'Trace the downfall of Macbeth from "worthy gentleman" and "noble Macbeth" to "this dead butcher".'

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‘Trace the downfall of Macbeth from “worthy gentleman”

       and “noble Macbeth” to “this dead butcher”.’

In Shakespeare’s tragedy ‘Macbeth’ we the audience see and follow the gradual disintegration of Macbeth’s character. At the beginning of the play Macbeth is seen as a courageous soldier who is loyal to the King but is corrupted by the witches’ prophecies and by his and Lady Macbeth’s ambition. This is because of the fatal flaw of Macbeth’s character and the strong power of Lady Macbeth and how she is easily able to influence him so "This dead butcher and his fiend like queen", is the way in which Malcolm describes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth at the end of the play.

The audience’s perception of the tragic hero is varied and changes from scene to scene: on occasions the audience share a great sympathy with Macbeth and understand the various stages of his downfall, however this shifts throughout the play at various points as his fatal flaw revealed, commanding his actions. The audience’s interpretation varies a great deal, following the rise and fall of this hero. Macbeth is certainly a very complex character and there is a great deal more to him than his fellow characters think. This is revealed in Macbeth’s soliloquies, where his inner and deepest thoughts are unveiled. Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy is one that is typical of, and follows the requirements of the tragedy Greek drama as defined by ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle.

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        Aristotle a great Greek philosopher, defined the nature of a tragedy as a play that ends in the death of the central character, a play which has signalled the final outcome as inevitable. Macbeth is the tragic hero in the play and fits all the characteristics of a tragic hero. He is the tragic hero; a hero whose status means that his downfall will be significant affecting many people. And whose suffering reveals essential truths about humanity, whose greatness of character and talent are tragically wasted through circumstances. Most importantly, he is a hero whose personality contains a tragic flaw, ...

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