Tragic Heroes: The Similarities Between Macbeth And Chris Kyle

Tragic heroes are seen throughout history and literature. Some are good, others are not, yet they all share similar traits. In William Shakespeare’s, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, written in the late 1600s and set in Scotland, Macbeth begins as the celebrated Thane of Glamis who is rising to power as a result of his valor in battle. Chris Kyle, a former Navy SEAL, enlisted in the Navy at age 24 and worked his way to becoming “the Legend” among his peers, (Klein). He gained legend status for his role as a sniper with more than 160 confirmed kills (Klein). Focusing on the similarities between Macbeth and Chris Kyle reveals that power leads people in different directions. Some work for the good of the people while others head towards corruption for personal gain. Macbeth and Chris Kyle both exhibit similar traits such as bravery and ambition, but major differences appear with the way these two handle the power given to them. Before Macbeth became corrupted, he showed great valor on the battlefield as did Chris Kyle. At the beginning of the play “find a quote”. …show more content…
Macbeth was killed by Macduff, who had teamed up with Malcolm to bring him down. Macduff killed him partly out of revenge as Macbeth killed his wife and children. When Macbeth was killed it shifted the dynamic of the kingdom once again. Even if he stopped killing, Macbeth could not have successfully been King due to his mental state. Whereas Macbeth’s death was as a result to his horrific actions, Chris Kyle’s death was due to him once again trying to do good for others. He was shot and killed by Eddie Ray Ruth, a former Marine suffering from PTSD (Klein). Kyle and his friend, Chad Littlefield, took Ruth to a gun range to practice shooting at targets (Klein). Chris Kyle’s death was not a benefit for society the way Macbeth’s was, he was not killed out of anger or