Shakespearean Tragedy / Shakespeare as a Tragedy Writer

Shakespearean Tragedy / Shakespeare as a Tragedy Writer

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, two epitaphs on a man named John Combe, one epitaph on Elias James, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright.
Shakespeare is perhaps most famous for his tragedies. Most of his tragedies were written in a seven-year period between 1601 and 1608. These include his four major tragedies Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth, along with Antony & Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Cymbeline, Julius Caesar, all of which are immediately recognizable, regularly studied and frequently performed.
Following are the salient features of his tragedies.
1. The tragedy is concerned primarily with one person – The tragic hero.
2. The story is essentially one of exceptional suffering and calamity leading to the death of the hero. The suffering and calamity are, as a rule, unexpected and contrasted with previous happiness and glory.
3. The tragedy involves a person of high estate. Therefore, his or her fate affects the welfare of a whole nation or empire.
4. The hero undergoes a sudden reversal of fortune.
5. This reversal excites and arouses the emotions of pity and fear within the audience. The reversal may frighten and awe, making viewers or readers of the play feel that man is blind and helpless.
6. The tragic fate of the hero is often triggered by a tragic flaw in the hero’s character.
7. Shakespeare often introduces abnormal conditions of the mind (such as insanity, somnambulism, or hallucinations).
8. Supernatural elements are often introduced as well.
9. Much of the plot seems to hinge on “chance” or “accident”.
10. Besides the outward conflict between individuals or groups of individuals, there is also an inner conflict and torment within the soul of the tragic hero.

The Hero, A Person Of High And Noble Birth
In Shakespearean tragedy, a hero is always a man of outstanding social status. He may be a king (as in King Lear and Julius Caesar), a prince (as inHamlet), and a very high official (as in Othello and Macbeth) etc. In his conception of tragic hero, Shakespeare conforms to the tradition of the ancient Greek tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides and Roman tragedies of Seneca, and even the tragic conception of the Middle Ages. Bradley says:
‘The advantage of the Shakespearean conception of the tragic hero is that his fall is more bewildering and conspicuous as contrasted to his former prosperity. Moreover, his fate affects the welfare of a whole nation or empire, therefore his tragedy is more enveloping and widespread.
Marlow’s heroes are also extraordinary personalities but they are from humble parentage. Both Marlow and Shakespeare use the name of the hero as the title of the play. Moreover, unlike Shakespeare’s, in Marlow’s tragedies, there is an absence of female characters.
Sufferings And DeathThese heroes undergo a series of sufferings and hardships and torture. In the early tragedies, the form of this suffering is physical but in the later stages, it is not merely physical torture but mental upheaval which sways and rocks them. The hero, under the stress of these sufferings, appears shaken in spite of his greatness and heroic capacity for suffering. Hamlet by his mental torture is virtually laid on the rock. Othello experiences a tempest in his very soul. Lear turns mad. Macbeth loses all interest in life and is obliged to characterize it as
A tale told by an idiot,Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Character Is DestinyIn Shakespearean tragedy, it is the character of the hero which becomes the important factor to decide his destiny. In fact, character is destiny. However, exaggerated this may seem to some critics, it is a fact that it is the character that molds the action of the play. This fact becomes more important because, in the Greek tragedy, it is the plot which becomes a most important factor but in Shakespearean tragedy, it is first the character that is significant. After all, there is hardly any action in Hamlet yet it is one of the most fascinating tragedies in English literature.

Hamartia/Tragic FlawThere is a certain tragic flaw in the character of the hero, which Aristotle termed as “Hamartia” and which provides the ground for the calamity which eventually overwhelms him. Bradley observes:
‘Lear’s tragedy is the tragedy of dotage and short-sightedness, Othello’s that of credulity, Hamlet’s that of indecision, Macbeth’s that of ambition, Antony’s that of neglect of duty and so on’.
In Shakespeare, we find a variety of tragic flaws, while in Marlow’s tragedies, the Hamartia is common and that is “Uncontrolled Ambition”.

The ConflictThe conflict is of two kinds, both of which generally go on simultaneously in Shakespearean tragedy. Antony’s mind is torn between the opposite pulls of love and duty; Macbeth’s between those of ambition and duty. In Romeo and Juliet and Richard II, the conflict is almost entirely external. A lot of bloodshed is generally found in Shakespearean tragedy.
In Marlow’s tragedies, the conflict is only internal, within the mind and heart of the hero. Further, he didn’t pay much importance to chance happening.

