Macbeth: a Tragic Hero

Table of Contents

• Ambition as Macbeth’s Fatal Flaw
• Moral Decline and its Consequences
• Conclusion

William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is a gripping story about ambition, power, and the downfall of a once-noble protagonist. Macbeth himself is seen by many as a tragic hero—a character with a fatal flaw that eventually brings him down. In this essay, I’ll dig into what makes a tragic hero and show how Macbeth fits the bill. By looking at his ambition, moral decline, and what happens because of his actions, it’s clear that Macbeth really is a tragic hero.

'Macbeth: A Tragic Hero'

Ambition as Macbeth’s Fatal Flaw

You know what really trips up Macbeth? His wild ambition. Right from the get-go in the play, you see he craves power and will do whatever it takes to grab it. When he first meets those witches, they plant this seed of ambition in his mind by predicting he’ll be king someday. That prophecy just lights up his desire for power, making him think about killing King Duncan. As he's mulling over the murder, you see his inner struggle:

"If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly. If th' assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease, success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'ld jump the life to come."

This bit shows off Macbeth's ambition along with his moral conflict. He knows there are consequences but still gets all fired up for power and glory. This tug-of-war between ambition and morality is what drags him down.

And let’s not forget Lady Macbeth! She pushes him to grab that crown no matter what—even if it means doing some really bad stuff. Her persuasion gets him to kill King Duncan. It's obvious Macbeth's big flaw is how ready he is to toss aside his morals just for power.

Moral Decline and Its Consequences

The deeper into ambition Macbeth dives, the more we see his moral decline. Killing King Duncan changes everything for him; it's like he realizes there's no limit to how far he'll go to stay on top as king. After that murder? He's wracked with guilt and paranoia which makes him even more violent trying to cover things up.

"I am in blood
Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o'er."

Here, he gets that he's too deep in now—his morals are shot as he becomes ruthless to hang onto power.

The fallout from all this mess is huge. Guilt eats at him; paranoia isolates him from everyone around while trust vanishes completely after betraying Banquo—remember Banquo? Yeah...not great seeing ghosts of old friends popping up! His head's spinning so much he even hallucinates:

"Is this a dagger which I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee."

This guilt plus paranoia leads straight towards doom—the classic crash-and-burn scenario fueled by unchecked ambition gone way wrong!

Conclusion

In closing thoughts then: Yep—Macbeth fits every bit within being dubbed ‘tragic hero.’ His unstoppable ambition drives regicide (fancy word alert!) betrayal against own beliefs—all spiraling downward into guilt-and-paranoia chaos until ultimate destruction arrives...the hard way!

Lessons learned folks—ambition unchecked can wreak havoc; keeping morals intact matters! The Bard sure knew how showcasing devastation via succumbing temptations works wonders weaving timeless tales surrounding heroic tragedy tied closely inside one character called ‘Macbeth.’

Works Cited

• Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Folger Shakespeare Library, 1992.
• Bloom, Harold. "Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human." Riverhead Books, 1998.
• Kastan, David Scott. "A Companion to Shakespeare." Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 1999.
• Pritchard Jr., R.E., "Shakespeare's Tragic Heroes: Slaves of Passion." Routledge Press Inc., 2000.