The character of Macbeth in Shakespearean Tragedy : To what extent is Macbeth a Tragic Hero ?
In William Shakespeare’s tragedy , Macbeth struggles with an internal conflict that greatly impacts how the play unfolds and conveys a message within the work . In fact , this conflict originates from the prophecies of the witches and later becomes worse through the sly trickery of Lady Macbeth . Macbeth’s character is viewed from different perspectives , yet a reader will realize that the play actually charts Macbeth’s fall from heroism into villainy .
Julian Markels argues :” It is one of the few masterpieces in English whose protagonist grows in depravity without diminishing our pity for him “.
Macbeth’s blind ambition along with the provoking of his wife led him to take a bloody path to the throne . He indeed suffers from a tragic flow multiply in his character . The most notable being his “ Vaulting ambition “ and his impressionability after he was told by the witches about his shining future of nobility :” All hail , Macbeth ! That shall be king hereafter “ ! (Aside to Banquo)” Do you not hope your children shall be kings “(Act 1 , scene 3 ) . The witches ‘ prphecy raise Macbeth’s hope and Macbeth’s expression points out his ambition on the crown . Death attributes Macbeth’s name as a murder or villain in hope of protecting himself and his kingship . His blind ambition rules him as a tyrant rather than a noble king and even it blinds him from forming his own thoughts ,instead of listening to Lady Macbeth and the witches’ predictions . Dramatically his noble nature seems to fade . The nature of suffering and death of the hero in a Shakespearan tragedy is peculiar . In fact , the tragic hero is usually an honest person “indifferent honest” in Hamlet’s words , though he may have some defects ; great defects as the case of King Lear .
Aristotle called the protagonist’s weakness the tragic flaw because , he believed this flaw was the cause of the hero’s fall . In Shakespearan tragedy the tragic hero sometimes plays an active role in the event that follow , while at other times he does not . For instance , Lear divides his kingdom and disinherits the daughter who really loves him , and Richard II banishes Mowbary his supporter . Similarly Macbeth is coerced into acting by Lady Macbeth , though he had previously stated : “If chance will have me king , why chance may come me /without stir “ (Act 1 , scene 3) .
Macbeth actually had made for himself his downfall power inescapable destiny with the bloody path . His bloody action ended up with fear for his own life , especially his kingship as many in Scotland hope for a revenge . Yet the attack of Mucduff’s army on Macbeth’s castle demonstrates Macbeth’s downfall and the end of his kingship . Dramatically his true fate came during his battle with Mucduff , notably when Mucduff reveals that Macbeth was “not of woman born rather he was ripped from his mother’s womb”. That moment marks Macbeth vulnerability and the end of a crowned king . His blind ambition marked his tragic downfall and death , in which par excellence fits every characteristic of Shakespearean tragic hero .
Macbeth is initially inaugurated as a heroic man of virtuous doings , but his whole approach completely changes because of the murders he commits . His major character flaws show traces of fear and insecurity combined with his disproportionate over ambition . All of this is then motivated by his wife who foolishly administers not only to Macbeth’s demise , but also her own . Superstiton and prophecy are the elements , which bestow the misfortune . This convincing contentions make Macbeth a classic example of a tragic hero .
Cyrine Zaibi