Role Of ChanceChance plays an important role in the tragedy of the hero. In Romeo and Juliet, it is by chance that the hero does not get the Friar's message about the potion, and the heroine does not awake from her long sleep a little earlier. InHamlet it was a chance that Hamlet's ship was attacked by the pirates and he was back to Denmark to face the tragic end. Some people think that the introducing the element of chance is to manipulate the action of the play to suit one’s own purposes. But this is not correct because chance or accident is as much of a real life as any normal happening. But where Shakespeare has proved superior to many other playwrights is that he keeps the role of chance within the probable limits. He does not allow even chance or accident to take more importance than the character of the hero.

Supernatural ElementsShakespeare’s plays give a large place to the supernatural. This is because he wrote for an audience which had a liking for the fabulous and the marvelous.

There are Witches in Macbeth, Ghost in Hamlet, Hautboy music in Antony and Cleopatra. These have a close relationship with the abnormal conditions of minds of the protagonists. Hamlet’s mobility of mind is connected with the appearance of a ghost in the first act and in mother’s closet. Macbeth’s lust for power is aroused by the witches.

No Poetic JusticeIn the region of poetic justice where virtue is rewarded and vice punished, Shakespeare has his own laws which are the laws of the living world and not of a theory. In Shakespeare’s tragedies, we find that it is not only the evil that is punished but along with it the good and virtuous has to suffer. Yet it is true to nature that Shakespeare knows once the evil is afoot it will also take in its train goodness too.
DR. JOHNSON’S VIEWS ABOUT SHAKESPEAREDr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) in his Preface to Shakespeare pointed out many merits and demerits of Shakespeare’s dramatic art. The greatest merit of Shakespeare’s plays, according to him, is the universality of their appeal. This is a result of the fact that the plays are based on the truthful observation of general human nature. His plays have stood the test of time and remain fresh and relevant upon numerous re-readings. There is a timeless and universal quality about his characters. Whereas in the works of other dramatists a character is often individual, in those of Shakespeare it is frequently a species.
Unlike most of the dramatists, Shakespeare does not confine himself to themes of love only. There are several other human passions that move the human mind and Shakespeare uses them in his plots as subject-matter.
Johnson appreciates the mingling of tragedy and comedy in Shakespeare’s plays. He is of the view that such plays accurately reflect the state of things in the world where the loss of someone is again for the other. Comedy seems to have been closer to Shakespeare’s genius than tragedy, therefore we find him providing comic scenes even in his histories and tragedies.
Shakespeare is criticized by the neo-classical critics because his plays do not observe the three unities of time, place and action. Johnson does not agree with them and attempts to a strong defense of Shakespeare’s practice. According to him, the only important unity is that of action, which Shakespeare does observe.

Dr. Johnson also points out some flaws of Shakespeare i.e. absence of poetic justice, loose plot structure and disregard for didacticism (moral purpose) etc.

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Othello - Character List

OTHELLO

Character List

Othello -
The play’s protagonist and hero. A Christian Moor and general of the armies of metropolis, Othello is associate degree facile and burly figure, revered by all those around him. In spite of his elevated standing, he's withal simple prey to insecurities attributable to his age, his life as a soldier, and his race. He possesses a “free and open nature,” that his ensign fictitious character uses to twist his love for his spouse, Desdemona, into a robust and damaging jealousy (I.iii.381).

