Herrera 1

Jennifer Herrera

Ms. Dill

British Literature

30 May 2019

To Be or Not to Be: A Tragic Hero

Tragic heroes are characters who bring about their own downfall and ignite pity in the

audience as a result of their tragic flaws. In all different types of literature, whether it be British

literature, American literature, or Greek literature, tragic heroes are present and follow the same

set archetype and characteristics seen in all tragedies. One example of a tragic hero is Oedipus

Rex in the Greek tragedy ​Oedipus Rex ​by Sophocles. In this play, Oedipus’ tragic flaw is his

overconfidence and his belief in his ability to defy the prophecies. Similarly, Victor Frankenstein

from Mary Shelley’s ​Frankenstein ​is an example of a tragic hero who suffers a reversal of fate

when his creation does not turn out the way he expects. One last example of a tragic hero is

present in Shakespeare’s ​Romeo and Juliet ​where the star-crossed lovers commit suicide because

of their inability to stop and think. The audience feels pity for Romeo and Juliet because both

characters had great potential to be happy. Despite what numerous scholars claim, Macbeth in

The Tragedy of Macbeth ​by William Shakespeare is a tragic hero because he exhibits all three

characteristics of the tragic hero archetype: hamartia, peripeteia, and catharsis.

In literature, hamartia is the tragic flaw of a character and according to the literary critic

G. E. Haupt, hamartia “causes a tragedy and makes the hero deserve what happens to him” (20).

Therefore, hamartia is an essential piece to a tragedy and to the makeup of a tragic hero. In the

play, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a “protagonist whose character weakness [,his] ‘vaulting
 Herrera 2

ambition’[,]...first [brings] him to power but eventually [leads] to his inevitable defeat” (Huber

20). To highlight Macbeth’s ambition, Shakespeare incorporates various incidents that help push

Macbeth toward his downfall. The most prominent of these incidents is when he commits

regicide to become the new King of Scotland. Macbeth’s current title as Thane of Glamis and his

newly acclaimed title as the Thane of Cawdor do not satisfy Macbeth. He wants to be king and

therefore, “killing [Duncan is] purely an act of ambition” (“Macbeth” 1). Macbeth could have let

fate take its own course but instead he decides to take matters into his own hands and kills

Duncan. In like manner, ambition also propels Macbeth to assassinate Banquo and attempt to kill

his son Fleance. After securing the throne, “​Macbeth is disturbed…about the prophecy

concerning Banquo and…[his] heirs” (“Macbeth” 1). To elaborate, Macbeth does not want

Banquo’s descendants to inherit his power the way the prophecies predict they will. Macbeth is

extremely adamant in his soliloquy when he states, ​“Upon my head they [put] a fruitless crown /

And put a barren scepter in my grip…If’t be so, / For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind”

(​Macbeth,​ 3.1: 61-65).​ In other words, Macbeth believes that if he allows Banquo’s descendants

to inherit his power then he tormented his mind with guilt for nothing.To satisfy his ambitious

goal of keeping his power within his bloodline, Macbeth decides that the best course of action is

to kill both Banquo and Fleance. In the same fashion, Macbeth’s ambition propels him to seek

out the witches a second time. Since Macbeth fears that Macduff or someone else will try to

overthrow him, Macbeth seeks out the witches although they caution him to ​“seek to know no

more” (​Macbeth​, 4.1: 103). ​To satisfy his ambition, Macbeth opens the gate to a new realm of

misfortune that only serves to pull him closer to his own downfall.
 Herrera 3

In addition to ambition, Shakespeare has Macbeth display hubris throughout the course of

the play. Hubris is a form of hamartia and known as excessive overconfidence which typically

works against the tragic figure. Hubris is present when the third apparition tells Macbeth that he

will remain King of Scotland until Birnam Wood walks up Dunsinane Hill. Macbeth does not

believe that the prophecy could ever come true so he “confidently clings to the witches'

assurances that he is invulnerable…” (“Macbeth” 1). To Macbeth, the prophecy is impossible to

fulfill because a forest can not just get up and walk up a hill; as a result, he does not care about

the fact that Malcolm’s army greatly outnumbers his own. Instead, Macbeth goes ahead and

