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... ts the witches and due to this, does not realise that there are flaws in what the witches are saying. Firstly, the witches tell Macbeth that no man of woman born can harm him. Macbeth takes this as meaning that no man can harm him.
He overlooks the fact, however, that Macduff, the eventual killer of Macbeth, was born by a caesarean section and therefore is not of women born. They also say that he will not be defeated until Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane hill. Macbeth takes this as being impossible also, but he is proved wrong when the soldiers disguise themselves among the trees and foliage and move up the hill, fulfilling the witches guidelines. The witches lured Macbeth into a false sense of security and it backfired on him. The witches are only one example of Macbeth's impressionism, however, his wife, Lady Macbeth also influences him and persuades him to carry out such acts in order to obtain the title of the King of Scotland. To achieve his specific aim, Macbeth must carry out some evil and atrocious deeds.
In this case, murder. Macbeth must murder in order to become king. Amongst his victims are Duncan, Banquo and Lady Macduff. It is clear from this that Macbeth has become evil and this is reiterated by Lennox in Act 3 Scene 6 where he says, May soon return to this our suffering country Under a hand accursed. Macbeth, due to reasons already discussed has become evil and committed evil deeds, in this case, murder. Macbeth has now made the transcension from good to evil and will subsequently suffer due to his actions.
Macbeth also realises that what he is doing is evil and wrong. He proves this twice, firstly in Act 3 Scene 2 where he says, Things bad begun, make strong themselves by ill. Also in Act 3 Scene 4 he remarks, We are yet but young in deed. This last quotation shows the reader that Macbeth is perfectly aware of what he is doing and realises that there are still more murders to be committed. This is essentially evil as Macbeth has already murdered and knows what it is like yet still wants and needs more. Going back to the witches, they know from the start that Macbeth will become evil.
They say, Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Macbeth reiterates this with, So foul and fair a day I have not seen. The meaning of both remarks is that the day is good and evil at the same time. Macbeth has been victorious in battle and is about to be granted with a new title. This is counter-balanced by evil, however, which is, in this case, Macbeth himself. The witches know that Macbeth will become evil and this shows us that Macbeth has the evil in him all along but simply does not show it until necessary.
The best quotation for describing Macbeth's evilness is spoken by Malcolm in Act 4 Scene 3 where he says, in reference to Macbeth, I grant him bloody Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful, Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin That has a name. This really sums up Macbeth and all the evils about him and is the best quotation in the play to prove that he has now become evil. After or whilst achieving their desire, a Tragic Hero will battle with their conscience. Macbeth is an excellent example of this and constantly battles with his conscience throughout the play. The first example of Macbeth battling with his conscience is in Act 1 Scene 3 where he says as part of a soliloquy, Present fears are less than horrible imaginings. My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smothered in surmise, and nothing is, But what is not.
This shows us that although Macbeth is ambitious enough to kill the king, he still has a conscience and finds the thought almost revolting in his mind. He does not, however, dismiss the idea and is still plotting to kill the king as his ambition is overpowering his conscience. Before the killing of Duncan, Macbeth battles again with his own conscience. Not only does he do this, but he begins to hallucinate also, Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee: I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. In Act 3 Scene 4, Macbeth also sees the ghost of Banquo and this again is his conscience speaking, this time not in the form of an object as in the murder weapon but in the form of the victim.
This shows the reader that Macbeth's remorse is growing and is now on a much larger scale. His conscience is getting the better of him and Macbeth is involved in an eternal battle with it. As I mentioned in my description of a Shakespearean Tragic Hero, people suffer due to their actions. It is clear simply from the plot that people do suffer as a result of Macbeth's actions.
As I have already mentioned, people are murdered by Macbeth throughout the play and Lady Macbeth also suffers. She is stricken with guilt as well as Macbeth, Out damned spot! Lady Macbeth remarks whilst hallucinating about blood on her hands. The murder victims and Lady Macbeth are not the only ones to suffer though. As I mentioned in my description, nature can also suffer. In the case of Macbeth, it does.
In Act 2 Scene 4, Ross and an old man discuss some strange goings on; A falcon touring in her pride of place Was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed And, Duncan's horses, a thing most strange and certain Tis said they eat each other. The men are describing the darkness surrounding Duncan's death. They talk of owls killing falcons and horses eating each other whilst the sun is obscured. These unnatural events are a result of Macbeth's evil deeds and are really used to remind the reader of what Macbeth has done and reiterate the fact that it is evil. Although there is no evidence to support it, Macbeth definitely receives empathy from the audience. The battles with conscience aid Macbeth in achieving this and from having read the play, I can say that Shakespeare is successful in stirring empathy from the reader or audience in the case of Macbeth.
In Act 5 Scene 9, Macbeth is slain. This fulfils the last part of the description of a Shakespearean Tragic Hero as the hero dies at the end of the play and good prevails. In conclusion, I will say that although Macbeth does not fulfil or follow all the guidelines of a Shakespearean Tragic Hero (He grows in prominence rather than falling from it), Macbeth, in my opinion can definitely be described as a tragic hero. He fulfils all but one of the guidelines, most exceptionally well as he excels in firstly impressionism and secondly evil.
He also dies at the end which is the key part of being a tragic hero. Macbeth is one of, if not the best of Shakespeare's tragic heros.
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Research essay sample on Is Macbeth A Shakespearean Tragic Hero
