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"For THe General"
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Macbeth Was Macbeth a tragic hero? Or was he a crazed serial killer who thrived upon the killings of both friends and enemies? Shakespeare’s knowledge of human nature was confirmed again by this tragedy, which reflects the idea of crime and consequence. Macbeth is the story of a well - respected soldier, whose ambition is his fatal weakness. The timely prophecies of three witches about his future confirm his ambition of becoming king and aided by his cunning wife who shares his desires he is driven to evil. In this essay I will try to prove that he had “vaulting ambition” rather than just being a cold - blooded murderer. Macbeth has all the qualities of a classic Shakespearean tragic hero. He was of high birth and position, Thane of Glamis and co-leader with best friend Banquo of the king’s army. Although co-leader the king speaks of him more frequently than his counterpart and therefore I consider him the senior out of the two. This is confirmed in Act One Scene Two when Duncan receives reports back about the proceedings of the battles; at not one time in this report is there a mention of Banquo only of “Brave Macbeth” and without even Macbeth speaking a word you get the impression that he is a strong loyal character whom everyone respects. Of all these features of a tragic hero the most important is his ambition, which is played upon by circumstances. I consider this very important as Macbeth’s ambition was triggered by the prophecies of the witches. There is also a hint of evil in Macbeth from the first time he talks “ so foul and fair a day I have not seen” This echoes the first words of the witches “Fair is Foul and Foul is Fair”!
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