Macbeth – tragic hero
• The term tragic hero is most commonly attributed to Aristotle, who said the tragic hero should not be ‘a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity; for this moves neither pity nor fear; it merely shocks us’ nor should he be a ‘bad man passing from adversity to prosperity: for nothing can be more alien to the spirit of Tragedy; it possesses no single tragic quality; it neither satisfies the moral sense, nor calls forth pity or fear…. Nor again, should the downfall of the utter villain be exhibited. A plot of this kind would doubtless satisfy the moral sense, but it would inspire neither pity nor fear; for pity is aroused by unmerited fortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves.’ He calls a tragic hero one ‘between these two extremes – that of a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty.’ This error or frailty is known as the tragic flaw of the tragic hero.
• So what is Macbeth’s tragic flaw? It can be taken as his ambition, which causes him to steal the kingship of Scotland despite it leading him to danger. This is caused initially by the witches’ prophecy, as they tell him he will assume this title, which leads to Macbeth’s growing curiosity as to how he could become king of Scotland, and as the play develops this turns from a curiosity to a desire to become the king of Scotland. Additionally, Lady Macbeth contributes to this tragic flaw, as she encourages Macbeth to pursue his desire to be king and schemes the plan to kill King Duncan. These two elements are also tragic as they show the lack of control Macbeth had in his tragic flaw (however it can, and should, be noted that Macbeth does play some part, as it is he who kills Duncan while Lady Macbeth checks herself).
• So how is this tragic? Firstly, Shakespeare makes us feel tragedy by having Macbeth suffer a fall from grace. Before he murders Duncan to become king, which leads to further murders to keep this title, Macbeth is shown as noble, which makes his fall so pitiful, as he descends from the great heights Shakespeare places him at the play’s beginning, when he (like Banquo) is praised for his bravery in battle. Before Macbeth is even seen he is set up as the epitome of bravery and greatness; Duncan tells Ross to greet his ‘worthiest cousin’ that Macbeth won the battle with Norway, and even refers to Macbeth as noble and gives him titles of nobility such as ‘Thane of Glamis’ and ‘Thane of Cawdor’; ‘No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest. Go pronounce his present death, and with his former title greet Macbeth. What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.’ Elsewhere, his kindness and religiousness are referred to also, as it is said he is ‘too full o’ the milk of human kindness’ and ‘what thou wouldst highly That wouldst thou holily’.
• Secondly, Aristotle says that the tragic hero has to be someone who is like us (which creates tragedy as we see ourselves in Macbeth, which arouses pity), and therefore the person must not be completely good, as this would mean they could never do wrong, but someone who can have a fall because of an error. Therefore it is not long into the play before Macbeth’s tragic flaw is revealed, his ambition. This is seen when the witches tell him ‘Hail Macbeth! That shalt be King’, as his response displays his ambition immediately. He responds to their prophecy with statements that bear not loyalty to the king, but an exploring of its possibility, asking ‘Say from where You owe this strange intelligence?’ and his declaration ‘Would they had stay’d!’ indicates his desire to learn from the witches whether he actually could become king. He is eventually convinced by his ambition to kill Duncan to become king, and this is his error, in judgment, as he is initially torn between what is right (not killing Duncan) and satisfying his ambition. His tragic flaw, his ambition, leads to his error in judgement, which causes him to kill Duncan, which sets off a series of events that eventually leads to his death.
• Eventually, Macbeth realizes his reversal, which arouses pity in us as we view a tragic hero who now knows that he has committed the tragic act, killing Duncan, and that he has committed further criminal deeds, and must endure this knowledge. He declares ‘My way of life/ Is fall’n into sere, the yellow leaf,/ And that which should accompany old age,/ As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,/ I must not look to have, but in their stead,/ Curses, not loud, but deep, mouth-honour, breath,/ Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not.’ Macbeth’s realization arouses pity as we see how once more Macbeth is similar to us, as it shows his limitations. He realizes the witches’ evil ambiguity, declaring ‘To doubt th’ equivocation of the fiend,/ That lies lke truth’ and of the witches’ birth-prophecy, as he says ‘And be these juggling fiends no more believ’d,/ That palter with us in a double sense,/ That keep the word of promises to our ear,/ And break it to our hope.’ However Macbeth does not realize the part his ambition and Lady Macbeth (who aroused this ambition further) also played a part, and as he completely blames the witches for his downfall we see his limitations, which are common to all, and this arouses pity in us as we view the hero so limited, and who suffered such a downfall.
