Many people are affected by his downfall, which is in accordance with the definition of a tragic hero. One of these people is King Duncan who was murdered. Macbeth feels guilty about killing him and says, ‘Macbeth does murther sleep’ (2.2). Therefore this defines him as a tragic hero because he affected many people; unfortunately King Duncan happened to be one of them. Banquo has a suspicion that something is not right. He thinks ‘King, Cawdor, Glamis all’ (3.1). Banquo thinks it is strange how Macbeth has gone from being a general to being king quickly and, how Macbeth is acting towards the whole situation. In a mental way, he has affected Banquo. However, because of Banquo’s suspicion, Macbeth has Banquo killed. Macduff’s wife and son are killed because they are a treat to Macbeth. When the o is killed, he says, ‘He has killed me, mother’ (4.2). Macduff is wanted to be killed but is not in the room at the time so he is not killed. Macduff’s wife and son are affected because they are killed and Macduff is affected mentally because his wife and son have been killed. Lady Macbeth is affected. A gentlewoman believes she is, ‘not so sick my Lord’ (5.1). However, Mcbeth plays with her mind so much that she eventually commits suicide. This again, is part of the definition of a tragic hero. Scotland is affected by Macbeth’s tyrannous rule. Ross thinks, ‘Alas poor country almost afraid to know itself’ (4.3). He has not just affected people close to him but a whole country full of innocent people.
Macbeth also has certain virtues, which make him a tragic hero since they are unfortunately wasted as his ambitions take over. Macbeth is brave. The king describes him as ‘brave Macbeth’ (1.2). This shows that many people think highly of him. The King respects him. The king tells Macbeth, ‘Signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine on all deservers’ (1.4). King Duncan is telling Macbeth that he deserves everything that he has achieved. His wife acknowledges his good nature and is warned how this will prevent him from becoming King. She thinks:
‘Yet do I fear thy nature:
It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way’ (1.5).
Lady Macbeth knows that the natural qualities that Macbeth inherited from his mother, of behaving like a decent human being are going to stop him from killing people to become king. This suggests that he is compassionate. She says he is ambitious but, ‘without the illness (the badness)’ that should accompany ambition. Although, this is a contrast to the picture of the bloody and ferocious warrior of whom we hale been told in Act one, Scene two, yet it may still be true. Macbeth actually decides against the murder but is persuaded by his wife. She tells him, ‘Thus thou must do, if thou have it’ (1.5). This suggests that Macbeth, at this point, will do anything for is wife because she tells him what to do, then he gets on and does it. She makes excuses for him, which show she wants him to do it and nags constantly.
However, these virtues fade as his evil ambition takes over. He starts scheming against people. Macbeth thinks to himself:
‘Stars hide your fires!
Let not light see my black and deep desires;
The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.’ (1.4).
This tells us that Macbeth does not want to know what he is doing but he needs to do it to get to where he wants to get too. The quote means that he wants to keep his eyes shut and not see what his hand is dong but let it be something which, when done, the eye will fear to look at. Macbeth becomes murderous. Macbeth tells his wife, ‘scorpions is in my mind’ (3.2). Scorpions do not look dangerous from the front but as soon as you see the tail, things become very dangerous and life threatening. This relates to Macbeth having scorpions in his mind because he knows that other people, like the King, are only seeing the front side of him, rather than the tail. Macbeth becomes a reckless leader. He tells attendants, ‘bring me no more reports: let them fly all’ (5.2). This tells us that Macbeth did not care that the opposition was about to attack him because he thought he knew that they could no hurt in any way. This shows he is a reckless leader because he only thought for himself rather than other people. Macbeth looses the respect of his men. Angus says, ‘Those he commands move only in command’ (5.2) This suggests that his men will only do what Macbeth tells them to do because it is their job, rather than doing things for love because they respect him. He becomes cold towards his wife, who is ill. When he asks the doctor how she is, he says, ‘how does your patient doctor?’ (5.3). He refers to her as just another patient, rather than his wife and loved one. He changed his attitude towards her when his ambitions of being king and ruling Scotland take over. His potential was wasted.
Tragic heroes contain a flaw in their personality and although Macbeth did have certain good qualities at the beginning, his personality was flawed and it was this that led to his destruction. Macbeth is too ambitious. When he hears the Prince of Cumberland is the next inline to be King, Macbeth aggressively dismisses the problem and begins to plot how he will remove the obstacle. He says:
‘The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o’er leap
For in my way it lies’ (1.4).
This tells us that Macbeth is ambitious because he will do anything to get to where he wants be and, eventually his ambition took over his pride and became too ambitious. Macbeth became too easily manipulated by his wife. When Macbeth regrets killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth says, ‘when you durst do it, then you were a man’ (1.7). It means that when he said he was going to kill him, then, he was a man. Lady Macbeth, in a way, made Macbeth the killer that he was because she convinced him to do things that he was not all that keen on doing.
Throughout the play Macbeth clearly suffers and, this reveals essential truths about humanity. He was tormented by guilt. He thinks that he will never sleep again. Macbeth tells his wife, after the murder, he, ‘shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more!’ (2.2). He felt so guilty about the murder, that it kept playing with his mind so much that he would never have slept, which is a truth about humanity. Macbeth sees Banquo dead at the feast. He says to the ghost:
‘Avaunt! And quit my sight! Let the Earth hide thee!
Thy bones are marrow less, thy blood is cold.’ (3.4).
This shows that Macbeth fells terrible and responsible for Banquo’s death and can get him out of his head. Macbeth is trapped by his actions. He says, ‘I am blood stepp’d in so far that I can wade no more.’ (3.4). Macbeth is stuck in a pool of blood, which represents his actions. He cannot get out of the pool, which represents the fact that he cannot turn back or do anything about his actions. Macbeth is numbed by murder and his wife’s suicide. He says:
‘Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hair above the stage,
And then is heard no more.’ (5.5)
He is making a deliberate decision to commit himself to evil. He has full knowledge of what he is doing. Is this because he can see that there is no way back and people will not forgive him? Or, is it because he has become so hardened that he can now think of only himself?
In conclusion, Macbeth is defiantly a tragic hero and his downfall and destruction teach us important lessons about life.