Macbeth as a Tragic Hero
“The Journey to a Tragic Hero”
An Essay Exploring Macbeth’s Journey to Becoming a Tragic Hero
A Tragic Hero is someone who is important within his society. He has a tragic flaw which continues to grow and overcome his own personal virtues, as he continues into his downfall and the destruction of his world. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth sees opportunities to become more powerful and his ambition starts to take over his own judgement. Macbeth begins to have moments of insanity and new information coming in catches Macbeth a little too over confident, all leading into his downfall creating the newest tragic hero in Dunsinane.
Macbeth goes from minimal power to an overwhelming amount of power yet still has the desire for more. Macbeth needs to be king and therefore will do anything for it. Macbeth killed Duncan in order to be king and killed Banquo also in order to stay king. Macbeth knows what he is doing is bad, “Let not light see my black and deep desires” (Macbeth I.iv.51). Macbeth’s ambition becomes the one thing he cannot control. It becomes his tragic flaw. Macbeth has encountered so many problems, and deals with them. With his ambition taking the lead, it is at the point where Macbeth states “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition/ which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’ other” (I.vii.25-8). Macbeth knows he is unable to control his ambition. Overall, Macbeth’s ambition has gotten the best of him, leading him down the road to becoming a tragic hero.
In addition to his overpowering ambition, Macbeth has a lot on his mind pushing him into his own insanity. When Macbeth decides he will follow through with the plan to kill Duncan, he starts to have visions of daggers in the sky, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee” (II.i.33-4). After saying this Macbeth pursues the daggers which lead him toward Duncan’s room. After Macbeth had Banquo killed, he started having
An Essay Exploring Macbeth’s Journey to Becoming a Tragic Hero
A Tragic Hero is someone who is important within his society. He has a tragic flaw which continues to grow and overcome his own personal virtues, as he continues into his downfall and the destruction of his world. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth sees opportunities to become more powerful and his ambition starts to take over his own judgement. Macbeth begins to have moments of insanity and new information coming in catches Macbeth a little too over confident, all leading into his downfall creating the newest tragic hero in Dunsinane.
Macbeth goes from minimal power to an overwhelming amount of power yet still has the desire for more. Macbeth needs to be king and therefore will do anything for it. Macbeth killed Duncan in order to be king and killed Banquo also in order to stay king. Macbeth knows what he is doing is bad, “Let not light see my black and deep desires” (Macbeth I.iv.51). Macbeth’s ambition becomes the one thing he cannot control. It becomes his tragic flaw. Macbeth has encountered so many problems, and deals with them. With his ambition taking the lead, it is at the point where Macbeth states “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition/ which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’ other” (I.vii.25-8). Macbeth knows he is unable to control his ambition. Overall, Macbeth’s ambition has gotten the best of him, leading him down the road to becoming a tragic hero.
In addition to his overpowering ambition, Macbeth has a lot on his mind pushing him into his own insanity. When Macbeth decides he will follow through with the plan to kill Duncan, he starts to have visions of daggers in the sky, “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee” (II.i.33-4). After saying this Macbeth pursues the daggers which lead him toward Duncan’s room. After Macbeth had Banquo killed, he started having
Cited: Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford UP, 2011.