To What Extent Is Macbeth A Tragic Hero

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After reading through Shakespeare’s Macbeth, many are left wondering one thing. Is Macbeth actually a tragic hero, or a classic villain? Aristotle created a list of basic characteristics of a tragic hero, many of which Macbeth displays. Macbeth begins the play as the thane of Glamis, an honest soldier on his way home from a war. Macbeth had just killed a traitor to the kingdom, and would never think of betraying his king.
Despite this, everything can change in an instant, especially with a tragic hero. A tragic hero will eventually reveal his tragic flaw, which Macbeth certainly does. Therefore, Macbeth must be a tragic hero since he shows several characteristics that Aristotle described, such as virtue, honor, and a tragic flaw.
Macbeth shows …show more content…
Eventually, after countless murders, Macbeth is desensitized and feels no remorse for all of the blood on his hands. Macbeth states “I have supped full with horrors / Direness, familiar to my slaughterhouse thoughts,/ Cannot once start me” (5.5.13-15). After seeing the witches again, he is delivered with another prophecy, one that will make him overconfident in future battles. Macbeth is told “none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth” (4.1.80-81), which eventually leads to his downfall at the hands of Macduff, who tells Macbeth that “Macduff was from his mother's womb / Untimely ripped” (5.8.15-16), and then kills him.
Many would argue that, since Macbeth was behind several murders, he can not be a hero. They believe that Macbeth is, like any other villain, wholly evil. This is untrue, due to Macbeth’s character in the beginning of the play. Macbeth starts out as a hero, but his tragic flaw, ambition, lead to Macbeth becoming a villain. This is a commonality in many tragedies. The hero becomes a villain, and in turn, is tragically

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