Essay On Macbeth As A Tragic Hero

Words: 1405
Pages: 6

Literature has seen many tragic heroes throughout time. From Medea to Oedipus, and then to Macbeth, all three of these famous literary characters have one thing in common: the possession of a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. While some people may believe that tragic heroes only exist in literature, when taking a deep enough look into the lives of famous political figures, one can see that people such as Bill Clinton and many others can fall into this category as well. The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare was written in 1606. Bill Clinton “was president of the United States from 1993-2001” (Riedinger). Macbeth is a tragedy that takes place in the medieval time period in Scotland. Macbeth was a battlefield hero who eventually became king. Both Macbeth and Bill Clinton can be seen as tragic heroes. According to Aristotle’s tragic hero formula, tragic heroes must have a noble background, must have a tragic flaw, excessive pride, and a tragic downfall. The lesson that readers can learn, that …show more content…
Macbeth’s tragic flaw was that he had too much ambition and temptation to become king. In his monologue when considering regicide, he says that, “I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o’erlaps itself / And falls on th’ other” (Shakespeare 1.7.25-28). If it wasn’t for Macbeth’s ambition he would have never aided in the murder of Duncan. Clinton’s tragic flaw was that he had too much temptation with wanting to have affairs with other women. According to Edward Riedinger, “During the primaries, while Clinton was competing for the Democratic nomination against numerous rivals, his campaign almost collapsed under allegations that he had been having an extramarital affair. Similar allegations had troubled him earlier during his tenure as governor”. If Clinton never had any extramarital affairs, he would have never jeopardized his