Example research essay topic: Beginning Of The Play Tragic Hero - 930 words

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Macbeth: Macbeth The Tragic Hero The most recent meaning of the word Tragic Hero as defined by Microsoft Works dictionary is A hero of noble stature whose fortunes are reversed as a result of weakness. Many characters in the play were affected by tragedy for a number of reasons, but without argue, Macbeth and his reverse of fortunes are due to his own actions, and the rest of the cast were merely victims of this. Macbeth's actions lead to his very noises. From the beginning of the play this tragedy of his was manifested through forces beyond human; the supernatural if you will. These forces were that of the witches. The next factor in determining his fate was his own decisions and actions.

Lady Macbeth is the second reason for Macbeth's tragedy; without her support in aiding his decision, Macbeth would have never had the strength to lie, scheme, and destroy to such extremes. The last, and most devastating to Macbeth, was his crippled conscious which made him act out of selfishness and lust. The sequence of these factors were most definitely provoked by the evilness and twisted nature of the witches, for if it werent for their influence, then Macbeth would have never turned his desires into reality. At the very beginning of the play Macbeth is nothing but a general fighting for his country.

His fellow fighters admire Macbeth, for in their eyes, and even in the eyes of the highest of authority, his nobility and courageousness is looked up to. His success for his achievement is rewarded, and his confidence is made stronger because of this. But this is only the beginning, and soon these good fortunes will come to a tragic end. The audience is then introduced to a group of witches. Three witches who appear as wicked and repulsive. They seem to signify all that is wrong and corrupt.

Macbeth's over- confident attitude is the first characteristic the witches detect, and they take advantage of this trait to make his life as miserable as they possibly can. He encounters the witches in Act 1, scene 1, and from this point he is now a step closer to realising what his future holds so he thinks. The witches first address Macbeth as king, and Bang as one Lesser than Macbeth. (1. 2. 65) Infact, Macbeth isnt king, never the less, the witches insist in prophecising that he is and will be. The witches are already planting seeds of persuasion into his head which are made to bloom into tragedy. These destructive and manipulative forces the witches have power over alter his viewpoints about his values and morals beyond the point of no return.

Already, it is a tragedy in itself that Macbeth's invulnerability lead him to believing such evilness. Macbeth may have listened and considered what may be true about the witch's prophecies, but he should be credited with the fact that he did have doubt. It is true that Macbeth thought about what he had to do in order to ever become king, and he could never imagined himself going as far as killing king Duncan: Why, if fate will have me king, fate may crown me. (1. 7. 14) In other words, he hasnt established his decision yet. But now we are introduced to Lady Macbeth. She is very pleased to hear of Macbeth's victory and she is very supportive once hes successfully considered thane of Candor. She sees the horizon for her husband is now broader, and she wants only the best for him.

Macbeth tells her what the witches see in his future, and this gives her scope to an even grander possibility; they can kill the king and make the vision actuality. So at this point it is Lady Macbeth's to encourage Macbeth into following his dreams, despite what is right or wrong. She doesnt allow Macbeth to be coward and she makes it very clear to him that he lacks manhood: What beast wast then/ That made you break this enterprise to me? / When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And, to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man. Nor time nore place Did then adhere, and yet you would make both; /They have made themselves, and that their fitness now/ Does unmake you. I have given suck, and know How tender tis to love the babe that milks me: / I would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have placed my nipple from his boneless gums, / And david the brains out, had I so sworn as you/ Have done to this. (1. 7. 48 - 59) Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to follow through with the killing of King Duncan.

Shes now the second persuasive factor which aids Macbeth into the tragic demise which is soon to come. Now it is up to Macbeth to analyze his thoughts and decide his fate. He great hero of noble stature, Macbeth, chose the wrong path for himself; he chose to follow his greed as well the depraved influences around him. These components lead to his killing the king, killing innocent people like women and children, which is cruel in itself, the loss of his morals and sanity, the lose of love for his wife, and at the end of the play, the loss of his very life. All that he worked for was reversed as a result of his weakness, as defined by the word tragic hero. His conversion from bad to good ultimately affected his fortunes

Research essay sample on Beginning Of The Play Tragic Hero