Macbeth as a tragedy

Tragic events begin with the Greeks. Greek tragedies had a spiritual undertone. The dominant factor was fate. Because of their hubris or extreme pride, the characters in Greek tragedies end up in ruin by disobeying the Gods or the established moral order. Tragedies like those in Shakespeare are a byproduct of the Renaissance. At least in some ways, the conception and execution of Shakespeare's tragedies are essentially Greek. Shakespearean tragedy "may be called a story of an unusual misfortune," writes Bradley.

The oracles or fate foretell the demise of Greek heroes, whereas the impulse or passion of Shakespearean heroes determines their demise. Destiny is a character in Greek tragedies, where our main interest is in how characters' fates are fulfilled. However, "Character is destiny" in Shakespeare's plays, where the characters prove their inherent worth before meeting their end. Despite having been endowed with great qualities, Macbeth experiences dramatic damnation in the play Macbeth because of his excessive ambition.

The tragic heroes in a Shakespearean play are typically persons of distinction and character. Romeo is a member of the aristocracy; Richard II and Richard III are kings; a General; Brutus is well-placed; Antony is more than a king — an emperor; Othello is a mighty General; Hamlet is a prince; King Lear is every inch a king; and Macbeth is first a General and then a king. While they are not the epitome of virtue and goodness.

Shakespeare's heroes have a fatal imperfection known as hamartia that Aristotle called an innate weakness. The hero's imperfection is what truly makes him or her human. Shakespearean heroes, in contrast to the heroes of Greek tragedies, are accountable for their "fall." Hamlet, for his "to be or not to be" indecision, King Lear, for his erroneous judgment, and Macbeth, in a similar vein, for his unfettered ambition all suffer catastrophic damnation as a result of their highly suspicious or quickly believing what they are told personalities.

Aristotle believed that a play could not have a villain as its protagonist, therefore Macbeth is not a villain. His tragedy is that he turns into an evil character. The claim that Shakespeare has strayed from Aristotle's definition of tragedy is untrue. However, Shakespeare actually turned a villain into a hero, which is evidence of his genius. Macbeth experiences chronic guilt-based oppression. He is not a bad guy like Iago or Edmund.

According to Muir, "Macbeth is a hero who turns into a villain." Even after Macbeth commits his first murder, Shakespeare still makes us feel sorry for him. The motivation for the initial crime was ambition. The motive behind his other murders was fear. Macbeth is aware of the retaliation inside of him. He feels sick to his stomach and has a mind full of scorpions. He is aware that he murdered "sleep," and as a result, he will lead an anxious, frightening, and unstable life. He degenerates, and his tragedy is this degradation.

The courageous, honorable Macbeth deteriorates into an insane lunatic, a hypocrite, a liar, and a murderer. This is the tragic collapse of a man who was so honorable and talented. He resembles Faustus in this regard, who transforms from a learned man into a trickster and entertainer. Shakespeare creates the complexity of the dramatic effect in Macbeth's final depiction, "To-morrow and to-morrow and tomorrow," in which he laments the waste of his life. His grief is beautifully captured in poetry:

the way I live

is falling into the golden leaf, which is sear."

Shakespearean tragedies feature heroes who are internally conflicted. The central conflict of a Shakespearean tragedy can be found both internally and externally. Bernard Shaw famously said, "No conflict, no drama." In Macbeth, the hero and Macduff are in a battle on the outside, but the hero is torn internally between his lofty desire and his conscience.

Even though Evil may temporarily triumph in Shakespeare's tragedies, Good will ultimately triumph. Though poetic justice may not exist, the moral order is obviously present. The punishment must be paid by the wicked. Macbeth must pay the price for his moral transgression through both internal pain and exterior opposition.

In a Shakespearean tragedy, both the hero and the heroine pass away. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth pass away. Deaths include those of Romeo and Juliet, Othello and Desdemona, Lear and Cordelia, Hamlet and Ophelia, Antony and Cleopatra, Brutus, and Portia.

In comparison to Othello or Julius Caesar, Macbeth is unquestionably not an ideal tragedy from an Aristotelian perspective. Because diphtheria, or moral rot, is the only hamartia in Macbeth. However, to call it "the least successful of all tragedies" is a distortion of the facts. Because Macbeth must commit several crimes against his better nature and conscience. Even if a part of him shudders at the bloody acts, the wicked genius is driving him on.

Nemesis follows Macbeth's wrongdoings, which provides us with a hint of a fresh reading of Macbeth as a classical tragedy. The action of Macbeth is cohesive, just like in Greek tragedies. The tragic ironies highlight Macbeth's similarities to Greek plays. Bradley, however, disagrees with the notion that Macbeth is comparable to a Greek tragedy. Shakespeare didn't plan to compose a traditional tragedy, he clarifies. With its blood and thunder, murder and madness, ghost and supernaturalism, Macbeth as a tragedy comes very close to the Senecan paradigm.