Macbeth, is conveyed both as a tragic hero and as an evil tyrant. Discuss

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Macbeth Coursework Essay

Throughout Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth,’ the main character, Macbeth, is conveyed both as a tragic hero and as an evil tyrant. He is a tragic hero, as he falls from grace after being at the top, and suffers with dignity when all have deserted him, especially when the English armies are on the brink of attacking him and he refuses to submit, as he dies fighting or his beliefs.

Initially, in the first few scenes, Macbeth is seen as a hero, fighting for king and country, but soon he meets the evil witches who change him for the worse. The captain tells us of his bravery when he says, ‘NEED THE MACBETH BOOK

When Shakespeare came to write Macbeth, James I had just been crowned King James I of England and was already James VI of Scotland. The King had an interest in theatre and overlooked the contents of the play. He was also fascinated by witchcraft but hi hatred for witches was also well known. In 1590, it was alleged that a group of witches tried to kill and it is believed he got his loathing of witches from this. This is the reason why the witches are portrayed as evil and ugly. At the time, the audience would have been a very superstitious one compared to the present day audience. As most believed that witches existed, they would not have reacted well to them, and probably looked at them as disgusting creatures.

The theme of regicide was suited to James I’s liking. During the King’s reign, the Gunpowder plot by Guy Fawkes had come to light. The King’s escape may have influenced Shakespeare to contain this theme and show that anyone who tried to murder the King and take his divine right away would be killed.

Near the beginning of the play, the Thane of Cawdor is hung for deceiving King Duncan, by working with the invading Norwegians. This was probably included as it mirrored a situation King James was in him. Everard Digby, one of the conspirators who tried to have James killed in the Gunpowder plot, was a favourite of the King, just as the Thane of Cawdor was.

At the time it was also believed that Banquo was an ancestor of the King. Therefore, in order to please the King, Shakespeare did not illustrate Banquo as an accomplice to the murder of Duncan, but placed full responsibility on Macbeth.

When the audience first meets Macbeth in Act 1, Scene 2, they see Macbeth being praised by his fellow colleagues and soldiers. In lines 16 to 18, the Captain says, ‘For brave Macbeth –well he deserves that name--,’ and King Duncan says, ‘O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman.’ This shows that Macbeth is a hero and a brave and courageous soldier.

When Macbeth returns from the battles with the Norwegians, everybody praises him for his huge contributions to the victories. His ego seems to grow and grow when he hears this, and he begins to thrive on all the attention he is receiving. This seems to be the beginning of the end for him, especially when he meets the three weird sisters. The witches chant, ‘…hail to thee, Thane of Glamis/ …hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor/ …that shalt be king hereafter.’ Macbeth seems to be both confused and fascinated by this and is eager to find out more when the witches suddenly vanish. At this point Ross and Angus enter and he seems to brush aside what he has just heard. Soon Macbeth learns from Ross that he is to become the new Thane of Cawdor, from this point forward, Macbeth believes in the witch’s prophecies, and takes them to be the absolute truth.

Although Macbeth believes in the predictions, Banquo seem sot be the more realistic of the two, this confirmed when he says, ‘But ‘tis strange/ …instruments of darkness tell us truths/ …win us with honest trifles, to betray’s/ in deepest consequence. Banquo tells Macbeth that he believes that the witches are cunning and scheming, as they tell truths about little matters but lie about big matters and tell half-truths – equivocations. He does not trust them, where Macbeth on the other hand does. This is the first instance of Macbeth being a tragic hero in the play, as the audience feel that he should not trust the witches because he doesn’t know about them fully yet. But he is oblivious to others’ thoughts and believes that everything the three weird sisters say is the truth, as they correctly predicted he would become the Thane of Cawdor.

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We, as an audience begin to see Macbeth reveal his evil thoughts in his first soliloquy. Macbeth thinks about taking the prophecies into his own hands to become King. However, while he is thinking about this, I still believe that he wouldn’t go as far as to actually turn his thoughts into actions, as he is too afraid. The use of sibilance when he says, ‘Shakes my single state of man,’ shows this. However, at this point he has not told his wife, Lady Macbeth, who is key to his downfall and him actually committing the murder about the ...

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