Term Papers on Is Macbeth The Tragic Hero Of The Play?

Term Paper Title	Is Macbeth The Tragic Hero Of The Play?
# of Words	772
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	3.09

Is Macbeth The Tragic Hero of The Play?

     Is Macbeth the tragic hero of the play "Macbeth?" This question may seem to
be redundant; however, not all of Shakespeare's Tragedies are named after their
tragic heroes. For example, Julius Caesar is not the tragic hero of "Julius
Caesar." A tragic hero must conform to a set of characteristics which evolved
all the way from ancient to medieval times. Macbeth conforms to these
characteristics and is the tragic hero of "Macbeth."
     The death of an ordinary person in Medieval times was not considered tragic.
This idea was based on the notion of "fall". If a peasant died, his death meant
very little because he had not far to fall. In other words, a peasant did not
have much of a life to lose. However, if a king or noble were to die, his death
would be a very long fall, since to the Medieval mind, he had a great deal to
lose.  Macbeth is a very important person. He is a cousin to the king of
Scotland. He is the highest ranking noble, the thane of Cawdor and Glamis, and a
general of the Scottish army. He also becomes the king of Scotland later in the
play. Despite his status, he has a character defect.
     A tragic hero must have a character flaw.  This character flaw causes him
to make an error in judgment, "a mistaken act," which leads to his downfall.
Because Macbeth is ambitious, he wants to become king. In order to take over the
throne, he kills Duncan, and thus commits his terrible crime, and eventually is
punished.
     The tragic hero must deserve his fate. He must not simply make a mistake,
like stepping off a curb in front of a moving vehicle. He must commit some
terrible crime for which he is punished. People of the Elizabethan Period were
well aware of the problems created when kings are murdered. The Fifteenth
Century was a period of almost constant ruinous civil war in England. The dire
consequences of this act are a constant theme in Shakespeare's plays. According
to the medieval Theory of Divine Right, God appoints the king, thus Macbeth
committed a religious crime when he kills the king. This is also the highest
form of treason that one could commit. Moreover, Duncan is no ordinary king. He
has been a great king. Even Macbeth says of him, "Besides, this Duncan / hath
borne his faculties so meek hath been /So clear in ...

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