“prepares to engage Malcolm's army at Dunsinane castle” (“Macbeth” 1). If he had not had this

tragic flaw he would have seen how small of a chance he stood against Malcolm’s army and

would have tried to think of another solution that did not involve fighting him. Similarly,

Macbeth lets his hubris make him believe that no one could ever kill him. As part of the third

apparition, Shakespeare has the witches show Macbeth a bloody child that tells Macbeth to “be

bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn / The power of man, for none of woman born / Shall

harm Macbeth” (​Macbeth​, 4.1: 79-81). The apparition’s words encourage Macbeth to be carefree

because all men are born from a woman; as a result, he feels no fear when Macduff comes to

confront him. However, what he does not expect is for Macduff to tell him that he was born via

cesarean section and is therefore, not born from a woman. In both these examples, his hubris

does not let him grasp the severity of the situations he gets himself into which thus results in his

death.

Not only does Macbeth’s hamartia include ambition and hubris, but it also includes his

tendency to disrespect the natural order of the world. Throughout the play, it is apparent that
 Herrera 4

“through his benevolence, graciousness, and almost naive trust, Duncan embodies a sense of

harmony which generally inspires loyalty among his followers” (“Macbeth” 1). Shakespeare

makes Duncan a well-loved individual who truly looks after the welfare of his people to

showcase him as the divine right of Scotland. Therefore, when Macbeth kills Duncan he is

killing the divine right and thus displaces “the sense of order inherent in Duncan's reign”

(“Macbeth” 1). In addition, his disrespect for the natural order of life is present when he kills his

best friend, Banquo. Macbeth and Banquo have been friends and fellow noble soldiers on the

battlefields for a long time. However, even after the witches’ prophecies and Duncan’s death,

“Banquo believes Macbeth is still his friend, despite knowing what the prophecies say…[and his]

trust leaves him vulnerable” (“Macbeth” 1).Although Duncan’s murder arouses suspicion,

Banquo places enough trust in Macbeth and their friendship to believe he will not do anything

against him; however, he is wrong. It is unnatural for someone to order the murder of their best

friend because a best friend is typically someone who the person is extremely close to. One final

example of Macbeth’s hamartia is when he orders the execution of Macduff’s family. The

assassins kill Macduff’s son first in front of Lady Macbeth causing the child to cry out “​run

away, I pray you!” (​Macbeth​, 4.2: 81-82). Scholars find this scene significant because the

parental figure usually dies first to protect the child, but that does not occur during this cruel

scene. The fact that Macbeth’s order results in this reversal of roles proves that he has a

miniscule amount of respect for the natural order of the world.

Peripeteia in literature is a reversal of fate that the tragic figure experiences throughout

the course of the book. According to literary critic Charles H. Reeves, a tragic hero is “a good

man…[that passes] from happiness to misery” (Reeves 172). Macbeth is a character that goes
 Herrera 5

from having a perfect life to having a life full of restlessness and evil. In the play, “​Macbeth is

the Thane of Glamis and a general in Duncan's army. He is fierce and heroic on the battlefield,

and his valor wins him the admiration and gratitude of his king” (“Macbeth” 1). Macbeth feels

satisfaction with his life at the beginning of the play and has countless reasons to be content;

however, he suffers a reversal of fate when he kills Duncan and plunges his mind into a pit of

guilt so powerful that he eventually does not care who he murders. Another example of

Macbeth’s peripeteia concerns the fulfillment of both the second and third prophecies. Macbeth

does not believe that anyone can defeat him because the witches’ prophecies are not likely to

happen. However, Macbeth suffers a reversal of fate when the messenger tells him ​“I looked

toward Birnam, and anon methought / The wood began to move.” (​Macbeth,​ 5.5: 33-34).

