Macbeth__Tragic_Hero

The Renaissance was a period of rebirth which lasted from the 14th century to the 16th century. Queen Elizabeth was the queen of England during part of this period. She was a humanist. “Renaissance humanists believed it was possible to improve human society through classical education. This education relied on teachings from ancient texts and emphasized a range of disciplines, including poetry, history, rhetoric and moral philosophy” (_Renaissance_, 2008). During her reign, many writers and artists felt free to develop their skills. Plays became very popular, especially those written by one of the most renowned writers of all time. One of these was William Shakespeare. He was one the best playwrights, actors and poets of that time. Some of his best works have been those with a tragic hero involved. But before Shakespeare, there was Aristotle. Aristotle introduced the characteristics of a tragic hero. Some of those characteristics include: being of noble stature, having a tragic flaw and not being all good or all bad. Those characteristics are often found Shakespeare’s greatest plays. One of Shakespeare’s most notorious tragic heroes is Macbeth. Macbeth was portrayed as a tragic hero in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. One of the tragic characteristics of Macbeth is his noble stature. “Shakespeare’s tragedies are concerned with people who have a share of power and authority in their societies…” (McEvoy, 2000, p. 194). Shakespeare will use “the fall of a notable person as the main focus in his tragedies” (Elliot, & Mahvash, n.d.)Macbeth, of course, had this quality. As one of the Weird sisters greets Macbeth in Act I, she says, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!”(Mowat, & Werstine, 2004, p. 17). showing that Macbeth was part of the nobility in Scotland. As the play progresses, Macbeth earns the title of “Thane of Cawdor”. Macbeth is aware of his title when Ross comes and tells him, “King Duncan bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor, / In which addition, hail, most worthy thane, / For it is thine” (Mowat, & Werstine, 2004, p. ). Finally, in Act III, Macbeth’s coronation as king is announced when Ross states that Macbeth was “already names and gone to Scone/ To be invested” (Mowat, & Werstine, 2004, p.). Macbeth went from being the Thane of Glamis to becoming the King of Scotland, which proves he began as a simple, faithful thane to Duncan, to an unruly king. References Aristotle. (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2009, from http://vccslitonline.cc.va.us/tragedy/aristotle.htm Elliot, Andrea, & Mahvash Gandhi. (n.d.) Shakespeare's Tragedies. Retrieved February 23, 2009, from http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/schools/springfield/eliz/shaktragedies.html Macbeth the tragic hero. (n.d.) Retrieved January 26, 2009, from McEvoy, Sean. (2000). Shakespeare: The Basics. New York: Routledge. Mowat, Barbara A., & Werstine, P. (Eds.). (2004). Macbeth: By William Shakespeare. New York: Washington Square Press. Renaissance – MSN Encarta. (2008). Retrieved January 26, 2009, from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761554186/Renaissance.html