Macbeth as a Hero.

In some ways, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a traditional tragic hero, yet deviates from this
concept to reflect upon the fragility of power that has arisen due to regicide. This allows
Shakespeare to warn the Jacobean audience of the consequences that stem from regicide.

Shakespeare deviates from the tragic hero structure of the character to portray fragility of
power. The character’s power-related insecurities are reflected in his soliloquy- “was he not
born of woman?” perhaps Shakespeare uses these insecurities to depict the character’s need
for a vindictive and selfish plan in order to retain his crumbling reign, which would prompt the
audience to question the authenticity of the character’s power. The audience would then be
reminded of the regicide committed at the start of the play, eliminating any sympathy the
audience had originally acquired for the character, further emphasizing Shakespeare’s deviation
from this traditional format. Not only is Shakespeare use of a question symbolic of the
character’s questioning his “tyrant”-like rule, it also prompts the audience ( both
Shakespearean and modern) to question the character’s power, displaying its true fragility. This
is Shakespeare’s representation of the severe consequences of regicide, and this deters the
Christocentric audience from ever committing this heinous crime- much to the delight of King
James I. The character’s avarice for power that stems from regicide prevents the audience from
sympathizing with Macbeth, which offsets one of the key elements of a tragic hero. Therefore,
Shakespeare utilize Macbeth and the image of a crumbling rule to give warning to the
Shakespearean audience through devastating consequences that arise from regicide.

However, Shakespeare does utilize the character as a tragic hero to remind the audience of his
almost certain damnation. It is only after “enter a servant” that Shakespeare uses a plethora of
hell imagery, such as describe a “black…demon”, to spark the onset of the character’s downfall
through his fragility of power. The fact that Shakespeare chose to use hell imagery perhaps
suggest to the Christocentric audience a future punishment from God for the accursed
character of Macbeth because of the earlier disturbance of the Divine order. Not only does
Shakespeare’s use of foreshadowing of the character’s downfall highlight this, but also the stark
contrast of the innocent servant and the “tyrant”, and this brings an even greater evil to the
actions committed by Macbeth against Divine Order. Despite this, a modern audience may
argue this to be outbreak of a mental breakdown or “disease”, which was stimulated by the
contrasting innocence of the servant as modern audiences are more open to the concept of
mental disorders. In addition, the arrival of the servant may have reminded Macbeth of the
fragile power he may soon lose due to his hamartia, causing the mental breakdown.
Nevertheless, Shakespeare uses imagery of religious and mental damnation to remind the
audience of the consequences of regicide, all whilst still displaying the character’s fragility of
power that has originated from his regicide. A depiction of the character as a tragic hero is used
for this purpose.
At the end of the play, Shakespeare fulfils Macbeth’s hamartia, presenting him as a tragic hero.
The “tyrant” rule of Macbeth that was like a “brief candle”, “signifying nothing” solidifies the
fragility of power that the character had experienced throughout the play as a result of
regicide. The fact that Shakespeare makes this concrete at the end of the play allows the
audience to be continuously evoked of the character’s fragility of power and damnation,
continuously warning them of the consequences of regicide. However, the audience’s reaction
to this presentation of Macbeth as a tragic hero is contrasting itself: Macbeth’s hamartia and
downfall acts as a warning to the audience, yet no apparent sympathy is displayed for a tragic
hero because of the act of regicide, which goes against the strict 17 th century societal structure
of the Divine Order. The image of the candle is iconic: the word “candle” suggest hope and
warmth but this is the complete opposite of the “tyrant”. The word “brief” foreshadows the
“brief” rule of Macbeth, reflecting the “brief” success Macbeth will have as a result of the
murder of the “old man”. Perhaps Shakespeare uses foreshadowing to inform the audience that
success from evil deeds will be “brief” and there is a strong guarantee of punishment whether
that be psychological or physical. Therefore, Shakespeare utilizes Macbeth’s eventual downfall
and loss of power to reinforce the belief of consequences which stem from regicide by
portraying the character as a tragic hero.
Ultimately, Shakespeare does mainly portray Macbeth as a tragic hero, yet does not fully do
this in order to continually warn the audience of the dangers of regicide and breaking the
Divine Order.
Perhaps Shakespeare also uses the character’s fragility of power to reinforce this to keep on
reminding the audience of the heinous crime, deterring them further from ever committing
this. The addition of religious imagery and foreshadowing puts emphasis on the character’s
struggling power and reign, which also puts emphasis on the character’s downfall and the
reason behind it: regicide.