Macbeth Tragic Hero Research Paper

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Macbeth: A classic Shakespearean tragic hero or just an evil tyrant? The play Macbeth by William Shakespeare is about the rise and fall of the main character Macbeth, proving him to be known as a classic tragic hero. Although the character Macbeth is sometimes stated to be just a villain in the play, he has all the aspects of being a tragic hero including the fact that after the prophecies he changed a great amount, he had a long time ambition to have more power as his tragic flaw, and his wife had a great influence on him throughout the play. Therefore, Macbeth is a tragic hero himself. The Witches’ prophecies were the beginning of Macbeth’s change, leading him to an awful end caused by his own actions. The Witches’ earliest prophecy: “MACBETH:…show more content…
She did this by urging him to follow his ambition and planting the idea of murdering into his head: “Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear, And chastise with the valor of my tongue.” (1, 5, 24-26). Lady Macbeth also tries to provoke Macbeth by questioning his manliness: “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And, to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man.” (1, 7, 54-56). Lady Macbeth knows that this is the biggest insult to Macbeth, but she is saying it to make Macbeth to think about killing King Duncan. In another scene, when Macbeth gets frightened by Banquo’s imaginary ghost, Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth that he is just imagining things and he should stop acting like a woman, again showing the power Lady Macbeth has over Macbeth: “O, proper stuff! This is the very painting of your fear: This is the air-drawn dagger, which, you said, Led you to Duncan. O, these flaws and starts, Imposters to true fear, would well become A woman’s story at a winter’s fire, Authorized by her grandma. Shame itself! Why do you make such faces? When all’s done, You look but on a stool,” (3, 4, 74-82). Some think that Lady Macbeth had such a huge influence on Macbeth that she herself led Macbeth to his downfall. With the information above in mind, it is possible to say that this belief is not far from

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