Shakespeare’s Tragedy Macbeth creates a story that expands on the ideas of Aristotle’s belief of a tragic hero. As Aristotle states, a tragic hero is someone who doesn’t truly become a hero without having flaws that often result in their death or their painful awakening to their character’s mistakes. Shakespeare’s Macbeth introduces Macbeth as the main character as well as the tragic hero during the playwrights acts. Throughout the play, the main character Macbeth undergoes multiple phases of character development that leave many questioning whether Macbeth is truly a tragic hero, or simply an evil villain. Challenges throughout the tragedy, important events further reveals how Macbeth is truly a tragic hero, despite his cruel actions that
…show more content…
During his tenure as King of Scotland, he begins to lose his sanity, as the murders that he has committed begins weigh down on him. When the Witches prophetic apparition warns Macbeth to “Beware Macduff!,” his immediate action is “castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.”(4.1. 171-174) The complete genocide of Macduff’s lineage and those associated with Macduff is a cruel, horrific action that creates friction with him being a tragic hero, as this action establishes Macbeth’s eventual end to the blade of Macduff as morally deserving. During his final confrontation with Macduff, another flaw with Macbeth being a tragic hero appears, as Aristotle states that a tragic hero must discover their fate by their own actions, not of events occurring around him. Told by the witches that Macbeth cannot be harmed by those of woman born, Macduff states to Macbeth to “Despair thy charm, and let the angel whom thou still hast served tell thee Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.” (5.8. 75-78) This contradicts with the Aristotelian tragic hero, as Macbeth had no part in the birth of Macduff, and isn’t responsible for Macduff being born ripped out of …show more content…
Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth symbolizes how far greed can lead someone to fall, with Macbeth going into madness as his sins in his life began to catch up to his reign, while also making Shakespeare’s Macbeth as one of the greatest examples of a tragic
During his tenure as King of Scotland, he begins to lose his sanity, as the murders that he has committed begins weigh down on him. When the Witches prophetic apparition warns Macbeth to “Beware Macduff!,” his immediate action is “castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.”(4.1. 171-174) The complete genocide of Macduff’s lineage and those associated with Macduff is a cruel, horrific action that creates friction with him being a tragic hero, as this action establishes Macbeth’s eventual end to the blade of Macduff as morally deserving. During his final confrontation with Macduff, another flaw with Macbeth being a tragic hero appears, as Aristotle states that a tragic hero must discover their fate by their own actions, not of events occurring around him. Told by the witches that Macbeth cannot be harmed by those of woman born, Macduff states to Macbeth to “Despair thy charm, and let the angel whom thou still hast served tell thee Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.” (5.8. 75-78) This contradicts with the Aristotelian tragic hero, as Macbeth had no part in the birth of Macduff, and isn’t responsible for Macduff being born ripped out of …show more content…
Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth symbolizes how far greed can lead someone to fall, with Macbeth going into madness as his sins in his life began to catch up to his reign, while also making Shakespeare’s Macbeth as one of the greatest examples of a tragic