Dakota Czlapinski Mr
Dakota Czlapinski
Mr. Sherman
British Literature
1 May 2018
Macbeth: A Tragic Hero Or A Monster
The story of Macbeth shows Macbeth at his finest, and shows him at his lowest. Many readers see Macbeth as a monster for his actions after hearing what his future will look from the three witches. Macbeth takes part in ending the lives of people in his path to become and sustain his role as king. Too the few that see his nobility, Macbeth can be seen as a tragic hero who was persuaded by his power hungry wife to commit murder so he could become king. Macbeth is then consumed by his inner turmoil, that he orders the murder of people he feels could be a treat to his crown. So is Macbeth a tragic hero or just a monster?
Macbeth might not be seen as a tragic hero to most readers, but Macbeth has the qualities of a tragic hero. Macbeth has the three main qualities of a tragic hero: nobility, tragic flaw, and tragic realization. Macbeth committed many villainous acts while king but he still can be seen as a tragic hero.
Macbeth was a very noble man he was the Thane of Cawdor and the Thane of Glamis. He was named the Thane by King Duncan, who refers to Macbeth as Noble Macbeth. So Macbeth was seen as a very noble man by King Duncan. Macbeth shows his nobility and loyalty, when he visits the witches and he hears their prophecies for him. The witches says that Macbeth will: become Thane of Cawdor, and that Macbeth will become king. The witches told Banquo that he would be the father of many kings. Macbeth first rejects the idea, which shows his loyalty. He shows his loyalty again when Lady Macbeth suggests that Macbeth murders King Duncan to become king. Macbeth shows that he does not want to kill Duncan,
Macbeth gives four reasons why he should not kill Duncan: Duncan is king and Macbeth is just a subject, Macbeth and Duncan are related, Duncan is a good king and has done nothing wrong to deserve to be murdered, and Macbeth does not want people to think that the way to become king is to kill anybody that is in your way. Macbeth also tells Lady Macbeth that he is contempt with his new title as Thane of Cawdor.
The tragic flaw is the another part of the tragic hero. Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his ambition that causes him to commit the murder of King Duncan, and the murder of people he felt would oppose him. He is a very noble person who is manipulated by Lady Macbeth to kill Duncan to gain the crown. Macbeth shows his loyalty when he first denies the plan, but then joins it after Lady Macbeth questions his manhood.
After Macbeth becomes king his mental turmoil starts to get the best of him. He starts to become paranoid, and believes that he has to eliminate anybody who is a threat to his crown. Macbeth has his best friend murdered after the witches tell him that Banquo’s descendants will become king. Macbeth also has Macduff’s wife and child killed after the witches told him that he needed to be beware of Macduff. Macbeth’s greatest flaw was his confidence, The witches showed him three prophecies: Beware of Macduff, No man born of a woman will ever harm Macbeth, and that Macbeth will not be defeated until the birnamwood forest moved toward his house. These three prophecies had Macbeth believing that he would never be killed or lose his crown, which ultimately ended in his death.
The third and final part of a tragic hero is the tragic realization. Macbeth has tragic realization after he kills Duncan. After he kills Duncan he instantly starts to regret his decision. He starts to feel ashamed by saying things like he could not say amen.
But wherefore could not I pronounce “Amen”? I had most need of blessing, and “Amen” Stuck in my throat. Shakespeare(2.2.31-33)
Macbeth started to show his regret moments after killing Duncan, he knew that he had just murder his king only for his own personal gain. The murder of King Duncan takes a great toll on Macbeth’s mental stability.
Macbeth is seen in many eyes as a monster who went paranoid and killed anybody who he thought was a threat to his throne. Macbeth started his villainous ways when King Duncan names Malcolm his son heir to his throne. Macbeth was mad at this decision because he felt that he should have been the heir to Duncan’s throne. That is when he first started to think of killing Duncan. The plan started to unfold when Lady Macbeth told him to kill Duncan, Macbeth could have told her that he did not want to murder Duncan at any time, but he went through with their plan. His actions got even worse
https://study.com/academy/lesson/is-macbeth-a-tragic-hero.html
https://macbethdelta2.weebly.com/macbeth-as-a-tragic-hero.html
