Do you consider Macbeth a tragic hero?

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Cassie Flowers

Do you consider Macbeth a tragic hero?

In his play, "Macbeth" Shakespeare casts the main character, Macbeth as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a person of high or noble birth, who is virtuous but not overly just, and through some tragic flaw brings about their own destruction and gains wisdom through suffering. Macbeth is a tragic hero because through his life he makes choices and decisions that consequently shape his future. When Macbeth makes the wrong choice, after being convinced by his wife to kill Duncan, he immediately influences the outcome of his life. Macbeth does not realise the significance of the choices he makes, and later comes to realise how much they really mean.

In the beginning the audience sees Macbeth as a hero, fighting for his king and country. It comes as a shock when Macbeth goes against all that he believes in and slays the king. The audience feels that the fall of Macbeth is a terrible waste of human greatness and bravery.

When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth about the history of Scotland. King James I had recently come to the throne and had a great interest in the theatre. He became the protector of Shakespeare's theatre company. Shakespeare's play was very much shaped by James I and his situation. James I had a say in the content of the would need to approve the context of the play that should include the fact that someone who killed the king and went against his country would be eventually slain himself, also during the time that the play was being written Guy Fawkes' plot against King James had come to light. Maybe Macbeth was written as a threat to any other men who were planning on trying to kill James I. The play imposes that anyone who tries to kill the legal and god given king will die himself.

James I was also fascinated by witchcraft. He was completely against witches, so in the play they were portrayed as evil and ugly. Shakespeare had to show that a mixture of English and Scotsmen defeated Macbeth and also that Banquo, who descended from James I was completely unselfish.

When the audience meet Macbeth he is viewed as a brave and courageous soldier. He is fighting for his king and country and putting his life on the line to protect them. Because of this the audience can look at Macbeth as a hero, as he is definitely regarded upon as being one by the other characters in the play at the start, "For brave Macbeth Well he deserves that name" The metaphor describing Macbeth's fighting ability, "As canons overcharges" shows that Macbeth is still prepared to fight on, no matter what the enemy imposes. He is a mature man of definitely established character, successful and enjoying an enviable reputation. The audience sees him at the height of his power and therefore gain a positive opinion of him. Even though the witches have implied some tampering with nature, the glorious deeds outshine.

At the end of the play we see that Macbeth is still determined to fight and stay brave and courageous. "Why should I play the Roman fool and die / On mine own sword?" Macbeth becomes strong again at towards the end of the play, and not as afraid as he was mid-play. Even though Macbeth has not lost his bravery, the self-confidence he displays is quite unreasonable.
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In the first acts of the play Macbeth definitely displays the characteristics of a hero. He is brave and prepared to kill for his beliefs, king and country. He would have developed into a greater person if he had not killed the king, but he was driven to it by ambition and his wife's power and eventually lost control.

The three witches' prophecies, his wife Lady Macbeth and the apparitions shown to him, influenced Macbeth's downfall.

In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is approached by three witches. The witches accost him with the titles ...

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