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Kevin Durran
Ms. Bural
ENG3U1-02
November 27, 2011
Macbeth, the Progression of a Tragic Hero
In tragedy people are tested by great suffering and must face decisions of ultimate
consequence. Some meet the challenge with deeds of despicable cruelty, while others demonstrate
their ability to confront and surpass adversity, winning our admiration and proving the greatness of
human potential (Aristotle). The character Macbeth is an archetypal paragon in Shakespearean
literature; he truly embodies the title of the tragic hero. The aspects that lead to the Protagonists
downfall are countless; three major factors contribute to his progression to the tragic hero. The first
being the prophecies from the witches, Lady Macbeths malicious influence that disoriented his counsel
and lastly his ambition to achieve greatness by becoming King.
Curiosity and tragedy have gone hand in hand throughout history; the aphorism Curiosity killed the
cat can be personified through Macbeths demise as his curiosity is remedied by the witchs prophecies.
The witchs vague foretelling only lead Macbeth to curiosity, by stating the two titles he does not have
All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter! (I, III,
49-50) inciting Macbeths confusion to be solved from the counsel of his wife. While each prophecy is
said his level of curiosity increases. Another example of Macbeths curiosity is shown through his
hallucinations as he goes forth with the murder of Duncan, Is this a dagger which I see before me, The
handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee a dagger of the mind, a false creation Hear not my
steps, which way they walk, for fear (2, I, 41-42, 46, 65). The quote projects .Macbeth tends to format
his ideal future by using false prophecies which in turn rid him of his worries and concerns for these
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prophecies prophesised that he will stay king. To assuage Macbeths curiosity he wanted the prophecies
to make him what he wanted to hear.
The definition of Emasculation is to make a man less of a man through verbal influence; such
examples of this are shown from the character Lady Macbeth, who contributes to Macbeths downfall.
Lady Macbeth has shown countless times why she is such a large factor to Macbeths demise; she is
portrayed as a manipulative prick. By ultimately forcing Macbeth to go along and murder Duncan she
introduces him to the beginning of his tragedy, because of her planning out the murder she ultimately
distorts his judgement. After the shaky Macbeth assassinated his dear king, the audience will notice a
change in character as regret as a noble Macbeth turns into a depressed and confused King. Duncans
murder was just the beginning, to maintain his authority and reign over Scotland he continued to kill
because murder at the time seemed to ensure his title. Lady Macbeth is considered a large factor in the
progression of Macbeth an honourable nobleman to the tragic hero; she relayed the concept of murder
to him initiating his fulfillment of his deep dark desires.
Macbeths ambition is minor factor in his progression towards him being the tragic hero. His
ambition alone was never such a striving force, Lady Macbeths emasculation magnified/provoked
thoughts of Duncans murder. His ambition was never so great that he would actually assassinate his
king but the medleys of the prophecies which added to his level of curiosity awakened his dormant
aspirations. The emasculation he received from his wife added to his ambitions, as almost he was
challenged to murder the king, this shows a great example of his fall from loyalty to the tragic hero. With
these new factors adding to his ambition, greed, lust, violence combines to a malicious power hungry
tyrant.
"Tragedy occurs when noble or great persons are led, through pride or a secret flaw in their
personalities, to suffering that changes their fortune. The tragic hero must begin in a high position and
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end in death or some sort of degraded role". The whole play inevitably showed character change, of not
only Macbeth but others around him influence by the acts he committed. His ambition, emasculation,
the witchs prophecies and excessive ambition lead to his demise. The character Macbeth is an
archetypal paragon in Shakespearean literature; he truly embodies the title of the tragic hero.

Quotes:

EMASCULATION: Macbeth says of his wife: "undaunted mettle should compose/ Nothing but males." (I,
vii, 73-74).
He notices his wife's unnatural, unwomanly strength and ambition, and he feels that only men should
have such power.

