for a tragic character. A villain cannot be a tragic character.
Tragic Flaw (Hamartia): Hamartia is a Greek word that means tragic flaw. Tragic flaw means the weakness in a tragic hero’s character that leads to his downfall. Macbeth’s tragic flaw is his ambition: his excessive/overweening desire for power. Three witches tell him he will become the king of Scotland:
“All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!”
This prophecy sparks Macbeth’s ambition. Even though Macbeth hesitates at first, his hunger for power grows stronger. His wife, Lady Macbeth, pushes him to act by questioning his bravery. Thus, he plans to kill King Duncan and take over the throne. This tragic flaw leads to his downfall.
Bad Choices and Reversal of Fate (Peripeteia): Though others play a role in Macbeth’s decisions, it is ultimately his own bad choices that bring about his downfall. The witches’ prophecy gives him the idea of becoming king. Lady Macbeth manipulates him by calling him weak when he hesitates to kill Duncan. However, Macbeth is not forced to do anything; he makes his own choices. After the murder of King Duncan, there is no turning back for Macbeth and his wife. Lady Macbeth says:
“What's done cannot be undone.”
To protect his power, Macbeth kills Banquo and also orders the murder of Macduff’s family. His reversal of fate is complete; from a respected figure, he becomes a ruthless murderer.
Suffering (Nemesis): A tragic character suffers a lot because of his tragic flaw. Macbeth suffers a lot. Each crime makes him more isolated and hated. His guilt haunts him. His guilt causes nightmares and hallucinations. He even loses his loving wife, Lady Macbeth, who goes mad because of her guilt and dies. One trouble comes after another for Macbeth. As the witches say:
“Double, double toil and trouble:”
Realization (Anagnorisis): One key trait of a tragic hero is that he realizes his mistakes too late. Macbeth knows his actions are wrong from the start. But he cannot control his ambition to be the king. Later, he feels trapped by his crimes. At the end, Macbeth thinks about the futility of his actions and life itself. He says:
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player…
It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
In the final battle, Macbeth is killed by Macduff.
Pity and Fear (Catharsis): Catharsis refers to the pity and fear the audience feels seeing the downfall of the tragic hero. While Macbeth’s death is deserved, the audience still feels pity for him. Because he was not an evil person at the beginning. The audience feels fear, seeing how unchecked ambition can destroy a good soul.
For these reasons, Macbeth becomes a classic example of a tragic hero. Macbeth starts as a good and noble man, but his ambition and wrong choices lead to his downfall. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to teach us an important lesson: unchecked ambition corrupts the soul and leads to self-destruction.
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