Macbeth is a tragic hero. At the beginning of the play we
encounter a man who has been unstoppable in battle. We hear how he rescued Malcolm. In other
words he is hero but due to several circumstances, by the end of the play he is not only a
villain, he is a tyrant.
First, there is his own ambition which he
tells us about. Secondly there are the predictions of the weird sisters. Finally there is Lady
Macbeth who feels that her husband would be a better king than either Duncan or Malcolm. When she
hears that the king will be coming to spend the night, she sees this as their opportunity. None
of these circumstances alone would prompt him to kill Duncan but combined together, they prove
too much.
Macbeth, as the tragic hero is flawed, and this flaw takes
him from hero to villain/tyrant. Although he knows that if he kills Duncan and usurps the throne,
he will die a violent death, he can't resist the temptation.
It is
said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Macbeth is a good example of
that statement.
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