...The downfall of a central character is common in a Shakespearean tragedy. Examine how Macbeth’s actions led to his own downfall. Macbeth is a play that adheres to a typical Elizabethan tragedy, which follows the journey of a noble protagonist, who is flawed in some way, placed in a demanding situation, ending with a fatal conclusion. On the same note, hamartia and hubris qualities deem Macbeth himself to be the ultimate tragic hero, flawed with erupting ambition. Macbeth is an ever evolving character who loses his nobility to acts of murder. ‘The higher you are the harder you fall’ governs Macbeth his fall is a result of his own actions. Paradoxical themes of Ambition Vs. Power, Appearance Vs. Reality and Fate vs. Free Will, dictate the future and irrational decisions made by the tragic hero. It is evident that through Macbeth’s murderous actions, in Act 2 Scene 1, Act 3 Scene 4 and Act 5 Scene 8 that he finds it hard to restrain himself, causing him to escape his moral compass. Macbeth’s insanity manifests his downfall which is plagued by his love for Lady Macbeth, his belief in the prophecy, fate and ultimately his tragic flaw of ambition. Undoubtedly, Macbeth’s own actions lead to psychological torment and the degradation of his moral sensibilities. In Act 2 Scene 1, Macbeth’s soliloquy reveals his true thoughts and feelings to the audience. Antithesis is used at the commencement and conclusion of this monologue to emphasise the idea of contrast...
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...Rough copy In life even a hero can lead his life into a downfall. A tragic hero must experience both a tragic and heroic life. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the titular of the play is a great example of a tragic hero. Firstly, Macbeth is already of high status from the beginning of the play, and is brave in battle to win the war for Scotland; surely this makes him a hero. Next Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his, that is a desire for power and to be king. These flaws play an important role in the outcome of his life. Finally Macbeth’s obsession with the prophecies, and the murders he commits mainly leads to his downfall or periopetria. Although, a hero usually lives a triumphant life their personality can lead to their downfall and death. Too start off with Macbeth’s bravery and courage won the day for Scotland in defeating Norway and Macdonowald. First, brave and loyal Macbeth storms through the battle with Banquo defeating Sweno, in an insane fight for which his, “brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution.” Macbeth fought so courageously that the battle “ memorized another Golgotha.” In this case Macbeth is definitely a hero. Second, in the beginning of Act 1 scene 2 Duncan is in Awe of how valiant and noble of a soldier Macbeth is. “ O valiant cousin! Worthy gentlemen.” Even though Macbeth is Duncan’s cousin he is till filed with absolute joy about Macbeths accomplishment. Third, the king promotes Macbeth to thane of Cawdor. “ And with this former title greet Macbeth.” As...
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...is a classic example of a tragic hero by Aristotle’s standards, in that all five of the established tragic traits are applicable to Macbeth’s character (a noble birth, Hamartia, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, and Catharsis). The narrative of Macbeth follows the timeless trajectory of a tragedy; Macbeth comes from a place of serendipity, and over the course of events, finds himself plummeting into defeat as a character. Through critical analysis of Macbeth’s core traits compared to the core traits of a tragedy, it becomes apparent Macbeth is ultimately responsible for his tragedy and his downfall as an individual, because it was his own hubris which drove him to bring about the prophecy he heard. To acknowledge this fully, one must first simply observe both the actions of Macbeth and the core elements crucial to a tragic hero, as according to Aristotle for the sake of consistency in a historical theme of narrative. Aristotle’s traits of a tragic hero are as follows: a noble birth, Hamartia, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, and Catharsis. To begin with, the first element of a tragedy we are faced with in Macbeth is of being of a noble...
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...For a story to be considered a tragedy, the protagonist has to experience a big loss, or in other words a downfall. William Shakespeare, who masters in writing tragedies, portrays the tragedy of a hero in the play Macbeth written in 1606. It is set in Scotland during its medieval times, where the main protagonist Macbeth is a person of nobility being known to be: Scotland’s greatest warrior, the Thane of Glamis, as well as the first cousin to King Duncan. His impending tragedy starts from the moment he is given prophecies by the three witches. Lady Macbeth who is Macbeth’s wife gives the push that drives him into killing King Duncan for the throne. Unknowingly lady Macbeth guides Macbeth towards his downfall, as the action of murdering Duncan...
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...heroes stories often end tragically. Most people believe that the hero’s actions are continuously done for good however, some believe that the heros lose sight of why they do what they do and end up leading themselves to their own downfall. For example, the well known tale of William Shakespeare's, the name never...
