Macbeth Tragic Hero Characteristics

A tragic hero is a literary term that comes from the Greek language. Hero is defined as a person who faces pain and sorrow or shows courage in the face of difficulty. This hero is usually a person of noble birth or of a title. Usually, the hero is confronted by an entity or fate of some kind that will curse or bless them in some way. In a piece of writing when he or she confronts the obstacle, they are named a protagonist,which is the main or lead character of the piece of writing. A tragic hero shows certain characteristics in the story to give the audience a more realistic picture of the scenes and different happenings. Some of these characteristics are Hamartia. Hamartia is Greek for a tragic flaw. This shows that the character has sinned
In Act 1, scene 3, Macbeth is greeted by the three witches who prophesy over him. “ All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee. Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee. Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter.”(1.3.148-150) This shows that Macbeth was indeed encountered by an entity which was the three witches. From this meeting, Macbeth starts showing the different characteristics of a tragic hero.The first characteristic that is shown is Hamartia. Macbeth is very loyal to the king. He is very dedicated also to his country and to his men. Macbeth starts to show Hamartia by listening to the witches and their prophecy. He believes and desires to be king. He is solely convinced of this because he has already become the thane of cawdor and the witches also prophesied that. “ This supernatural soliciting cannot ill, cannot be good. If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success commencing in a truth?. I am Thane of Cawdor. If good, why do I yield to that suggestion whose horrid image doth unfix my hair and make my seated heart knock at my ribs against the use of nature?. Present fears are less than horrible imaginings. My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise, and nothing is but what is.”(1.3.144-155) Macbeth, in this quote, shows his desire and eager to be king of Scotland. He considers in his mind the murder of the king to get to
It is because of the characteristics listed that he is this. He,through his experiences and decisions, shows the different types and emotions of a tragic hero. At first, Macbeth is very gallant and brave. He fight for his country. He is loyal and dedicated to his king and noblemen. His momentous downfall started to happen when the three witches started to prophesy that he would be thane of cawdor and king of Scotland. When he was announced as thane of Cawdor, Macbeth instantly believed the prophecy that he would be king. His ambitions and eagerness was stirred up and because of this, it lead to the murder of the king. He was influenced not only by the witches, but by his own wife who provoked his pride and promoted this crime. It is for sure that this deed that he committed will surely follow him to his ultimate downfall and maybe even his