies, Macbeth thought that nothing could stop his reign on Scotland. He was told he could not be vanquished or harm until trees could move or if there was a person that was not born from a woman. Macbeth thought both these cases are extremely unlikely to occur, therefore he thought that he was invincible and he could do anything. His hubris would be his downfall because despite learning movement of trees