Desdemona -
The female offspring of the Venetian legislator Brabanzio. Desdemona and Othello area unit on the QT married before the play begins. whereas in many ways stereotypically pure and meek, Desdemona is additionally determined and self-collected. She is equally capable of defensive her wedding, humourous bawdily with fictitious character, and responding with dignity to Othello’s incomprehensible jealousy.
Read associate degree in-depth analysis of Desdemona.
Iago -
 Othello’s ensign (a job additionally referred to as associate degree ancient or standard-bearer), and therefore the villain of the play. fictitious character is twenty-eight years previous. whereas his ostensible reason for needing Othello’s ending is that he has been missed out for promotion to lieutenant, Iago’s motivations area unit ne'er terribly clearly expressed and appear to originate in a zealous, nearly aesthetic enjoyment of manipulation and destruction.
Read associate degree in-depth analysis of fictitious character.
Michael Cassio -
Othello’s lieutenant. Cassio may be a young and inexperienced soldier, whose high position is way resented by fictitious character. actually dedicated to Othello, Cassio is extraordinarily shamed once being involved during a sottish brawl on Cyprus and losing his place as lieutenant. fictitious character uses Cassio’s youth, good looks, and relationship with Desdemona to play on Othello’s insecurities concerning Desdemona’s fidelity.
Emilia -
 Iago’s spouse and Desdemona’s attendant. A cynical, worldly lady, she is deeply hooked up to her mistress and distrustful of her husband.
Roderigo -
 A jealous suer of Desdemona. Young, rich, and foolish, Roderigo is convinced that if he provides fictitious character all of his cash, fictitious character can facilitate him win Desdemona’s hand. Repeatedly pissed off as Othello marries Desdemona so takes her to Cyprus, Roderigo is ultimately desperate enough to conform to facilitate fictitious character kill Cassio once fictitious character points out that Cassio is another potential rival for Desdemona.
Bianca -
 A doxy, or prostitute, in Cyprus. Bianca’s favorite client is Cassio, United Nations agency teases her with guarantees of wedding.
Brabanzio -
 Desdemona’s father, a somewhat gusty and arrogant Venetian legislator. As an admirer of Othello, Brabanzio feels betrayed once the overall marries his female offspring on the Q.T..
Duke of metropolis -
 The official authority in metropolis, the duke has nice respect for Othello as a public and military servant. His primary role inside the play is to reconcile Othello and Brabanzio in Act I, scene iii, so to send Othello to Cyprus.
Montano -
 The governor of Cyprus before Othello. we tend to see him 1st in Act II, as he recounts the standing of the war and awaits the Venetian ships.
Lodovico -
 one among Brabanzio’s kinsmen, Lodovico acts as a traveller from metropolis to Cyprus. He arrives in Cyprus in Act IV with letters saying that Othello has been replaced by Cassio as governor.
Graziano -
 Brabanzio’s relation United Nations agency accompanies Lodovico to Cyprus. Amidst the chaos of the ultimate scene, Graziano mentions that Desdemona’s father has died.
Clown -
 Othello’s servant. though the clown seems solely in 2 short scenes, his appearances mirror and warp the action and words of the most plots: his puns on the word “lie” in Act III, scene iv, for instance, anticipate Othello’s confusion of 2 meanings of that word in Act IV, scene i.

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Post Hamlet-Ophelia relationship

Post Hamlet-Ophelia relationship

Shakespeare’s greatness and pre-eminence as a dramatist is universally recognized. It is said that “he was not of an age but of all times”. Shakespeare's characters reveal themselves by what they say and do on the stage. They tell us more by their speeches then by their actions.

Hamlet, the play and the man, seem to be presented as a puzzle. Dower Wilson regards this puzzle as greater even the puzzle of Hamlet’s procrastination in taking his revenge. There are many things in Hamlet which are capable of a large number of interpretations and Hamlet-Ophelia relationship is one of them. In fact, Hamlet is a play which imitates reality so closely, that the play retains the mystery of life and hints at its mysterious depth.

Hamlet loves Ophelia truly and sincerely. He probably fell in love with her when he was staying at Ellsinore before his father’s death. In his love letter he addressed her in the most idealized form. He writes:

“Doubt that the stars are fire,
Doubt that the sun doth move,
Doubt truth to be a liar,
But never doubt I love.”

Ophelia too tells Polonius that Hamlet had importuned her with love in honorable fashion and ‘had given countenance to his speech with almost all the vows of heaven’. Dowden has rightly observed:

“Laertes’ sister Ophelia is loved by Lord Hamlet.”

Ophelia never declares her love in so many words, yet we know Ophelia's heart is entirely given to Hamlet for she has sucked the honey of love musicked vows and that his loss of reason has made her of ladies most deject and wretched. Mrs. Jameson describing her character in her book “Characteristics of women” has observed:

“The love of Ophelia which she never once confesses is like a secret which we have stolen from her and which ought to die upon our hearts as upon her own.”

While both loved each other truly and sincerely then what is the cause of failure of their love? To a certain extent circumstances play an important role. Hamlet’s father dies suddenly and Hamlet returns to Denmark to mourn his father’s death. While he is still a mourner, his mother marries his uncle and it hurts him. Ghost’s revelation of truth makes him disgusted. Now he is no longer interested in man or woman. A clue to his change can be seen in the first soliloquy:

“O that this too too sullied flesh would melt
Thaw and resolve itself into a dew.”

