Macbeth-A Tragic Hero

A detailed Summary of Macbeth-A Tragic Hero


To be classified as a tragic hero, the character would have to be some kind of person of importance and possess the qualities of a genuinely good, courageous person. The character would be someone whom we admire and wish to succeed. This character seems to be almost guaranteed to succeed and have things go his/her way except they contain one major and undeniable fault in their character or personality; they possess a tragic flaw which continually sets the character back and further thrusts him/her towards their impending demise. Thus is exactly the case with Macbeth.

Macbeth in the beginning of the play is one of the nobles of Scotland. He holds the title of the Thane of Glamis. He is an admired general and has just defeated Scotland's enemies and is now a hero of Scotland. He does not realize also that he is soon to be rewarded with the title of Thane of Cawdor which was stripped of the traitorous former thane. Macbeth is now a hero of the land who now holds two prestigious titles and is a prime candidate for the heir t


A prosperous gentleman; and to be king

Stands not within the prospect of belief,

For in my way it lies." (1.4. 48-50)

The last piece of the puzzle to Macbeth's tragic flaw is perhaps Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth finds out about Macbeth's interlude with the witches and how he was prophesized to become king. She immediately decides that no matter what, becoming king is Macbeth's imminent destiny. She realizes though that Macbeth is perhaps too kind to take the necessary steps needed to attain his aspiritions. "Yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o' the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way." (1.5. 15-17) Lady Macbeth is the one who convinces Macbeth to push aside all feelings of regret or remorse and to stop at nothing until their goals are realized. Because of the deadly combination of Macbeth's driving ambition and his possibly even more ambitious wife, he follows through with his plans and kills Duncan while in the confines of Macbeth's own home. There is now no hope for Macbeth,

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Approximate Word count = 698
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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