Is Macbeth a tragic hero? The debate continues...
Macbeth in the Shakespearean tragedy can be seen as a tragic hero as he contained good qualities which he later lost after turning evil. A Shakespearean tragedy was one where a person of high position has flaws which are played upon to bring about their downfall. To an extent Macbeth can be seen as a tragic hero, because it is quite clear he does have some good qualities before he kills King Duncan, and before he is influenced by his wife, Lady Macbeth. Before Macbeth turned evil, he had the qualities of a noble warrior – he was loyal, brave, moral, free and honourable. While it can be argued Macbeth was purely evil from the start he also had a conscience, which he seems to still have by the end of the play. Macbeth was a tragic hero because he did have some redeemable qualities which make him a tragic hero. Although he had his flaws, and he was weak to his wife’s influence, his good qualities makes him a tragic hero in the play.
Macbeth’s good qualities can be seen throughout many of his actions and events in the play. He turned evil, he was a great, honourable warrior and was trustable, and loyal to the king. These good qualities make him a tragic hero because these good qualities reflect the character that he once was, and redeem him of some of his actions in the play. “For brave Macbeth, - well he deserves that name-/Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel…” (Act 1, scene 2, line 16-17) shows that he was loyal to his country, and was a brave warrior who was thought of highly. “And with this former title [Thane of Cawdor] greet Macbeth” shows that he was honourable and would have been a powerful man because of his deeds and actions as a warrior. Being honourable and a great warrior for his country is certainly one aspect of him that makes him a tragic hero, as his qualities make him a ‘good’ character to a certain extent, who turned evil.
Macbeth was also a trustable character who loved his wife, Lady Macbeth. He had a conscience to do the right thing, and this can be seen in the acts 1 and 2. “He was a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust” (Act1, scene 4, line 13-14) may be ironic, but shows that people did trust him and that he was, or seemed a good person. He was respected by his peers and trusted. “The news of thy success, and when he reads/Thy personal venture in the rebel’s sight,/His wonders and his praises do contend/Which should be thine or his” shows Duncan doesn’t know whether to be silent or speak Macbeth’s praises. Macbeth was honoured for his part in the war, which makes him contain at least some good in him. He was loyal to his country and king, and deserved to be respected for his duty as a warrior.
Although Macbeth has his flaws – being ambitious and weak, he also had qualities which redeem him to make him a tragic hero. Macbeth, like any other person, had a conscience and also felt guilt which is apparent in Act 1. “If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success, / Commencing in a truth?” shows he’s fearful of his own thoughts, proving he does have a conscience and that he was not initially intent of killing anyone at all. It shows his uncertainty of his thoughts and proves he was not all purely evil. “We will proceed no further in this business/He hath honoured me of late…” shows that he might not have been all evil, but was too weak to oppose Lady Macbeth. Ultimately, Macbeth’s flaw was being weak and it seems Lady Macbeth’s ambition and determination pushed Macbeth to murder Duncan. He also shows signs of guilt after his part in the murders in Act 3, where he says “Ere we will…sleep/In the affliction of these terrible dreams/That shake us nightly”. This shows that he still felt guilt even after the murder of Duncan/Banquo and that he was not purely evil.
To an extent Macbeth could be seen as purely evil throughout the whole play. “Stars hide your fires, Let not light see my black and deep desires” may tell the reader Macbeth had evil in him before he heard the witches prophecy. The irony in the play also relates to Macbeth and his evil that to an extent help to portray Macbeth as fully evil and not a tragic hero. “The instruments of darkness tell us truths; /Win us with honest trifles to betrays/ In deepest consequence” says evil tells simple truths to make people trust them, then deceive them in important matters. This quote suggests Macbeth was corrupted by evil (the witches) and that his flaws – his ambition and weakness would leaf to his downfall. A Shakespearean tragedy involves a characters flaw played upon by circumstances, and this could be seen through Macbeth, where his flaws and downfall are played upon by the witches. This shows Macbeth was not exactly evil to start with – he just had his flaws which made him turn evil. His good qualities he had before he turned evil make him a tragic hero.
Although Macbeth did have his flaws, he had good qualities such as loyalty and being a good warrior which made him a tragic hero of the Shakespearean play. To an extent Macbeth might not be seen as a tragic hero, because readers could read him as purely evil from the start. He does however have qualities that redeem him from his murders and his turn to evil. He was a great loyal warrior and was respected throughout the kingdom. He also was trustable and loved Lady Macbeth, but his flaws of weakness and ambition led him to his downfall. Ultimately, his flaws were played upon by circumstances – the witches – and this led him to turn to evil. Shakespearean tragedy involves a hero who is of high birth and position, but his flaws are played upon which leads to their downfall. This is true with Macbeth, and his good qualities that he had make him a tragic hero of the play.