This shows that Hamlet is now unhappy with the world.

Ophelia is another woman who does not have moral firmness. At this juncture when Hamlet needs moral strengths Ophelia’s brother and father warn her of the danger in her amorous contact with Hamlet. They accuse Hamlet roundly of weakness of character and tell that he might betray her. Polonius gives positive orders to repulse Hamlet’s advances. He not only stops her from meeting Hamlet but also advise her to return his letters. Polonius and Laertes are worldly minded men and Hamlet is out of favor with fortune and it is fatal to have any relation with him. Ophelia carries out these orders and Hamlet receives another shock. He goes into Ophelia’s closet and tries to find out id she is also as faithless and unreliable as his mother. He feels betrayed and is hurt.

In the nunnery scene, Ophelia begins by accusing him of infidelity. He asks her if she is honest. Hamlet and Ophelia live on two different lands and there is no communication and understating between them. Ophelia does not understand him and thinks that he is mad and helps her father and Claudius in the hope that Hamlet would regain his reason. Hamlet never shares his secret with Ophelia despite loving her and this he again admits in the last act.

“I loved Ophelia, 40000 brothers,
Could not with all their quantity of love
Make up my sum.”

But for the fulfillment of love and marriage it is now tragically too late.
Ophelia is a meek and frail person. She is too tender to cope with the volcanic world of Hamlet. She is caught in the vortex of circumstances which Hamlet is unable to control. She loses mental balance and dies. Had the circumstances been different she might have been the bride of Hamlet as Gertrude says:

“I hop’d that shouldst been my Hamlet’s wife.”

But in the tragic world of Hamlet there are many casualties caused by the corruption of evil and Ophelia is one of them. Life has its own way of destroying things and we can only feel sorry for them

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Merits and Demerits of Shakespeare

Merits and Demerits of Shakespeare



In Preface to Shakespeare, Johnson has shown the merits and demerits of Shakespeare based on the plays he has edited. Here he gives the readers some sound ideas about the virtues and faults of Shakespeare. That Shakespeare's characters have am interaction with nature and that his works have a universal appeal are the major assertions of Johnson in favour of Shakespeare's merits and what he says about the demerit of Shakespeare is that Shakespeare tries more to please his audience than to instruct them which is a serious fault because it is always a writer's duty to make the world morally better. However, what Johnson has seen as the merits and demerits of Shakespeare are given below:


Merits of Shakespeare:
At first Johnson explicates Shakespeare's virtues after explaining what merit can be determined by the Shakespeare's enduring popularity.


He proceeds thence to elevate Shakespeare as the poet of nature. "Nothing can please many, and please long, but just representations of general nature" (7). He says, "Shakespeare is above all writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirror of manners and of life".( 8). Again he says that Shakespeare's characters "are the genuine progeny of common humanity " In the writings of other writers , a character is too often an individual but a character of Shakespeare has a universal appeal, and his characters are the representatives of the common people.


Moreover Shakespeare is a prophet figure and from his writings we find the ideas of worldly wisdom and the principles which are of value in society and at home. He says, "from his works may be collected a system of civil and economical prudence." (9)


Again he says that by writings Shakespeare brings out the whole sphere of life. Moreover his heroes are like common human beings. And the qualities that are found in Shakespearean heroes can be found in every human being. As he says , "Shakespeare has no heroes; his scenes are occupied only by men, who act and speak as the reader thinks that he should himself have spoken or acted on the same occasion" (13)




In his characterization and dialogue, Shakespeare "overlooks the casual distinction of country and condition," striking at the center of humanity (15). The nature captured by Shakespeare's characters is exhibited in the "ease and simplicity" of their dialogues (10)


Indeed, Johnson points out, the distinctions of character stressed by such critics as Voltaire and Rymer impose only artificial burdens on the natural genius of Shakespeare. He lays an enormous stress on Shakespeare's adherence to general nature. He states: "Shakespeare always makes nature predominate over accident; and if he preserves the essential character, is not very careful of distinctions superinduced and adventitious. His story requires Romans or kings, but he thinks only on men."(15)


Johnson goes further in his defense of the Bard's merit, extending his argument from the characters within his plays to the genre of the plays themselves. In the strictest, classical sense of the terms, Johnson admits, Shakespeare's works cannot be fairly called comedies or tragedies. For this too, his plays earned harsh criticism from Johnson's contemporaries. Johnson, though, sees in the mixture of sorrow and joy a style which "approaches nearer than either to the appearance of life" (20).


