PRESENTATION TOPIC

◆ Macbeth: The Tragic Hero

◆ Is Macbeth a traditional tragic hero?

◆ Examine his characteristics in relation to the

classical definition of a tragic hero.
MACBETH: THE TRAGIC HERO
 Tragic Hero Definition
◆ A tragic hero is a protagonist in a tragedy.
◆ You will always find a tragic hero character
in a tragic situation. Almost all tragic heroes
consist of heroic traits.
◆ But they also consist of flaws, or they
commit mistakes which lead to their downfall
or tragic ending.
 Tragic Hero Definition
◆ When we talk about Shakespeare's
Macbeth, Macbeth's character comes under
the tragic hero definition.
◆ His passion for fulfilling the prophecy and to
get on the throne makes him a compelling
character, but this also leads him to his tragic
death.
 Additional Key Details
◆ Aristotle was the first Greek philosopher who
gave the tragic hero definition. His definition
was based on the study of Greek drama. The
idea of the tragic hero was initially defined by
the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle based
on his study of Greek drama.
◆ Despite the term “tragic hero,” it’s sometimes
the case that tragic heroes are not really heroes
at all in the typical sense—and in a few cases,
antagonists may even be described as tragic
heroes.
 Aristotle And The Tragic Hero
◆ As we discussed earlier, Aristotle, the Greek
philosopher, was the first who gave the tragic
hero definition. According to Aristotle, a tragedy
is good only when it evokes feeling like pity and
fear in the audience. He saw these two
emotions as fundamental to the experience of
catharsis.
◆ Aristotle once said that when the tragic hero
meets his death or demise, “pity is aroused by
unmerited misfortune, fear by the misfortune of
a man like ourselves.”
 Features Of A Tragic Hero
◆ Aristotle defined the features of a tragic
hero. These features are must-have things in a
tragic hero to evoke the above-mentioned
feeling in the audience. According to Aristotle,
a tragic hero should have:
1. Be Virtouous: The meaning of virtuous in
Aristotle’s time is to be a noble character. He
should not only be heroic but also capable,
strong, and heroic in nature. He should take
responsibility for honour and morality which
 Features Of A Tragic Hero
were guided by Greek culture. These traits
help the hero by making him attractive and
compelling, and also bring sympathy from the
audience.
2. Be Flawed: In Aristotle’s words, Hero must
have a tragic flaw, also known as hamartia. A
tragic Flaw in a hero is like a human error, and
the error will lead to the downfall of the
character. Tragic flaw plays an important role
in the tragic hero definition.
 Features Of A Tragic Hero
These flaws help in making the character relatable
to the audience. The audience can identify
themselves with the character and feel for him/her.
The tragic flaw makes the tragedy more powerful
because the source of the tragedy is internal to the
character. No outside force is responsible for
shaping the tragedy. It’s the loopholes or heroic
deeds of the character that results in a tragedy. For
instance, a righteous quest for seeking truth or
justice leads to a tragic end or hubris. In such
cases, it is like a character is destined to his/her
 Features Of A Tragic Hero
3. Suffer a reversal of fortune: Another
characteristic of a tragedy that suits the tragic
hero definition is the reversal of fortune. In
this what happens is that a character often a
hero suffers a reversal of fortune. He turns
bad from good or gets to the lowest position
from a higher stature. The reversal does not
only mean the loss of money or status. It also
means that at the end character is dead or in
immense suffering. This suffering is more than
Features Of The Modern Tragic Hero
The notion of the tragic hero has greatly
altered throughout time. Now more features
are in it now:
1. Characters of all genders and class
backgrounds.
Now tragic heroes don’t need to be from a
noble family. A low-born or a female can also
be considered a tragic hero.
2. Characters who don’t fit the conventional
definition of a hero.
Features Of The Modern Tragic Hero
A tragic hero could be a person like you and
me without typical heroic qualities.
3. The tragic hero must gain the sympathy of
the audience.
It is essential for a tragic hero to stumble.
Because of some of the tragic flaws in their
own nature, a tragic hero should suffer. He
should suffer the fall despite his best
attempts.
 Classical Tragic Hero
◆ A classical tragic hero is a character in tragedy
who possesses noble qualities but ultimately
meets a tragic downfall due to a fatal flaw or error
in judgment. This type of hero is often of high
social status, such as a king or nobleman, and
their downfall affects not only themselves but also
the society or community to which they belongs
to. Classical tragic heroes evoke pity and fear in
audience, as their fate serves as a warning against
certain human weaknesses or moral failings.
 Traditional Tragic Hero
• A traditional tragic hero follows similar characteristics as the
classical tragic hero but may be found in works from different
cultures or time periods. While the classical tragic hero is
often associated with ancient Greek tragedies, traditional
tragic heroes can be found in various literary traditions
around the world. These heroes typically possess admirable
qualities and face conflicts that leads to their downfall, often
due to their own flaws or external circumstances beyond their
control. The traditional tragic hero’s story serves as a
reflection on universal human experiences and explores
themes of fate, morality and the consequences of one’s
actions.
 Is Macbeth a traditional tragic hero?
• Macbeth can be considered a traditional tragic hero.
• According to Aristotle’s definition of tragic hero Macbeth possesses
many of the characteristics.
• Aristotle’s definition of a Tragic hero
• Aristotle defined a tragic hero as a character who is noble and
virtuous, but also has a tragic flaw (Hamartia) that leads to their
downfall. The tragic hero experiences a reversal of fortune
(Peripeteia) and suffers a great deal,
ultimately leading to their own destruction.
Despite their flaws, the tragic hero evokes
feelings ofpity and fear in the audience,
and their downfall serves as a warning or
lesson about the consequences of
human actions.
Is Macbeth a traditional tragic hero?

