Macbeth as Both a Hero and Villain
In literature many characters have been described and referred to as heroes. There are heroes, epic heroes, and tragic heroes. Shakespeare has written several works that demonstrate various unique heroes. One of those great tragic heroes is Macbeth in the famous tragedy Macbeth. As stated above, each main character is unique and different in their own way and they have qualities as well as weaknesses that shape them to be what they are. Many different opposite qualities can be seen Macbeth as he acts in different ways and he has difficulty in obtaining what he wants. Of course, that just adds to their heroic qualities but Macbeth can be seen as a hero and a villain, more a villain than a hero. Since Macbeth is neither saint nor total and utter villain, he has a tragic flaw, and he has excessive pride, it is hard to not see how Macbeth is both a hero and a villain. Macbeth in the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth is a prime example of one of the best tragic heroes in literature. Macbeth at the beginning of the play is considered and seen as a hero. He has just won the war against Norway for King and country. He is a war hero and this inspires noble virtue within him. Macbeth in the first act is a loyal servant of the crown
The decline is now more evident than ever because on top of his excessive ambition he also has hubris and it is driving him further down into a hole. Macbeth is no longer afraid of the consequences of his actions although he knew very well what they would be. Macbeth's primary weakness is his ambition. Macbeth hears prophecies from three witches as he is riding home with his loyal general Banquo. Macbeth's character is mixed up in himself and this is obvious when Macbeth actually goes through with killing Duncan, he feels extremely sorry and this starts Macbeth on a path towards madness. Macbeth was easily swayed by his wife, Lady Macbeth. Macbeth does nothing but laugh at the prophecy because he feels so confident and so proud that he feels immortal. This is because Macbeth hears a second prophecy from the three witches and as he is trying to keep his throne, he is exercising his power, and the three witches tell him that he should beware Macduff, a man not born of a woman, and Birnam forest moving towards him. Macbeth's ambition comes back into Macbeth's thoughts and they together devise a plan to kill the king the next night at their castle. One of the key qualities that Macbeth has that tells us that he isn't just a villain is that he has a huge weakness, which can also be referred to as a tragic flaw. So Macbeth's ambition becomes as strong as it can be and what he doesn't realize is that although it is helping him to keep the throne it is actually killing him because he feels like he is going up in the world but in reality he is on his decline. The scheming is immediately obvious as Macbeth begins to realize the obstacles that are in his way. Macbeth is more of a villain than that of a hero. He realizes exactly what he has done, he realizes that he was alone in his fight all along; he realizes that all the witches prophecies have come true, and he discovers that Macduff was not born of a woman but torn from one.
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