Macbeth Hero Essay, Research Paper

The character of Macbeth is a example of a tragic hero. There are many factors

which contribute to the deterioration of Macbeth of which three will be

discussed. The three points which contribute greatly to Macbeth’s deterioration

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

deterioates from a noble man to violent individual. The prophecies which were

told by the witches were one of the factors which contributed to the

deterioration 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. The influence of

Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth also contributed to his deterioration 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

important role in this play because she provided a scheme which caused Macbeth

to assassinate King Duncan. After Macbeth had killed King Duncan, he later

regrets on his wrong doing. At the point of this play the audience can note the

change in Macbeth’s character. Macbeth’s first murder was a trying experience

for him, however after the first murder, killing seemed to be the only solution

to maintain his reign of the people of Scotland. Therefore, it was Lady Macbeth

who introduced the concept of murder to Macbeth. Macbeth’s ambition also

influenced his declining character. However, Macbeth’s ambition had not been

strong enough to carry the motive to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s influence

also comes in to play because if not for Lady Macbeth, his ambition would not

have been intensified enough to drive him to obtain and maintain his title of

King of Scotland no matter what it took, even if it meant murdering. Macbeth’s

ambition influenced the cause of his new character. This new character of

Macbeth contained greed, violence, and power hunger. Macbeth shows this when he

kills King Duncan. In conclusion, the prophecies given to him by the witches,

Lady Macbeth’s influence and plan, and his intensified ambition, all contributed

greatly to his deterioration of character which resulted to his

downfall…death. Therefore Macbeth character displays strong signs of a tragic

hero, making him the ideal classic example.