Macbeth as a Tragic Hero in William Shakespeares Play Essay

Macbeth as a Tragic Hero in William Shakespeares Play The play ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare charts the rise and fall of the Scottish general Macbeth, through a tale of treachery, deceit and death. First performed in 1606 ‘Macbeth’ is inspired by a story of the Scottish monarchy. A tragic hero is one who at the outset is not wholly good or bad but has a character fault that causes them to make tragic mistakes resulting in their eventual downfall. ‘Macbeth’ is a renaissance tragedy and we can see that Macbeth’s decisions to move away from war hero to noble aggressor as an example of him being an archetypal renaissance tragic hero. We can define ‘Macbeth’ as a renaissance tragedy because Macbeth†¦show more content†¦The difference between kingship and tyranny is highlighted in this play from the outset. King Duncan is a virtuous king who always puts the needs of his subjects before the needs of himself, whereas Macbeth as King is solely concerned with his own needs. The three main causes of tragedy as identified by Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, are all contained within ‘Macbeth’. The first of these causes is revenge, which is shown by MacDuff as he sets out on a quest to avenge the murder of his kinsman Duncan. Secondly, a fall from greatness or De Casibus is clearly shown by Lady Macbeth, who at the start of the play is possibly the strongest character but throughout the course of the play degenerates into madness resulting in her suicide. Finally and most importantly of all ambition is clearly shown as the driving force behind the murders of Duncan and Banquo. By exploring revenge, De Casibus and ambition Shakespeare transforms ‘Macbeth’ from a historical play into a tragedy. The tragedies of William Shakespeare often include a tragic hero. A tragic hero is one who brings about his own ruin and the ruin of those he loves. The tragic hero is not necessarily evil; he is simply human and has human flaws. Often there is a fatal flaw which leads to his downfall. 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