• Firstly Macbeth is a noble and respected character in the

play. He is described as a brave and loyal solider who is highly
regarded by King Duncan. Further more he is the Thane of
Glamis and fearless warrior who fought against the enemies
and traitor of king Duncan. This establishes his high status and
noble birth, which are important traits of a tragic hero.
• Secondly Macbeth has a tragic flaw, which is his ambition (of
becoming king). He becomes consumed by his desire for
power and it drives him to commit such a heinous act. This
flaw leads to his tragic downfall as he becomes increasingly
ruthless and loss touch with moral compass. This flaw of his is
driven by the prophecy announced by three witches. In this
Is Macbeth a traditional tragic hero?
• prophecy the witches announces to him at first that he will be
thane of Cowdor, which after sometime he becomes and then
these witches reveals to him that he will be the king in future,
making his tragic flaw even more violent and dangerous.
• Macbeth experiences a reversal of fortune. At the beginning
of the play, he is victorious in
battle and receives praise and
rewards from King Duncan.
However as the play progresses,
his action leads to his downfall
and eventual death.
Is Macbeth a traditional tragic hero?

• Macbeth evokes pity and fear in audience or readers. Despite

his actions, there are moments where he shows remorse and
guilt for what he has done. This creates sympathy for him as
we see him struggle with the consequences of his choices.
• Therefore, Macbeth fits into the traditional
mold of tragic hero due to his noble birth, tragic flaw, reversal
of fortune and ability to
evoke pity and fear in audience
or reader.
Macbeth killing king Duncan
 Characteristics of Macbeth in relation
to classical definition of a tragic hero
• Classic definition of a tragic hero: Tragic hero is a character
which possesses a hero like qualities but experiences a
downfall due to a tragic flaw or error in judgment which then
leads to his tragic end or tragic death.
• For example
• Hamlet being loyal and honest meet his tragic death because
of his tragic flaw (procrastination) To be or not to be.
• Oedipus having good qualities of courage, humanity,
shrewdness, determination but ultimately his tragic flaws
which are his anger, his rashness, and the decision he makes
while trying to do the right things leads him to a tragic end
and fulfilling the tragedy.
 Characteristics of Macbeth in relation
to classical definition of a tragic hero
• Characteristics of Macbeth according to this definition of
tragic hero.
• 1. Noble Birth: Macbeth is a Scottish nobleman and respected
solider, at the start of this play he is very brave and respected
solider and holding the title of Thane of Glamis. His bravery
and gallantry at battle are very much known and admired by
everyone. He starts off as a valiant warrior, loyal to King
Duncan.
• 2. Tragic Flaw: Macbeth tragic flaw is his ambition. Although
initially hesitant about the idea of murdering King Duncan to
seize the throne, his ambition gets the better of him when he
encounters the witches prophecies. After learning from the
• witches that he become king in future his ambition of
becoming king rather than thane of Cowdor, leads him to
commit further atrocities in order to maintain his power.
• 3. Hubris: Hubris is from Greek, which means excessive pride
and confidence or violating the bounds set for humans and
was always punished by gods.
Macbeth’s excessive pride and arrogance contribute to his
downfall. He becomes overconfident after receiving positive
prophecies from the witches, that you can be only killed on the
day when trees will walk and the other prophecy that no man
born from a women shall harm you which leads to Macbeth
believing himself invincible and untouchable.
 Characteristics of Macbeth in relation
to classical definition of a tragic hero
• 4. Reversal of Fortune: Macbeth experiences a reversal of
fortune as he rises from being a loyal nobleman of king
Duncan and thane of Glamis, to becoming thane of Cowdor,
after fighting courageously in the battlefield but when he
becomes the thane of Cowdor, he remembers the prophecy
of him becoming king, for which he then plans to kill the king
and after performing act of killing king Duncan and subject to
becoming king. ultimately falls from grace due to his action of
brutally killing king Duncan at his place. His initial success in
achieving power after killing King Duncan and committing a
heinous crime is followed by a series of tragic events that
leads to his demise.
 Characteristics of Macbeth in relation
to classical definition of a tragic hero
• 5. Recognition: Throughout the play, Macbeth has moments
of self-awareness where he recognizes the consequences of
his action and acknowledges his guilt and moral decay.
However, these realizations come too late for him to change
course of his actions and life. But it is also used very
powerfully at the end of this play. Macbeth thinks that he is
invincible because the witches have told him that he will not
be vanquished until “Great Birnam Wood (move) to high
Dunsinane Hill. They have also told him that “none woman
born shall harm Macbeth”.
 Characteristics of Macbeth in relation
to classical definition of a tragic hero
• 6. Catharsis: The audience experiences catharsis through piety
and fear as they witness Macbeth’s tragic downfall and
recognize how his own choices led him to tragic death toward
the end of the play.
• 7. Tragic death: In accordance with classical tragedy, Macbeth
meets a tragic end by being killed in battle by Macduff,
fulfilling the prophecy that “ none woman born shall harm
Macbeth”. Because Macduff claims to be ripped off from his
mother’s womb and his mother might have deceased as
women in those days could have not survived c-section, so in
other words Macduff was not born from a woman, but from a
corpse.
 Characteristics of Macbeth in relation
to classical definition of a tragic hero
• In conclusion, Macbeth exhibits several characteristics of a
classical tragic hero such as noble birth, possession of a tragic
flaw( ambition), hubris leading to downfall, reversal of
fortune, recognition of mistakes too late, catharsis for the
audience through pity and fear ultimately meeting a tragic
death.