Macbeth-Tragic Hero Essay, Research Paper

The most recent meaning of the word Tragic Hero as defined by Microsoft Works

dictionary is “A hero of noble stature whose fortunes are reversed as a result of weakness.”

Many characters in the play were affected by tragedy for a number of reasons, but without

argue, Macbeth and his reverse of fortunes are due to his own actions, and the rest of the cast

were merely victims of this. Macbeth’s action’s lead to his very nemises. From the beginning of

the play this tragedy of his was manifested through forces beyond human; the supernatural if you

will. These forces were that of the witches. The next factor in determining his fate was his own

decision’s and action’s. Lady Macbeth is the second reason for Macbeth’s tragedy; without her

support in aiding his decision, Macbeth would have never had the strength to lie, scheme, and

destroy to such extremes. The last, and most devastating to Macbeth, was his cripled conscious

which made him act out of selfeshness and lust. The sequence of these factors were most

defenitely provoked by the evilness and twisted nature of the witches, for if it weren’t for their

influence, then Macbeth would have never turned his desires into reality.

At the very beginning of the play Macbeth is nothing but a general fighting for his country.

His fellow fighter’s admire Macbeth, for in their eyes, and even in the eyes of the highest of

authority, his nobility and couragousness is looked up to. His success for his acheivement is

rewarded, and his confidence is made stronger because of this. But this is only the beginning, and

soon these good fortunes will come to a tragic end. The audience is then introduced to a group of

witches. Three witches who appear as wicked and repulsive. They seem to signify all that is

wrong and corrupt. Macbeth’s over-confident attitude is the first characteristic the witches

detect, and they take advantage of this trait to make his life as miserable as they possibly can. He

encounters the witches in Act1, scene1, and from this point he is now a step closer to realising

what his future holds… so he thinks. The witches first address Macbeth as king, and Banguo as

one

“Lesser than Macbeth.”(1.2.65) Infact, Macbeth isn’t king, never the less, the witches

insist in prophecising that he is and will be. The witches are already planting seeds of

persuation into his head which are made to bloom into tragedy. These destructive and

manipulative forces the witches have power over alter his viewpoints about his values and morals

beyond the point of no return. Already, it is a tragedy in itself that Macbeth’s invulnarability lead

him to believing such evilness.

Macbeth may have listened and considered what may be true about the witch’s

prophecie’s, but he should be credited with the fact that he did have doubt. It is true that

Macbeth thought about what he had to do in order to ever become king, and he could never

imagined himself going as far as killing king Duncan: “Why, if fate will have me king, fate may

crown me.”(1.7.14) In other words, he hasn’t established his decision yet.

But now we are introduced to Lady Macbeth. She is very pleased to hear of Macbeth’s

victory and she is very supportive once he’s successfully considered thane of Cawdor. She sees

the horizon for her husband is now broader, and she wants only the best for him. Macbeth tells

her what the witches see in his future, and this gives her scope

to an even grander possibilty; they can kill the king and make the vision actuality. So at this point

it is Lady Macbeth’s to encourage Macbeth into following his dreams, despite what is right or

wrong. She doesn’t allow Macbeth to be coward and she makes it very clear to him that he lacks

manhood:

What beast was’t then/ That made you break this enterprise to me?/ When you durst do

it, then you were a man;/ And, to be more than what you were, you would Be so much

more the man. Nor time nore place Did then adhere, and yet you would make both;/They

have made themselves, and that their fitness now/ Does unmake you. I have given suck, and

konw How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me:/ I would, while it was smiling in my

face,/ Have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums,/ And dash’d the brains out, had I so

sworn as you/ Have done to this.(1.7.48-59)

Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to follow through with the killing of King Duncan. She’s now

the second persuasive factor which aids Macbeth into the tragic demise which is soon to come.

Now it is up to Macbeth to analyze his thoughts and decide his fate.

He great “hero of noble stature”, Macbeth, chose the wrong path for himself; he chose to

follow his greed as well the depraved influences around him. These components lead to his killing

the king, killing innocent people like women and children, which is cruel in itself, the loss of his

morals and sanity, the lose of love for his wife, and at the end of the play, the loss of his very life.

All that he worked for was “reversed as a result of his weakness”, as defined by the word tragic

hero. His conversion from bad to good ultimately affected his fortunes.