The Hero In Macbeth Essay - 1952 Words

The Hero? In Macbeth The tragedy Macbeth highlights an ambivalent character who wants to be king. This paper will take a close look at his character. Samuel Johnson in The Plays of Shakespeare states that every reader rejoices at the fall of Macbeth (133). In Shakespeare and Tragedy John Bayley talks about Macbeth as a responsible agent for his actions: It is essential to the hypnotic tension of the play that Macbeth should not seem in any ordinary way responsible for his actions. Not only the witches but every other agency is like a portent or apparition - pity striding the blast, heavens cherubim, the lamentations heard in the air, the voice that cried Sleep no more - do not so much†¦show more content†¦She needs only her husbands letter about the weyard sisters prophecy to precipitate her resolve to kill Duncan. Within an instant she is inviting murderous spirits to unsex her, fill her with cruelty, thicken her blood, convert her mothers milk to gall, and darken the world That my keen knife see not the wound it makes (1.5.50). Macbeth, in contrast, vacillates. The images of the deed that possess him simultaneously repel him (1.3.130, 1.7.1) When she proposes Duncans murder, he temporizes: We will speak further (1.5.69). (189) Lily B. Campbell in her volume of criticism, Shakespeares Tragic Heroes: Slaves of Passion, explores the workings of Macbeths mind as he plots the destruction of Banquo and son : If the witches have spoken as truly to Banquo as to him, Macbeth sees that he wears a fruitless crown and carries a barren sceptre in his hand; he has indeed given peace and immortality to make the race of Banquo kings. And he proceeds to his interview with the murderers, plotting what he dare not do openly, for the fear that comes when we areShow MoreRelatedMacbeth as a Tragic Hero1513 Words   |  7 PagesMacbeth as a Tragic Hero William Shakespeare s plays have the reputation of being among the greatest in the English language and in Western literature. Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, and Macbeth, considered some of the finestRead MoreMacbeth as a Tragic Hero1453 Words   |  6 Pagespresents Macbeth as a tragic hero? The 17th century play, ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare, was written during a time when James the first became the first king of both Scotland and England. The characters in the play are also based upon his descendants. 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Macbeth isRead MoreMacbeth as a Tragic Hero985 Words   |  4 Pages In William shakespeare’s Macbeth,Macbeth is a classic example of a tragic hero in shakesperean work.Macbeth display the major characteristics of a tragic hero throughout the play until his tragic end.The play potrays Macbeth as a lost cause by showing how he fell from being a honest and just man who fought for whats right, to a cruel,superstitious,ambicious dictator.In william shakespreares Macbeth,Macbeth is a tragic hero because he compromises his honor and negates his moral values in orderRead MoreMacbeth As A Tragic Hero1139 Words   |  5 PagesThe Macbeth character in Macbeth by William Shakespeare can be played many ways.  Macbeth s relationship with other characters in the play and Aristotle s theory of a tragedy are ways in which Macbeth is shown as a tragic hero I am going to explain to you how Macbeth is a true tragic hero. 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