Macbeth - a Tragic Hero

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and considers Macbeth to be his “cousin”, which according to Shakespeare is a close friend. Macbeth puts his sentimental feelings aside and focuses on “vaulting ambition”; his desire for power.

Another one of the many themes of Shakespeare’s Macbeth includes revenge. In Act 4, Scene III, there is an intense discussion between Lord Macduff, the Thane of Fife and Malcolm. Macduff, who suspects Macbeth of regicide or the killing of King Duncan, is receiving advice from Malcolm, who is the eldest son of King Duncan. Out of anger, Malcolm states “Be comforted. Let’s make us med’cines of our great revenge to cure this deadly grief.... Be this the whetstone of your sword. Let grief convert to anger. Blunt not the heart, enrage it.” He’s explaining to Macduff instead of weeping about all that has happened, let’s get revenge; be outrage. Macduff responded he will avenge his people; “Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself. Within my sword’s length set him; if he ‘scape, Heaven forgive him too.” Macduff, who was unforgiving, became the avenging hero who helped save Scotland by killing Macbeth in the final act.

A “tragic hero” is a literary character who makes a judgement error that inevitably leads to his or her own destruction. While prophecy and ambition are themes of this story, they also provide factors of the failings of Macbeth. By taking and also listening to the prophets and his strong ambition of overthrowing King Duncan, it led him to his own death. The character of Macbeth created by William Shakespeare is an important example of a tragic hero.

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