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Macbeth Tragic Hero Essay

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Macbeth is a classic example of a tragic hero by Aristotle’s standards, in that all five of the established tragic traits are applicable to Macbeth’s character (a noble birth, Hamartia, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, and Catharsis). The narrative of Macbeth follows the timeless trajectory of a tragedy; Macbeth comes from a place of serendipity, and over the course of events, finds himself plummeting into defeat as a character. Through critical analysis of Macbeth’s core traits compared to the core traits of a tragedy, it becomes apparent Macbeth is ultimately responsible for his tragedy and his downfall as an individual, because it was his own hubris which drove him to bring about the prophecy he heard. To acknowledge this fully, one must first simply observe both the actions of Macbeth and the core elements crucial to a tragic hero, as according to Aristotle for the sake of consistency in a historical theme of narrative.
Aristotle’s traits of a tragic hero are as follows: a noble birth, Hamartia, Peripeteia, Anagnorisis, and Catharsis. To begin with, the first element of a tragedy we are faced with in Macbeth is of being of a noble …show more content…
Because Macbeth by this definition is a tragic hero, it can already be presumed that he is responsible for his own tragedy because of Peripeteia (the reversal of fate brought about by the hero’s tragic flaw). While this presumption can be made, it is still important to examine the source of Macbeth’s downfall. His hubris was his tragic flaw, and it defeated him in more ways than one. The fate of his wife, kingdom, and death all were direct consequences to his prior actions, and all these actions were made out of pure hubris. Macbeth was a man of great pride, and full disrespect for fate as long as it did not benefit him in the way he saw fit. This belief was his hubris, his hubris was his Hamartia, and his Hamartia was his ultimate

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