In the 1600s, William Shakespeare published his highly acclaimed tragedies, Macbeth and Hamlet. These dramas exhibit the infamous playwright’s classic characteristics of a tragic hero during the Elizabethan era. Generally, an archetypal tragic hero possesses attributes that cause his ultimate defeat. Shakespearean heroes Hamlet and Macbeth represent the epitome of a tragic hero; however, their motives, personalities, and inner thoughts create distinct personas that expose individuality in each tragedy.
It is greatly evident that Macbeth is not a likeable character, and Hamlet is a venerable tragic hero (Johnston 4; Andrews 512). The audience finds no sympathy for Macbeth; he is a greedy, bloody savage who does not hesitate to kill for his own yearnings (Johnston 4). Macbeth is constantly reconsidering his choices, and his indecisiveness exhibits his …show more content…
Macbeth attempts to change his own inevitability guided by his selfish intuition; because of this, he experiences torment and anxiety (Johnston 6). Macbeth’s reality before his demise is that he is deserted by his comrades, his country, and his wife. This is all caused by his tarnished character (2). At the approach of the tragic hero’s downfall, he remains unable to accept the life he has lived and the acts he has committed (Andrews 523-524). His martyrdom abets his belief that his life is futile (Johnston 6). In the same way, the tragedy surrounding Hamlet becomes imminent to him, so he is able to accept his death as his final responsibility (Andrews 512). After the death of Gertrude, Laertes, and Ophelia, he concludes that he has no ultimate victory. As a result, his closing reflections commemorate death’s supremacy. Hamlet’s last words attempt to finalize his prestige in the kingdom, yet he realizes his impending death. Finally, Hamlet reaches ultimate inner enlightenment through his fatality (Detmold
It is greatly evident that Macbeth is not a likeable character, and Hamlet is a venerable tragic hero (Johnston 4; Andrews 512). The audience finds no sympathy for Macbeth; he is a greedy, bloody savage who does not hesitate to kill for his own yearnings (Johnston 4). Macbeth is constantly reconsidering his choices, and his indecisiveness exhibits his …show more content…
Macbeth attempts to change his own inevitability guided by his selfish intuition; because of this, he experiences torment and anxiety (Johnston 6). Macbeth’s reality before his demise is that he is deserted by his comrades, his country, and his wife. This is all caused by his tarnished character (2). At the approach of the tragic hero’s downfall, he remains unable to accept the life he has lived and the acts he has committed (Andrews 523-524). His martyrdom abets his belief that his life is futile (Johnston 6). In the same way, the tragedy surrounding Hamlet becomes imminent to him, so he is able to accept his death as his final responsibility (Andrews 512). After the death of Gertrude, Laertes, and Ophelia, he concludes that he has no ultimate victory. As a result, his closing reflections commemorate death’s supremacy. Hamlet’s last words attempt to finalize his prestige in the kingdom, yet he realizes his impending death. Finally, Hamlet reaches ultimate inner enlightenment through his fatality (Detmold