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...Oh bby please English Dec 14, 2014 Tragic Hero Rough Draft A tragic hero is usually a person of high esteem or social ranking cursed with a flaw or obsession that will eventually lead to their demise. Macbeth is a tragic hero. "What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath won"(1.2.70). This shows that Macbeth becomes the new Thane of Cawdor, just like the witches had told him. As Macbeth starts to believe the prophecies of the witches that he will be the Thane of Cawdor, Glamis, and the King, he starts to want it even more. He has the ambition to do what he wants. " Stars, hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires"(1.4.50-51). This great ambition will turn into the flaw that hurtles Macbeth to his demise. Outside forces contribute to Macbeth's downfall. "Speak" "Demand" "We'll answer" (4.1.63-65). Macbeth is asking the witches for more prophecies. The tragic hero is generally a person of importance in society."He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor"(1.3.104-105). Macbeth has been given the title "Thane of Cawdor". Macbeth's ambition also influenced his declining character. Lady Macbeth convinced him that murder is the easiest way to fulfill his ambition to become king. Macbeth agrees although he is scared that his nerve will fail."If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well/It were done quickly(1.7.1-2)". Ambition is also seen in act one. "We fail? But screw your courage to the striking place, find we'll not fail."(1.7.59-61). Lady Macbeth...
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...Macbeth’s portrayal of the tragic downfall of a king through his ambition, greed and weakness has allowed it to resonate with contemporary audiences. Macbeth’s human flaws paint him as a tragic hero – he is not intrinsically ‘evil’, but his consuming ambition, the desire and greed he possesses and his weakness and inability to resist his wife’s and the witches’ temptations ultimately lead to his downfall. These three flaws are inseparable from our human nature, and they are indeed still relevant and relatable in our society today. Macbeth’s ambition is his one great flaw that leads to his ruin. Ambition is a quality that we all exhibit. However, Macbeth’s ambition consumes him, and overwhelms his moral sense, his noble character. Initially, he is presented to the audience as a brave soldier, “like Valour’s minion,” having defeated an entire army. He is respected and admired by all, including King Duncan, who promotes him to Thane of Cawdor. By the end of the play, however, he has become a moral-less tyrant. His ultimate fall from grace lies in his ambition, his desire to become King at any cost. His image at the end of the play, a senseless, paranoid, murderer is sharply juxtaposed with his portrayal as a valiant solider initially. It is this juxtaposition of a noble hero and a ruined tyrant that invokes ‘a catharsis of pity and fear’, as described by Aristotle, in the audience, and that still allows contemporary audiences today to relate and respond. The three weird sisters...
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...aspects of tragic heroes and downfalls. Overall, the protagonist Lord Macbeth displays the greatest characteristics of a tragic hero because of his large and prominent downfall. Macbeth showed all of the tragic hero characteristics which include: goodness, superiority, tragic flaw, and self realization. These characteristics help define who Macbeth is, and who he progresses into as the play advances. The prophecies of the Witches seemed to control Lord Macbeth in the worst way. They took over his decision making and rational thinking forcing him to make dense choices which would eventually result in his downfall. Goodness; the quality of being good, in particular. Some say Lord Macbeth lost of all his morality by the greed of ambition but I very much disagree. Macbeth may have made rash decisions and chose to do wrong but he did all of which with a stable, sane, and understanding mind. “I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think of what I have done. Look on’t again I dare not.” (II ii 65-68). This shows that Lord Macbeth is aware that what he just...
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...Macbeth can be considered a tragic hero because he exhibits most of the defining literary characteristics of a traditional tragic hero. Tragic heroes are typically members of the power class, and Macbeth is no different. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is already the Thane of Glamis (presumably as a reward for earlier performance in combat), and throughout the course of the story he earns the title of Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland. Not only do tragic hero's have a high social standing, but they also tend to show extraordinary personal abilities. In Macbeth's case, this ability is an exceptional prowess in battle, as we learn from a wounded Scottish Captain in Act 1. He and Banquo alledgedly defeated Macdonwald and his Irish army...
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...The Fall of Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is seen as a calculating factor in Macbeth’s life. She is able to manipulate his action, which in turn affects the events in the drama. However, midway through the play, she loses control of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth played as the leader throughout the play. Lady Macbeth was the catalyst that lead Macbeth to do things he couldn’t of done on his own. Macbeth was highly ambitious, but Lady Macbeth was even more so. Without Lady Macbeth, the tragic downfall of Macbeth wouldn’t of happened. To begin, Lady Macbeth uses Macbeth as the stepping stool to the throne. Lady Macbeth wants the power, and she knows Macbeth would do anything for her because he loves her. Lady Macbeth makes it clear that she is the...
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...To what extent is Macbeth responsible for his own downfall? Macbeth is a universal text and is one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, when we talk about Macbeth’s downfall it is both the downfall of the single state of man and the downfall of his wider social relations, these being Lady Macbeth, Duncan, Banquo, Macduff’s family and ultimately Scotland. Aristotle says that ‘tragedy is the imitation of an action’ he is talking about an action or a motive that governs the protagonist’s life. A tragedy is commonly known as a story or play that ends with a negative or unfortunate outcome that was essentially unavoidable, usually caused by a flaw in the central character’s personality. Although it is established that Macbeth is a tragedy, there are differences in audience response to tragedy. The audience of Elizabethan times saw tragedy as the destruction of the Great Chain of Being and the danger to the order and stability of the state. The Great Chain of being is conception of the hierachical order of the universe; Elizabethan audiences believed that a bond linked all things in the universe. They saw Macbeth as a tragedy because the rightful ruler of Scotland was killed which lead to Scotland being lead by an evil King. Contemporary audiences see Macbeth as a tragedy because of the psychological destruction of a man, and the crises caused by this man. Macbeth shows the journey of a tragic hero, Macbeth has the traits of a tragic hero as defined by Aristotle: nobility, hamartia...