Demerits of Shakespeare:


His praise for Shakespeare, which centers on the Bard's sublunary approach to character, dialogue, and plot, does not blind him to the poet of nature's weaknesses. Johnson airs Shakespeare's imperfections without hesitance. In doing so, though, he does not weaken his arguments; he simply establishes his credentials as a critic. As Edward Tomarken points out, "for Johnson, criticism requires, not intrusive sententiae, but evaluative interpretations, decisions about how literature applies to the human dilemma" (Tomarken 2).


Johnson is not hesitant to admit Shakespeare's faults: his earlier praise serves to keep those flaws in perspective. Even without that perspective, however, Johnson's censure of Shakespeare is not particularly harsh. For the most part, Johnson highlights surface- level defects in the Bard's works: his "loosely formed" plots, his "commonly gross" jests, and- most ironically-his "disproportionate pomp of diction and a wearisome train of circumlocution" (Johnson 34, 35).


The most egregious fault Johnson finds in Shakespeare, though, is thematic. Unsurprisingly, Johnson exhibits emphatic distaste for Shakespeare's lack of moral purpose. Johnson argues that he " He sacrifices virtue to convenience, and is so much more careful to please than to instruct, that he seems to write without any moral purpose " (33). In leading "his persons indifferently through right and wrong" and leaving "their examples to operate by chance," Shakespeare has abandoned his duty as an author as the righteous Johnson would have that duty defined (33). This is, in his eyes, Shakespeare's greatest flaw, though it does not supercede his other merits.


Shakespeare's plots, he says, are often very loosely formed and carelessly pursued. He neglects opportunities of giving instruction or pleasure which the development of the plot provides to him. He says, "The plots are often so loosely formed, that a very slight consideration may improve them, and so carelessly pursued, that he seems not always fully to comprehend his own design." (34). Again he says that in many of his plays, the latter part does not receive much of his attention. This charge is certainly true. The play of Julius Caesar clearly shows a decline of dramatic interest in its second half. He says, "It may be observed, that in many of his plays the latter part is evidently neglected. When he found himself near the end of his work, and, in view of his reward, he shortened the labour, to snatch the profit."(35)


Next, Johnson considers Shakespeare's style and expression. According to him there are many passages in the tragedies over which Shakespeare seems to have laboured hard, only to ruin his own performance. The moment Shakespeare strains his faculties, or strains his inventive powers unnecessarily, the result is tediousness and obscurity.


However, Johnson adopts purely a neo-classical point of view which emphasizes the didactic purpose of literature as much as its pleasing quality. In this respect we can't agree with Johnson's condemnation of Shakespeare. Because all that we can expect from an artist is that he should give us a picture of life as he sees it.

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Why is Macbeth more Guilty?

Why is Macbeth more Guilty?

Macbeth is a very exciting story containing all kinds of plots and murders. The characters that are killing and are planning murders are all very deceiving and treacherous. Two of the most dangerous criminals in this play are Lady Macbeth, who is considered and said to be the forth witch of this play, and Macbeth, who is evilly ambitious for gaining power. Together they commit the most dreadful murder by killing the King; Duncan. Together they planned and committed the murder. This is why it is difficult to determine which one of these two is more guilty, because they each do their own part in committing the crime. Lady Macbeth would prepare the plan and then encourage Macbeth to go through with it. Lady Macbeth encouraged her husband, Macbeth, by saying, "When you durst do it, then you were a man;/And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man" (I,7 )The three points which contribute greatly to Macbeth’s degeneration are the prophecy which was told to him by the witches, Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth’s judgment, and finally Macbeth’s long time ambition which drove his desire to be king. But considering all these things Macbeth could be found more guilty.


And Macbeth did the actual murdering, he was also the first person who thought about killing Duncan. Macbeth had great ambition and wished to stand well with the world. He had absolutely no feelings for others and he only cared about what others would think of him. The witches' prophecies only encouraged this ambition to be king. The witches who symbolized Macbeth's evil ambitions put his thoughts into actual words. The idea of murder had already occurred to him,("My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical," (I,3). )Macbeth himself acknowledged his "vaulting ambition" that would drive him to murder after Duncan evaded fate (I,3, "If chance will have me King, why,/ Chance may crown me"). And he himself announces his “black and deep desires” to become king by announcing Malcolm as his Successor. Macbeth also did not fear the moral consequences of his crimes (I,7, "We'd jump the life to come").


