Macbeth: Examining the Characteristics of a Tragic Hero and His Fate

This essay examines Macbeth as a tragic hero, exploring his noble stature, great character, and fatal flaw of unchecked ambition. Initially portrayed as a brave and respected warrior, the essay highlights Macbeth's rise to Thane of Cawdor and his subsequent ambition to become king, fueled by the witches' prophecy. It analyzes how this ambition, coupled with his wife's influence, led him to commit regicide and spiral into guilt and paranoia. The essay emphasizes Macbeth's weak willpower and vulnerability to manipulation, which contributed to his downfall. Ultimately, it concludes that Macbeth's tragic fate stems from his ambition and susceptibility to external pressures, solidifying his status as a tragic hero whose actions led to chaos and despair.

The character of Macbeth is engraved in the history of English literature as a tragic
hero. He was a brave soldier who displayed great valour in the start of the play. However, as
the story unfolded, he was shown with a fatal flaw and became a victim of his own ambition.
This led to his downfall and the tragic end to his life. The character of Macbeth has all the
traits of a tragic hero – noble stature, greatness of character, and a fatal flaw.
Macbeth possessed a noble stature as he was a great Scottish warrior who made some
exceptional accomplishments. The accomplishment and bravery that he displayed in the
battlefields made him a favourite of the king and was rewarded with high status. He was
awarded the title of the Thane of Cawdor, since he had just returned from a victorious battle
which he had won and possessed all the glory. As the play started, Macbeth was portrayed as
a wealthy and nobleman whom everyone in the audience adored and was also an apt choice
for becoming the next king. Thus, he had a noble stature whom the audience looked up to and
was admired for the valour that he possessed.
Macbeth was shown to have greatness of character as the play started. He was
portrayed as a brave soldier who had got victorious over his foes and won numerous battles
along with the latest one from which he had just returned. He also possess great ambition and
dreamt of becoming a King himself one day, though it was this ambition which also brought
his downfall. He was awarded the title of Thane of Cawdor which is an honour given upon a
soldier for his bravery and fearlessness, which showcased the greatness of his character.
The great ambition that Macbeth had was also one of the flaws that his character
possessed. The three evil witches predicted a future for Macbeth wherein he would be the
King. (Shakespeare, 1961, ACT I SCENE III) This prediction sowed the seed of ambition in
Macbeth and this led to his downfall on the play. As one of the prediction of the three witches
became true and he indeed did become the Thane of Cawdor, he started believing the
prediction of being King also to be true. Being coaxed by his wife, he let the ambition drive

over his sanity and goes and kills the King. (Shakespeare, 1961, ACT II SCENE II)Even
though he regretted killing the King, yet he could not free himself from the persuasion of his
wife who asked him to shun his guilt. Thus, he also had a weak will power and becomes an
easy target of manipulation.
Macbeth was a brave warrior who possessed some great character of being a future
King. However, because of him unchecked ambition and weak determination he brought his
own downfall, which led to him killing the King and filling himself with sorrow and guilt.
The character of Macbeth started on a great note, wherein he was the favourite of not only the
King but also the audience. But because of his weak will power he was easily manipulated
into committing a grave crime which led to his failure and chaos in the play. Thus, he can
very well be termed as a tragic hero.

Reference
Shakespeare, W. (1916). Shakespeare's Macbeth. Copp, Clark.