Shakespeare has the prophecy come true in a way Macbeth never expected which brings

Macbeth into emotional ruin. The same occurs again later during Macbeth’s final battle scene

with Macduff where he “​learns that his opponent was "untimely ripp'd" from his mother's womb

(meaning he was born by Caesarean section)... [and realizes] that his ​fate​ is sealed… ”

(“Macbeth” 1). Macbeth never expected the third prophecy to come true because all men are

born from women. However, the prophecy was fulfilled against all odds, reversing Macbeth’s

fate.

A tragic hero is not a tragic figure unless they evoke catharsis in the audience. Catharsis

is a literary trait in tragic heroes that ​“appeal[s] either to the human feeling in us, or to our pity,

or to our fears” (Reeves 173). Shakespeare evokes these feelings in the audience by including

incidents that show Macbeth’s humane side. When he kills Duncan, “the consciousness of his

own guilt for his own action is overwhelming and remorse is almost insupportable” (Moseley
 Herrera 6

365). If Macbeth has guilt, then he can not be completely evil and malicious; there is still a good

part of him that the audience pities, tugging on their heart strings and making them wish he

overcame the pull of his tragic flaws. Furthermore, another example is when Macbeth sees

Banquo’s ghost at the banquet. When Macbeth sees the ghost he tells him “Thou canst not say I

did it. Never shake / Thy gory locks at me.” (​Macbeth,​ 3.4: 50-51). Macbeth is clearly feeling

some sort of remorse if the memory of his dead best friend haunts him. For this reason, the

audience feels pity for Macbeth because his guilt implies that his morals are not completely

gone. Furthermore, one last example of catharsis that Shakespeare includes is when the king

gives Macbeth his new title as the Thane of Cawdor. The king gives Macbeth this new title

because he is a “man worthy of… admiration… [and] is ‘brave’ and ‘valiant’” (Booth 18).

Shakespeare makes this evident from his behavior on the battlefield at the beginning of the play.

Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as an honorable warrior who could have done so much for his

country if he had just made the right choices. Because of this Shakespeare is successful in

evoking catharsis to the audience.

Since Macbeth in ​The Tragedy of Macbeth b​ y William Shakespeare displays hamartia,

peripeteia, and catharsis, he has all the characteristics needed to classify him as a tragic hero.

Macbeth had so much potential to do good for the country of Scotland and its people. However,

his hamartia in the form of ambition, hubris, and disrespect of the natural order hinders him from

accomplishing any good deeds. Due to all those tragic flaws, Macbeth experiences peripeteia and

goes straight to his demise. Because of the potential he had, the audience feels a sense of pity

about how differently events could have played out if Macbeth had just been able to overcome

his tragic flaws and not succumb to temptation. Given these points, it is clear that his overload of
 Herrera 7

hamartia resulted in the depiction of both peripeteia and catharsis in Macbeth, meaning that

Macbeth is indeed a tragic hero.

 Herrera 8

Works Cited

Booth, Wayne C. "MACBETH AS TRAGIC HERO." ​JSTOR​. The Journal of General

Education, Oct. 1951. Web. 5 May 2019.

"Macbeth." Ed. Anne Marie Hacht. ​Literature Resources for Students.​ Shakespeare for Students:

Critical Interpretations of Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry, 2007. Web. 6 May 2019.

Haupt, G. E. "A NOTE ON THE TRAGIC FLAW AND CAUSATION IN SHAKESPEAREAN

TRAGEDY." ​JSTOR.​ Interpretations, 1973. Web. 7 May 2019.

Huber, Eugene R. "A Note on Blood, Ambition, and Guilt in MACBETH." ​JSTOR.​ Bulletin of

the New York Shakespeare Society, Oct. 1983. Web. 6 May 2019.

Moseley, Charles. "Macbeth's Free Fall." Ed. Michelle Lee. ​Literature Criticism Online.​

Shakespearean Criticism, 1988. Web. 7 May 2019.

Reeves, Charles H. "The Aristotelian Concept of the Tragic Hero." ​JSTOR.​ The American

Journal of Philology, 1952. Web. 7 May 2019.

Shakespeare, William, and John Crowther. ​No Fear Shakespeare: Macbeth​. New York: Spark,

2003. Print.