Before one can fully understand that Macbeth is a deeply tragic character, it must first be established, in brief, what a tragedy is, and that Macbeth is one. Shakespearean drama inherits many of its roots from the Greek drama of many centuries before. Aristotle, the quintessential philosopher of the Greek era, considered tragedy to be a genre that is serious in nature, deals with the emotions of pity and terror, and gives the audience a heightened sense of being through the "catharsis" of these emotions. In his book, Poetics, which is widely considered to be the first definitive model of literary criticism, Aristotle stated that, "Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an act

And that which should accompany old age,

Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against

Macbeth, as it would seem, still has a conscience bearing down on him; he is not an evil man. He continues to say:

Why hath it given me earnest of success,

But wherefore could not I pronounce "Amen"?

Some common words found in the essay are:
Thane Cawdor, Lady Macbeth, According Aristotle, Elizabethan Theater, Macbeth Shakespearean, Realizing Aristotle's, Duncan Hath, Dunsinane Macbeth, Macbeth Banquo, Oedipus Rex, tragic hero, macbeth meets, meets criteria, macbeth meets criteria, according aristotle, scene macbeth, macbeth truly, macbeth's flaws, ambition arrogance, seen macbeth, hero according aristotle, tragic hero according, macbeth tragedy,
Approximate Word count = 1444
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)