Compare Macbeth’s characteristics as a tragic hero to any other Shakespearean hero

Compare Macbeth’s characteristics as a tragic hero to any other Shakespearean hero

A tragic hero is character that is brave, virtuous and belongs to nobility, it is an exceptional being. Such a man is shown suffering a change in fortune from happiness to misery because of a mistaken act, to which he is led. Eventually these have a fatal end, and realize they have made an irreversible mistake due to a serious error in judgement .The tragic hero will most evoke both our pity and terror if he is neither good nor evil, but a combination of both. Macbeth and Brutus are both Shakespearean classical tragic heroes.

One of Macbeth’s flaws was his blinding ambition. Macbeth is tempted by the witches’ prediction at first. Later he gets to know that he will be named thane of Cawdor, and he becomes to believe more in this prediction. His ambition, makes him to want more, he becomes to think that he shall be king, and his ambition force him to take any action to make the predictions come true. His prolective imagination is Macbeth other flaw that dooms him. He begins to project actions of the future in his mind, and he really believes that this is what is going to happen, and there’s no other way. He imagines himself killing the king as the path of his coronation and at the time of the killing he imagines the dagger and this points the room, he believes that once he enters that room there is no way back, it meant doing it. Which is actually false, these tricks of his mind are the ones that drive him through out his confusion, to commit the murder. Brutus, as a tragic hero has got his flaws. His superiority, he felt like this because of his power and his high level of nobility, also because of being a political figure and having the support of the people. His naivety, and the fact that he sees goodness in people also it doesn’t let him see what he is doing with the conspirators is wrong. This idealism makes him take the decision of killing Caesar, and to trust Marc Anthony. In both cases their flaws are taken in advantage by other, sort of evil with bad intentions, characters to force them to act in the wrong way.

Both characters join a conspiracy to achieve their goals, which are terrible decisions that they will regret in the future and will make them fall. In the case of Macbeth he conspires with his wife to kill the king, the ruler of Scotland, he has the fervent desire of accomplishing his so called destiny, foretold by the witches. On the other hand, Brutus was included to a public conspiration, also against the ruler, Julius Caesar. This was a broader conspiration, in which several close men to Julius were part off. Both tragic heroes were finally convinced by the conspirators to commit their actions. They were doubtful at first but are persuaded, that is why both conspiracies in achieving their objectives. And by this they both were doomed to fall as tragic heroes.

Macbeth and Brutus had different reasons but had the same objective, killing the king. Brutus and the conspirators believed that if Julius Caesar would be crowned he would be a terrible leader blinded by the power. And the fact that another one would be crowned took away the possibility to Brutus to be Caesar. Macbeth intended and finally killed the king, for the sake of being king and to fulfil his destiny. Although he was persuaded by the witches, Lady Macbeth and his flaws, like his ambition and temptation for evil, it is himself who has the final decision to act or not, which he finally does.

The conspirators in both cases are the ones who in the end convince the tragic heroes to act. They are manipulated by them, for example Lady Macbeth usually is shown appealing to his manhood and the fact that Macbeth is not able to have sons, and this moves Macbeth into action. Also she tries to convince him and show the good part of it, and that it is correct thing to do, all in this in her benefit, her desire of being queen. The group of conspirators also acts for their own convenience, and tell Brutus that it is the right thing to do, for the sake of Romans.

In conclusion, Macbeth and Brutus have got the characteristics of the Shakespearean classical tragic heroe. In different ways they