Furthermore he did some killing on his own. Lady Macbeth did not have any involvement in these cases. Based on these facts, Macbeth would be found more guilty than Lady Macbeth. The very first murder in this story was committed on Duncan. This crime was planned by both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The actual murder was done by Macbeth, making him more guilty of the crime. Lady Macbeth just talked about committing the crime, but she never actually went through with it nor would she ever, and that is all that counts. Talking about committing the incident is very different from actually doing it. Lady Macbeth did a little more than just talk about it though. She also urged Macbeth into doing it and that is what makes her part of this crime, but she is not as guilty as Macbeth. He really didn't have to listen to what his wife said. Macbeth had a mind of his own and he could make his own decision. The other murders that Macbeth was involved in were not committed by him, but were ordered by him. The people who did the killing had no choice, they had to do it, because they worked for Macbeth. Macbeth knew this and was a bit more guilty in these murders then lady Macbeth was when she urged him.


On the other hand the prophecy that Macbeth “shalt be king hereafter”(I,3) does not indicate that Macbeth should kill the present king to become the next king. Rather it was Macbeth himself who took a course of action (such as killing some people) for fulfilling his hidden desire.


The idea of killing Duncan first came from Macbeth. Macbeth listened to the witches’ prophecies that said he would become King. Macbeth did not want to wait any longer and he thought the only way to become King was to kill the present King; Duncan. Macbeth later told Lady Macbeth about this and she just wanted to help him and do whatever she could for him, so that he would be happy and be King. She was also excited about becoming a Queen so she pushed Macbeth forward and did not let him back down from doing what he said he'd do. Macbeth had a good chance of becoming King if Duncan was out of the picture, so Lady Macbeth helped stage a plan so that Macbeth could kill him without being caught. Lady Macbeth wanted to do this for herself as well but she was mostly doing this for Macbeth because she loved him so much.


Macbeth is a regular murderer throughout the play and is involved in a lot more murders then Lady Macbeth is. She was only involved in the murder of the King while Macbeth was killing people throughout the whole story. He killed lots of men fighting for the King, and later on he killed the King. After killing the King he ordered some of his men to murder Banquo and Fleance, Fleance got away though. Later on through the story when Macduff went to join Malcolm, Macbeth had Macduff's family killed. Macbeth was a man that murdered far more people than his wife did. So he was a more guilty person than she was. Through the story Macbeth got obsessed with killing others and he wanted to kill more, while Lady Macbeth became so self conscience that she went crazy and killed herself. Throughout the course of the story it is tough to decide who is a more guilty person, but if we look at it through the eye's of today's law we will see that Macbeth is more guilty of murder. This is because he had killed a lot people before he killed the King, and when he did kill the King by himself Lady Macbeth had nothing to do with it. She only made a plan and told him to do it and that isn't as bad as actually committing the crime unless Macbeth was mentally ill. Macbeth was not considered mentally ill though because he went on to become King where he made decisions on his own and ordered even more people to be murdered, and Lady Macbeth had nothing to do with those murders at all.


In summing up it can be said that Macbeth is more responsible for killing the king , Dunkun. Throughout the play, we have seen that the witches, Lady Macbeth play a vital role in many circumstances but we can’t accuse them directly for the killing of the king, Dunkun, because the witches are mainly symbolizes Macbeth’s evil desire and Lady Macbeth has just encouraged Macbeth’s hidden desire / ambition for becoming a king. So, Macbeth is more responsible.

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Macbeth as a tragic hero

Macbeth as a tragic hero


Macbeth was a true Shakespearean tragic hero. He had many noble qualities as well as several tragic flaws. He was a courageous, brave and good nobleman who was haunted by superstition, moral cowardice and an overwhelming ambition. The three points which contribute greatly to Macbeth’s degeneration are the prophecy which was told to him by the witches, Lady Macbeth influenced and manipulated Macbeth’s judgment, and finally Macbeth’s long time ambition which drove his desire to be king. Although he was so far courageous and brave and he is seen as the hero at the beginning of the play, his sky high ambition causes his damnation. And ultimately he becomes a tragic hero.