• The term tragic hero is most commonly attributed to Aristotle, who said the tragic hero should not be ‘a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity; for this moves neither pity nor fear; it merely shocks us’ nor should he be a ‘bad man passing from adversity to prosperity: for nothing can be more alien to the spirit of Tragedy; it possesses no single tragic quality; it neither satisfies the moral sense, nor calls forth pity or fear…. Nor again, should the downfall of the utter villain be exhibited. A plot of this kind would doubtless satisfy the moral sense, but it would inspire neither pity nor fear; for pity is aroused by unmerited fortune, fear by the misfortune of a man like ourselves.’ He calls a tragic hero one ‘between these two extremes – that of a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty.’ This error or frailty is known as the tragic flaw of the tragic hero.
• So what is Macbeth’s tragic flaw? It can be taken as his ambition, which causes him to steal the kingship of Scotland despite it leading him to danger. This is caused initially by the witches’ prophecy, as they tell him he will assume this title, which leads to Macbeth’s growing curiosity as to how he could become king of Scotland, and as the play develops this turns from a curiosity to a desire to become the king of Scotland. Additionally, Lady Macbeth contributes to this tragic flaw, as she encourages Macbeth to pursue his desire to be king and schemes the plan to kill King Duncan. These two elements are also tragic as they show the lack of control Macbeth had in his tragic flaw (however it can, and should, be noted that Macbeth does play some part, as it is he who kills Duncan while Lady Macbeth checks herself).
• So how is this tragic? Firstly, Shakespeare makes us feel tragedy by having Macbeth suffer a fall from grace. Before he murders Duncan to become king, which leads to further murders to keep this title, Macbeth is shown as noble, which makes his fall so pitiful, as he descends from the great heights Shakespeare places him at the play’s beginning, when he (like Banquo) is praised for his bravery in battle. Before Macbeth is even seen he is set up as the epitome of bravery and greatness; Duncan tells Ross to greet his ‘worthiest cousin’ that Macbeth won the battle with Norway, and even refers to Macbeth as noble and gives him titles of nobility such as ‘Thane of Glamis’ and ‘Thane of Cawdor’; ‘No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest. Go pronounce his present death, and with his former title greet Macbeth. What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.’ Elsewhere, his kindness and religiousness are referred to also, as it is said he is ‘too full o’ the milk of human kindness’ and ‘what thou wouldst highly That wouldst thou holily’.
• Secondly, Aristotle says that the tragic hero has to be someone who is like us (which creates tragedy as we see ourselves in Macbeth, which arouses pity), and therefore the person must not be completely good, as this would mean they could never do wrong, but someone who can have a fall because of an error. Therefore it is not long into the play before Macbeth’s tragic flaw is revealed, his ambition. This is seen when the witches tell him ‘Hail Macbeth! That shalt be King’, as his response displays his ambition immediately. He responds to their prophecy with statements that bear not loyalty to the king, but an exploring of its possibility, asking ‘Say from where You owe this strange intelligence?’ and his declaration ‘Would they had stay’d!’ indicates his desire to learn from the witches whether he actually could become king. He is eventually convinced by his ambition to kill Duncan to become king, and this is his error, in judgment, as he is initially torn between what is right (not killing Duncan) and satisfying his ambition. His tragic flaw, his ambition, leads to his error in judgement, which causes him to kill Duncan, which sets off a series of events that eventually leads to his death.
• Eventually, Macbeth realizes his reversal, which arouses pity in us as we view a tragic hero who now knows that he has committed the tragic act, killing Duncan, and that he has committed further criminal deeds, and must endure this knowledge. He declares ‘My way of life/ Is fall’n into sere, the yellow leaf,/ And that which should accompany old age,/ As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends,/ I must not look to have, but in their stead,/ Curses, not loud, but deep, mouth-honour, breath,/ Which the poor heart would fain deny, and dare not.’ Macbeth’s realization arouses pity as we see how once more Macbeth is similar to us, as it shows his limitations. He realizes the witches’ evil ambiguity, declaring ‘To doubt th’ equivocation of the fiend,/ That lies lke truth’ and of the witches’ birth-prophecy, as he says ‘And be these juggling fiends no more believ’d,/ That palter with us in a double sense,/ That keep the word of promises to our ear,/ And break it to our hope.’ However Macbeth does not realize the part his ambition and Lady Macbeth (who aroused this ambition further) also played a part, and as he completely blames the witches for his downfall we see his limitations, which are common to all, and this arouses pity in us as we view the hero so limited, and who suffered such a downfall.