Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s typical tragic heroes.

He can be seen as a man with

many good traits. However, his one mistake fills his life with fear and regret. Being the
protagonist of the play, he is someone who can be admired. His qualities are shown in his battle
skills and at the start we realize that Macbeth is a good soldier and is loyal to his King hence
“For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name”. His greatness and courage in battle for his
country eventually leads him to be a great thane and then a powerful king.

His reluctance and guilt in killing Duncan also reveals his heroic nature. The reasons he
displays to justify his guilt show Macbeth’s positive attributes and his potential in being a hero.
“First, I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed” This shows that Macbeth
is loyal to his family and feels that he owes his King obedience. This also portrays the qualities of
Macbeth showing him as a hero. “As his host who should against his murderer shut the door,”
This shows Macbeth’s loyalty for his King as he is Duncan’s guest. Therefore, we can see that
Macbeth’s conscience does not agree to kill Duncan. When Macbeth says “Not bear the knife
myself.” we can deduce that he feels guilty and does not want to be responsible for such a crime
that is against his moral code. He also recognizes Duncan’s good attributes and feels that it
would be wrong to murder such a person; “Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels,” This shows that he thinks
highly of Duncan and respects him as he does not misuse his power. It shows that he knows the
importance of Duncan and that everyone will cry at his death. The quote “Shall blow the horrid
deed in every eye” shows that he thinks Duncan is loved by all and everyone will cry in his
absence. Therefore, we can see that Macbeth has many good traits and did not want to kill
Duncan. He was tempted by Lady Macbeth and so is a tragic hero as he knew that he was
making the wrong decision. Therefore we notice that his morals are important to him.

However, the one flaw in his character is responsible for the tragic events that
occur during the whole play. This flaw is his ambition to be king and to gain power
which becomes an obsession to remain in his current position. He’s a tragic hero as he
recognizes from the beginning that his ambition could be the cause of his downfall. His
ambition reaches a point where he falls to the temptation of evil and the consequence is
his inevitable downfall. Therefore, the hero we could see to begin with is corrupted and
Macbeth is shown as a tragic hero in the pivotal point at which all is lost. His ambition is
the major cause of his downfall. At every step his morals are taken over by his
temptations. Even though he is a hero at heart, as we have seen from the start, his
mistakes create a perception that he is evil. Hence, the term “tragic hero”

Although fate and ambition are responsible for Macbeth’s degeneration, Lady Macbeth
and the witches are also at fault. As Macbeth becomes Thane of Cawdor and then Thane of
Glamis, his dream to become King does not seem too distant. With the influence and
manipulation of Lady Macbeth the ambitions hidden in Macbeth are strengthened and her evil
scheme gradually tempts Macbeth. His heroic character becomes that of a villain, and his plan to
be a successful king backfires. He is a tragic hero because he was a noble, righteous person who
could have achieved much more and would have been loved by all if he did not commit the
murder of Duncan. The tragic part is that Macbeth was against the murder but was under the
influence of evil individuals that changed his character.

The consequences of Macbeth’s decisions did not just affect him; the whole of Scotland
is shaken by the changes of the natural order. The most frequent natural order shown that is
disturbed is sleep. The announcement that Macbeth makes says that he has “murdered sleep”
which is mirrored in Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking. To conclude, Macbeth is a tragic hero
because of his ambition to reach his goal from the very beginning and maintain it. Therefore, by
the influence of fate, the witches’ prophecies, Lady Macbeth and ill-fated decisions, his character
changed from a brave, courageous and loyal man to an evil being, despised by most in Scotland.
Macbeth is a hero with one flaw, his ambition, which can be recognized as the main cause of his
downfall, labelling him as a tragic hero.