Macbeth's Tragic Flaw Essay

What makes a hero a hero? A good definition of an epic hero is from John M. Steadman’s “The Idea of Satan as the Hero of "Paradise Lost"” “The epic hero must demonstrate his heroism through his military strength and skill. Physical fortitude was thus a sine qua non, though it might be combined with other and more amiable qualities: strength of mind as well as body prudence, magnanimity temperance and piety.”(p. 256). One of the first epic heroes written about in British literature is Beowulf.…

Blame is when someone or something is assigned for a wrong committed by another person. People assign blame to feel better about themselves and the mistake they made, using it as an excuse. In the play, Romeo and Juliet, a series of faults are committed by multiple people unwilling to accept the blame, causing a chain of events that lead to the death of a few Capulets and Montagues. Two factors leading to the untimely death of Romeo and Juliet are Capulet’s treatment and the Friar’s…

Is Hamlet Insane? The sanity of the human being is a treasured thing and, by its nature, a vital component of what makes a person. Yet in order to avenge his father’s death Hamlet willingly sacrifices his own sanity, at least in public, so that he may conspire without suspicion. In fact, Hamlet plays the part of an insane man so convincingly, many have claimed that at some point in the play the madness stops being an act and Hamlet truly loses his mind. However, Hamlet shows a clarity of actions…

part in the play is brief and comical at best, and even their deaths are given no worthy development or climax, mentioned only at the end of the play. They play a significant role in the development of other characters as well as in setting a central tragic theme of the play. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern effectively act as foils against Horatio. He plays the role of the good and faithful friend, while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern show false friendship and treachery. Shakespeare uses this…

Who Is To Blame in The Crucible (A Character Analysis of Abigail Williams in The Crucible) Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, once said “Betrayal is the only truth that sticks.” In his play The Crucible, there are many examples of betrayal and mass hysteria in the play and there are many different people who cause each. But, as in each tragedy, there is always one main antagonist. Some would say John Proctor is responsible for all the wrong done in the play. He is to a point, but there…

first introduced, successfully associating them with a negative atmosphere. It is through their prophecies that Macbeth’s lust for the throne is encouraged, consequently leading him to his own demise and destruction of Scotland. The relationship…

The story of Romeo and Juliet can be considered the most known tragic love stories known to humanity. Not only do the two protagonists commit suicide, the causes of why the whole story leading up to their deaths is disputed from around the globe. My opinion is that the ages of the characters, particularly Romeo caused this immense tragedy. His age caused him to develop many flaws, his idea of love, his imaturaty, and his impulsivenes. Romeo's idea of love was way too dramatic. From the first…

Have you heard of fate? Do you believe in fate? Well in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, fate plays an important role in Macbeth’s life. Fate is something that unavoidably befalls a person. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth the witches informs Macbeth of his fate that he will become the king in the future. Macbeth believes the witches words and Lady Macbeth persuade him to become the king and murder all the people that get in the way. Shakespeare shows us that fate is complicated by our actions, Macbeth…

Harold Pinter one of the most prominent and influential British playwright of the second half of the 20th century. His plays are distinguished from all other by their sense of suspense, mystification and ambiguity. Pinter has a specific technique to explore and elicit the mystery of human relationships. Pinter plays are characteristic of minimal plots and limited characters but the dialogues filled with powerful tension. He uses pauses, three dots and silence in his plays. They are the very…

“Male dominance is when a man is the dominant one in a situation or a relationship. A dominant male shows power and authority and is often the leader in a situation.” [1] In this drama, the theme of male dominance is one of the main themes present in the play “A streetcar named Desire” and it is mostly represented using the character of Stanley towards Blanche and her sister. The stage directions play a major role in the play, whereby we learn a lot more about the male dominance of Stanley in…