Macbeth was a courageous and strong nobleman. He and Banquo were leaders of King Duncan's army. His personal powers and strength as a general won him the battle as described by the captain,
"But all's too weak:/For brave Macbeth -- well he deserved that name – /Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel,/Which smoked with bloody execution,/Like valor's minion carved out his passage/Till he faced the slave;".(I,2)Macbeth was even undiscouraged when he was attacked by the King of Norway, "assisted by that most disloyal traitor, the thane of Cawdor. "Lady Macbeth convinced her husband to murder Duncan by putting his manhood and courage at stake, "When you durst do it, then you were a man;/And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man" (I,7 )As Macbeth started degrading he lost some bravery (IV, 1, "That I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies"). In his fight with Macduff, some of his old courage and strength returned.


Macbeth could be brave when it came to action but when he started thinking he would hesitate and would have to be urged into action by his wife or by the sense of security that he obtained from the prophecies of the supernatural. He changed his mind five times before murdering Duncan. The witches' prophecy that he would be king made him decide to leave it to "chance," but Duncan's announcement that Malcolm was to be his heir made Macbeth realize that he would have to take a course of action for the prophecies to come true. He changed his mind again before he reached home until his wife persuaded him that it could be done safely. Then he changed his mind again before finally being forced by Lady Macbeth to make up his mind to commit the murder. Macbeth also did not fear the moral consequences of his crimes (I,7, "We'd jump the life to come"). After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth sinks into continuous moral degradation. He was in a savage frenzy when he planned the murder of Banquo and Macduff's family.


Macbeth had great ambition and wished to stand well with the world. He had absolutely no feelings for others and he only cared about what others would think of him. The witches' prophecies only encouraged this ambition to be king. The witches who symbolized Macbeth's evil ambitions put his thoughts into actual words. The idea of murder had already occurred to him,"My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical," (I,3). Macbeth himself acknowledged his "vaulting ambition" that would drive him to murder after Duncan evaded fate (I,3, "If chance will have me King, why,/ Chance may crown me") by announcing Malcolm as his Successor. And he himself announces his “black and deep desires” to become king.


The idea of killing Duncan first came from Macbeth. Macbeth listened to the witches’ prophecies that said he would become King. Macbeth did not want to wait any longer and he thought the only way to become King was to kill the present King; Duncan. Macbeth later told Lady Macbeth about this and she just wanted to help him and do whatever she could for him, so that he would be happy and be King. She was also excited about becoming a Queen so she pushed Macbeth forward and did not let him back down from doing what he said he'd do. Macbeth had a good chance of becoming King if Duncan was out of the picture, so Lady Macbeth helped stage a plan so that Macbeth could kill him without being caught.


Macbeth's powerful imagination made him already victim to superstition. It was his superstition that made him so unquestioningly the promises of the apparitions and rest so easily assured. It was all his superstitions that made him cling to his belief in these promises when circumstances became difficult. His imagination was so strong that when it was left to roam uncontrolled his "function/ Is smother'd in surmise." This was seen in the "dagger" scene and in the panic which Macbeth suffers after the murder of Duncan. This was also seen with Banquo's ghost at the banquet.


Macbeth loved his wife very much. At the beginning of the play she participated avidly in his life and he informed her of everything that was going on (for example he sent her a letter telling her of the witches' prophecies). He widely accepted her advice and ideas and they were both avid partners in the murder of Duncan. Macbeth was very affectionate with his wife and when he was speaking to her he often used words of endearment (“Dearest love," "Dearest chuck" and "Sweet remembrancer"). At the end, he was so weary from everything that was going on that when he received the news of his wife's death he accepted it with only a yearning resignation. Macbeth's whole story after Duncan's murder was one of continuous character deterioration. Once he had begun his life of crime he became further and further detached from his wife to the point where she had lost all control over him. He had become so accustomed to violence that he did not hesitate at all in the planning of Banquo and Fleance's murder ("The very firstling of my heart shall be/ The very firstling of my hand").


Macbeth started as a courageous and brave general who loved his wife very much. But because of the faults that must accompany every tragic hero, he was led to his ruin by his overwhelming ambition, superstition and moral cowardice. Macbeth changed from a noble hailed as the savior of his country, a "valiant cousin," a "worthy gentleman," to a man of boundless cruelty. So we can say that his sky high ambition causes his damnation.

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