Was Macbeth a Tragic Hero free essay sample

The Epidemic Of a Tragic Hero Macbeth is a very tragic story. Three witches tell Macbeth that he will become the thane of Cawdor, the thane of glams and will also become the king. Macbeth overcomes and fails throughout this story to try and make these prophesies reality. Macbeth goes through many situations and faces many deaths as he thrives to become leader. A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. Macbeth had courage throughout the play; he was frightened as to what the fight for leader could of done to him. He achieved many things to a certain extent; he passed and failed at times but never gave up. Although Macbeth fails to meet quite a few characteristics of a tragic hero, his most important awareness of his own tragic flaw is what solemnly makes him a tragic hero. At the beginning of this play Macbeth is a substantial Scottish general and thane of Glamis. We will write a custom essay sample on Was Macbeth a Tragic Hero? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Following an important battle three witches tell Macbeth that he will become the Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. When Macbeth is granted Cawdor by the King Duncan, he takes the witches words for veracity and schemes against King Duncan with his wife. The thought of more power sounded astonishing to Macbeth, which triggered his tragic flaws. Macbeth and his wife overcome the task to kill the king and Macbeth becomes King of Scotland. Macbeth then senses threat from a noble friend of his named Banquo. He hires 2 murderers to kill Banquo. He also succeeds in this assignment. Macbeth didn’t think that all this power was enough and desired more so he decided to go back to the three witches. The witches show Macbeth three things; 1) A bloody baby saying â€Å" Beware Macduff† 2) A bloody helmet saying that he cant be killed by anyone born of women 3) A child witch holds a crown and a tree branch saying that he doesn’t need to worry until Birnam woods move to Dunsane. Macbeth didn’t want anyone else to get in his way of fame so he decides to have Macduff (The thane of Fife) and all of his family killed but Macduff had already fled. Macbeth ends up killing Macduffs family while Macduff was away. Through all the pressure and problems that were happening throughout the play, Lady Macbeth commits suicide. After hearing that Macbeth had killed Macduffs family, Macduff and the army head for Macbeths castle and cut down Birnam wood trees to use as cover. After seeing this happen, Macbeth finally realizes what he has done and how all the witches’ prophecies had come true, but he didn’t want to just give up like a coward so he stood up to the fight against Macduff. In the end Macduff who was born by C-section, (which was not considered to be born of a woman) kills Macbeth. Macbeth is clearly a hero because at the very beginning in Act 1 many characters speak of how heroic Macbeth was and how he performed in battle in defense of his kings land. Macbeth is praised for all his courage in the battle, which raises hope of having the crown. Then again, in act 1 we hear from the king how much he admires and happens to appreciate Macbeth. Macbeth is very ambitious and always wants to succeed. Almost immediately after hearing the witches’ prophecies he races to get the job done and decides that he wants to kill the king right away. Macbeth shows his heroic side when he tries to keep Lady Macbeth innocent of the murder crime he committed. He also shows his heroic side in the end when he knows that all the witches’ prophecies had come true and that he was doomed but still took a stand and fought against Macduff. These evidences lead me to the simple conclusion that Macbeth definitely was a tragic hero. He possessed every component that a tragic hero would have. Even though he didn’t have such a hereditary sovereign, he gained it by whatever method necessary. According to Aristotles theory, in order for a character to be a Tragic hero, the character must not be a saint nor a villain, he should Have some virtues, have a tragic flaw, and have hubris. â€Å"Aristotle’s Tragic Term † Ohio. Greek and Roman. New York: Barrons, 1959. ) Macbeth meets all of these requirements, and can therefore be called a tragic hero. â€Å"Macbeth is the doer of great deeds, and the possessor of great power or strength.