In your opinion, can Macbeth be described as a tragic hero? You should refer closely to the play and the tradition of tragic hero's in literature

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7th March 2004                                                                                 Rebecca Reynolds

In your opinion, can Macbeth be described as a tragic hero? You should refer closely to the play and the tradition of tragic hero’s in literature

Tragedy originated in the Elizabethan period as a form of entertainment. However, many writers went against the rules of classic tragedy, so a number of tragedies written at this time show many variations.

A tragedy usually has certain ingredients. For example it is a play that ends with the death of a central character and is a play that deals with universal and serious themes. Also, it is a play, which signals the audience that the final outcome is inevitable.

A hero is usually the central character and a character with admirable qualities. Also, a hero can be a person with whom the audience can identify who is human and is a person who influences others and has power.

To declare whether Macbeth is a tragic hero we must firstly define one. A tragic hero must be a hero whose status means that his downfall will be significant affecting many people. He/she must be a hero whose suffering reveals essentials truths about humanity and a hero whose greatness of character and talent are tragically wasted through circumstance. Also, a hero whose personality, contain a tragic flow: a fatal weakness that leads to destruction.

At the beginning of he play Macbeth has considerable status and this increases making his eventual downfall significant. In act one, scene two; the general tells him that he is a fantastic fighter. Ross refers to him as ‘Bellona’s bridegroom’ (1.2). This means that Ross thinks that he is a good enough fighter to marry a Roman goddess. His reputation is high at this point of the play and many people look up at him, which can be part of he definition of a hero. His reputation with the King becomes so high that he makes Macbeth the Thane of Cawdor and eventually becomes the king of Scotland.

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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 ...

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