Macbeth Tragic Hero Essay

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“Let every man be master of his time till seven at night; to make society.”(Shakespeare, Act III Scene I) The Story of Macbeth was written sometime from 1605 to 1607, being performed from 1606 to 1607. It is about a Thane named Macbeth killing the King of Scotland in order to gain power. Macbeth in the story starts as a kind and liked character in the story; however, he then turns into a great example of a tragic hero. The three reasons he is a tragic hero can be seen because of his free choice, tragic flaw, and his noble stature. One of the first characteristics Macbeth shows is his free choice of killing Duncan in the first scene of Act 2. He could have waited to see how it would pan out; however, he decided to obtain power right away and kill the king. Another choice he had was to let everyone…show more content…
In Act 3 he decided to kill Banquo and Macduff’s family, which made people fear him and believe that he is a tyrant of a king. This is not the only way he shows that he is a tragic hero, though; he also shows that he has a major tragic flaw. Macbeth has a tragic flaw of being hubris. The main time he showcases this flaw is when he says in Act 5 Scene 3 “Flee then, false thanes, and join the English weaklings. The mind that rules me and the heart within me shall never give way to doubt or shake with fear.” This shows that he decided that he believes he is too powerful to beat, and this pride in him leads to Macbeth being killed by Macduff at the end of Act 5. This is not the final reason he is a tragic hero; however, he is also one because of his noble stature. Once Macbeth becomes a King at the end of Act 2, he starts to affect everyone in the kingdom. He spreads a web of fear throughout the land, even with his wife. In Act 5 it is seen that she starts to go crazy with guilt. She did not kill him herself; she, however, did plant the evidence on the guards because Macbeth did not want to. Another way he affects the

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