Macbeth Tragic Hero : A good soldier who was loyal to his King.
The Shakespearean play Macbeth focuses on a war hero whose desire for power, leading to his ultimate coronation as King and downfall. At the start of the drama, Macbeth was shown as a war hero who came back from his latest campaign and was given a new title.
Macbeth’s one mistake fills his life with regret and fear at every step. Macbeth was a good soldier who was loyal to his King, and his bravery and performance in Scotland’s battle were celebrated. His courage and greatness in the battle for his country ultimately lead him to be a great knight, and finally, an influential king, making his actions have a substantial impression on his land. His guilt and unwillingness in assassinating King Duncan also reveal his heroic nature. His potential in being a hero and positive attributes was displayed to justify his guilt. Macbeth’s conscience does not agree to kill Duncan because he was a loyal subject of King Duncan, and his obedience towards his King was also shown in the play.
Macbeth highly respected King Duncan and knew that everyone would mourn his death. He may not have committed assassination without the presence of Lady Macbeth, which shows that he is a tragic hero because he knew that he was making a wrong decision under the temptation of Lady Macbeth. His ambition to be a king and gain power, which turns into an obsession, is the only flaw in his character, and this flaw is responsible for the tragic events that occur in the whole play. He recognizes from the beginning of the tragedy that his ambition could be his demise, which shows that he is a tragic hero.
In the beginning, Macbeth used to be a good character, but he became corrupted and was shown as a tragic hero at the essential point at which all is lost. Although he was a man with good morals, at every step, his morals were taken over by his temptations and ambitions. Despite being a hero at heart, which readers and audience have seen from the start, his mistakes create an insight into evil.
With the manipulation and influence of Lady Macbeth, the hidden ambitions in Macbeth are strengthened, and her evil arrangement gradually tempts Macbeth. So although ambition and fate are the primary factors in Macbeth’s downfall, Lady Macbeth is also at fault. Macbeth’s weakness overturns his whole life and changes his honorable and respectable character into an evil and violent one hated by everyone.
The outcome of Macbeth’s decisions did not just affect him, but the whole of Scotland was also shaken. His character changed from a courageous and loyal man to an evil being despised by most Scotland due to his ill-fated decision, the witches’ prophecies, the influence of fate, and Lady Macbeth’s temptations. Due to his ambitions to reach his goals from the very beginning and maintaining this desire, Macbeth is seen as a tragic hero.