Lady Macbeth says: "...unsex me here,/ And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full/ Of direst
cruelty" (I, v, 41-44).
She is calling for the strength to cast away the guilt of the crime, and she realizes she needs to suppress
all femininity in order to pull through.
She also says: "make thick my blood,/ stop up the access and passage to remorse."(I, v, 43-44).
and: "Come to my woman's breasts,/ And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers."(I, vii, 47-48).
She needs to suppress her femininity to chalk up the strength to conquer her conscience.
Curiosity: act 1 scene 2
All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, thane of Glamis! 5
0
Second Witch All hail,
Macbeth
, hail to
thee,
thane of
Cawdor!

Third Witch

. "Beware Macduff, Beware the Thane of Fife!" and "The power of man, for none of woman
All hail,
Macbeth
, thou
shalt be

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After hearing the witches predict that Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland, Banquo notes that his friend is "rapt
withal," suggesting that Macbeth is consumed or entranced by the prophecy. Banquo is eager to hear what the witches have in store
for him and we can see that Banquo is ambitious he's pleased as punch when he learns his heirs will be kings (even though he
will never wear the crown). Yet, Banquo never takes drastic measures to gain power for himself or his heirs, which makes him a foil
to Macbeth who, eventually, will stop at nothing to secure his power.
Macbeth's tragic flaw is excessive ambition; ambition by itself is not a bad thing. But Macbeth's ambition gets the best
of him, and he begins to feel "bulletproof" -- no man born of woman can kill him and he will come to ruin when Birnam
Wood doth come to high Dunsinane Hill. How can a man NOT be born of woman? And how can a wood move? But
Macbeth's undoing comes when he allows Fleance to escape. He returns with the army disguised as trees that move
toward Dunsinane and Macduff was "untim'ly ripped from his mother's womb." Fleance's escape is the beginning of
his undoing.
Quote #2
MACBETH
My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,
Shakes so my single state of man that function
Is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is
born/Shall harm Macbeth" and then finally "Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until/ Great
Birnam Wood to high Dunsinaine Hill/ Shall come against him."


Read
more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_was_the_three_witches_prophecy_to_Macbeth#ixzz1eg
86iOxi

AMIBTION
king
hereafter
!

Quote #1
BANQUO
[] My noble partner
You greet with present grace and great
prediction
Of noble having and of royal hope,
That he seems rapt withal. To me you speak
not.
If you can look into the seeds of time,
And say which grain will grow and which
will not,
Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear
Your favors nor your hate. (1.3.2)
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But what is not. (1.3.9)
After the weird sisters predict that Macbeth will be king, his thoughts turn to "murder," which the sisters have said nothingabout.
Could it be that the witches' prophesy awakens within Macbeth a murderous ambition that was there all along?
Quote #3
MACBETH
[Aside] The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. (1.4.4)
By the time Malcolm is proclaimed Prince of Cumberland and heir to the throne of Scotland, Macbeth is willing to push all morality
aside. He knows that killing Duncan in order to become king is wrong, which is why he says it's necessary to hide his "black and
deep" desires. Here, ambition is portrayed as something dark and ugly.
33 Is thls u dugger whlch I see before me,
34 The hundle towurd my hund? Come, let me clutch thee.
35 I huve thee not, und yet I see thee stlll.
36 Art thou not, futul vlslon, senslble
37 To feellng us to slght? or urt thou but
38 A dugger of the mlnd, u fulse creutlon,
39 Proceedlng from the heut-oppressed bruln? > ACT 2, SCENE 1, LINE 33-39

+eur not my steps, whlch wuy they wulk, for feur
58 Thy very stones prute of my whereubout,
59 And tuke the present horror from the tlme,
60 Whlch now sults wlth lt. Whlles I threut, he llves:
61 Words to the heut of deeds too cold breuth glves.
(Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee a dagger
of the mind, a false creation Hear not my steps, which way they walk, for fear) 33-34, 38, 57)