Macbeth Tragic Hero

The Tragedy is one of the most captivating types of stories in all of storytelling. A Tragedy is where the hero confronts his downfall whether due to fate, by his own doing, or any other reason (“Tragic Hero”). This can be something as simple as failing health or as grand as a rise to power through a web of wrongdoings. This is where the character and story of “Macbeth” comes in. Macbeth is one of the first prime examples of a tragedy, with the character Macbeth, showing how and why his life fell apart in the way it did. Macbeth shows the 5 traits of a tragic hero according to Aristotle, especially in his descent from deserved nobility to infamy because of his hubris . This makes Macbeth ultimately responsible for his own tragedy because of …show more content…
The five character traits that relate to Macbeth are Hamartia, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, Noble Birth, and Catharsis. Noble Birth is the good standing from where the protagonist is on at the beginning of the story. Hamartia is the tragic flaw that causes the downfall of the hero in the story. Peripeteia is the reversal of fate that the hero experiences. Anagnorisis is a moment in time when the hero makes an important discovery in the story. Catharsis is when the audience feels pity and fear for the protagonist’s inevitable downfall (“Tragic Hero”). Starting with Noble Birth, Macbeth is introduced as a man of noble standing in society. He is the Thane of Glamis and a well-respected warrior in Scotland. Right after Macbeth is introduced into the story, he discovers the three witches of fate (Act 1, Scene 3, pp. 443-446). This is his Anagnorisis, …show more content…
One of the reasons why Macbeth’s fall was by his own admission is because of his gullibility. As described before, Macbeth was pressured into killing King Duncan so that he and Lady Macbeth good gain ultimate power. This is not the only example of Macbeth’s own stupidity. One of the times is when he visits the three weird witches again so that he could gain more knowledge on his fate. They misled him and did not explain everything to him (Act 4, Scene 1, pp.490-495). However, when the final battle at his castle occurs, Macbeth does not think about all the ways his fate could play out. For example, the invading forces from England carry branches with them into battle (Act 5, Scene 5, p.515). In Macbeth’s prophecy, it was said that when the forest comes up to his castle, he will be dethroned. The second reason why Macbeth causes his own downfall is because of the bodies he has left behind. The three main murders that Macbeth committed, whether directly or indirectly, was King Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family. These murders represent Macbeth’s continuing downward spiral towards villainy. Even though Macbeth was influenced by Lady Macbeth to kill Duncan, he still did the deed. Overall, with these murders, he reaps what he sows, causing him his own life. The final reason why Macbeth is responsible for his fate is due to his waning sanity because of the deeds he has done. This is shown

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