Why is Macbeth a Tragic Hero?

Why is Macbeth a Tragic Hero?

1. Macbeth is a warrior -- courage is his defining quality

   • "For brave Macbeth -- well he deserves that name"
     • The Captain describes Macbeth's bravery in battle

2. Not a brutal character. Lady Macbeth worries that her husband might be too kind to kill the king

   • "Yet do i fear the nature; / It is too full o'the milk of human-kindness / To catch the nearest way"
     • Mildness and pure white colour of milk suggests Macbeth has these attributes too

3. Banquo observes that the witches' prophecies have come true, but he fears his friend has accelerated events with dishonesty

   • "Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, / As the weird women promised, and, I fear, / Thou play'dst most foully for't"
     • Echoes the witches claim that "fair is foul"

4. Macbeth is thought of as a mass murderer

   • "This dead butcher"
     • Malcolm does not use his name

5. Shakespeare does not present Macbeth as a wholly bad person

   • At the start of the play he has good qualities. he changes under the influence of the witches and his wife

6. We can empathise with Macbeth because he has been persuaded by his wife

7. Macbeth is named the Thane of Cawdor and Glamis by King Duncan. Duncan refers to him as "Noble Macbeth"

   • The audience is aware of Macbeth's noble stature in the first act of the play

8. At first Macbeth rejects the prophesies, which contributes to his greatness

   • "This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good"
   • Hes is fearful of the witches' prophecies because two of them have come so far

9. Macbeth's fatal flaw is pride that leads to wild ambitions