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...Macbeth: A Tragic Hero? William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth, attains a protagonist that evidently portrays himself as a tragic hero. A tragic hero is a character that is not completely good or evil and has a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. Macbeth is the epitome of a tragic hero because he starts off as a noble man until his own actions, also influenced by others, bring him to his own death. The events that help take Macbeth to his end are the prophecies told to him by the three witches, Lady Macbeth's pressure that drives him into committing horrible actions, and his own ambition that takes over him and leaves him as nothing but a power and money hungry character. Macbeth starts off with Macbeth and Banquo being praised after battling bravely in a war against the Irish Invaders. “At the beginning of the play, he seems the epitome of a loyal subject, valiantly fighting the rebel forces to protect the king and preserve his power.” (Elaine Pilkington 1) King Duncan believed that Macbeth was tremendously heroic in the battle and decided to name him the new thane of Cawdor after executing the old one because of his betrayal. However, before hearing from the King, Macbeth and Banquo were on their way to the King's court when they were suddenly accompanied by three witches.The witches greet Macbeth as the thane of Glamis, which was his original and only title, and as the thane of Cawdor, which Macbeth was not yet informed of. The witches also tell Macbeth...
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...Macbeth: The Tragic Hero By: Daniel Chekole 2012 Macbeth: The Tragic Hero By: Daniel. C "Any art worthy of its name should address 'life', 'man', 'nature', 'death' and 'tragedy'.” (Barnett Newman, BrainQuote) In a tragedy the main character rises to greatness showing characteristics above normality while repeatedly showing proof to the audience about his or her tragic flaw which later on leads to the character’s downfall. Macbeth created tragedy in the lives of his loved ones and peers as well as a monumental tragic fate onto himself during his reversion from being a decent and moral man to someone similar to a devil who had paranoia and couldn’t differentiate between good and evil. Furthermore, Macbeth became detached from the feelings and thoughts of the people around him as he became so engaged in himself as well as the three witches and their prophecies. When Shakespeare wrote this play he slowed down the process of the tragedy so that the audience would acknowledge and experience Macbeth’s success and happiness; slowing signs appeared with foreshadowing techniques leading to the climax of the play as Macbeth headed to his tragic flaw. In the process of the tragedy Macbeth starts as a brave respected warrior, then later is fooled by the witches with prophecies, and sadly becomes lifeless. In the beginning of the play as we first hear of Macbeth from a wounded captain who...
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...The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a Shakespearean tragic hero. There are many factors which contribute to the degeneration of Macbeth of which three will be discussed. The three points which contribute greatly to Macbeth's degeneration are the prophecy which was told to him by the witches, how Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth's judgment, and finally Macbeth's long time ambition which drove his desire to be king. Macbeth's growing character degenerates from a noble man to violent individual. The prophecies which were told by the witches were one of the factors which contributed to the degeneration of his character. If it had not been for the witches telling him that he was to be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland, Macbeth would still be his ordinary self. As a result of the prophecies, this aroused Macbeth's curiosity of how he could be King of Scotland. As the play progresses, Macbeth slowly relies on the witches prophecies. Shakespeare uses the witches as a remedy for Macbeth's curiosity which corrupts his character. The influence of Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth also contributed to his degeneration of character. Lady Macbeth's character in the beginning reveals that she is a lovable person. When Lady Macbeth was ready to kill King Duncan herself, it showed that Lady Macbeth could not murder King Duncan because he reminded her of her father. This proves that Lady Macbeth has a heart deep inside her. Lady Macbeth plays an...
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...dangerous quality. Ambition is the downfall of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, which triggers the murders that take place in Macbeth. Although, Macbeth’s tragic flaw is ambition, it is the driving force of the play which is influenced by Lady Macbeth and the three witches. Lady Macbeth plays a major role in the downfall of Macbeth. She influenced and convinced Macbeth to commit the murder about Duncan, believing that the power would bring both of them happiness. Lady Macbeth says “Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise thee with the valour of my tongue. (Shakespeare 353)” It is as though Lady Macbeth is Macbeths bad conscious. She remarks, that she will solve his dilemma by poisoning his mind with her evil plan of murdering Duncan. Unlike her husband she is made of sterner stuff and has no moral scruples because she is evil to the core and decides to convince Macbeth to murder the king. This is the first murder victim of Macbeth. After the death of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth commits suicide which it is another breaking point of his down fall. Macbeth’s quest and desire for the power caused him to become a man of no emotions. Macbeth is an easy person to persuade and convince. Since the three witches gave him his prophecies, Macbeth’s character changed gradually over the course of the play. He became obsessed with making sure the prophecies come true as well as having a strong desire for power as king. Macbeth’s emotionless journey has led him...
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