Aristotles Tragic Hero in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay...

Aristotles Tragic Hero in Macbeth Aristotle and Shakespeare lived ages apart, but Aristotle had a great affect on Shakespeares plays. In Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth, the character of Macbeth is consistent with Aristotles definition of the tragic hero. Aristotles tragic hero is a man who is characterized by good and evil. He is a mixture of good characteristics and bad characteristics. For example, Macbeth was an honorable Thane of Glamis. He was a valiant fighter who had protected his country of Scotland well, but he wanted to be king. His vaulting ambition caused him to kill King Duncan which ended up in his fall. Aristotles tragic hero has a tragic flaw, or harmatia, that is the cause of the downfall.†¦show more content†¦However, as soon as the witches spark ambition in him, he is no longer trustworthy and becomes evil and deceiving. Even before he reaches his home, thoughts of murder creep into his head and he is overcome with the desire to be powerful. The prince of Cumberland: that is a step on which I must not fall down, or else oerleap, for in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires, the eye wink at the hand. Yet let that be, which the eye fears when it is done to see (Shakespeare 21). At this point in the play, Macbeths ambition starts to come into view. The seed has been planted, and there is no turning back. Macbeth becomes bloodthirsty and powerstricken forcing himself further and further into a web of ambition from which he is unable to detatch himself. Macbeths ambition is what allowed him to become powerful. Without ambition, it is impossible to achieve goals. Therefore, ambition is what allowed Macbeth to overcome his obstacles and come closer to his final goals. As soon as he developed the trait of vaulting ambition, Macbeth is able to make his life fall into place exactly the way he wants it to. He first murders Duncan so that he will become king. Macbeths ambition is directly the cause of this tragic incident. This murder is in cold evil blood by Macbeths own hand; at this point he starts seeking his future on his own and will overcome any obstacles in hisShow MoreRelatedAristotelian Tragedy Macbeth Essays611 Words   |  3 PagesAristotelian Tragedy: Macbeth Aristotle is known widely for developing his ideas on tragedy. He recorded these ideas in his Poetics in which he comments on the plot, purpose, and effect that a true tragedy must have. The structure of these tragedies has been an example for many writers including Shakespeare himself. Many of Shakespeare’s plays follow Aristotelian ideas of tragedy, for instance Macbeth does a decent job in shadowing Aristotle’s model. 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