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Macbeth: Hero or Villain

             Macbeth is a complicated character whose human nature means that he possesses both good and evil traits. Macbeth's courage, conscience and his tentative approach of moral wrongdoing are as extensive as his evil ambition, cunning and cruelty. While his good qualities bring him to the status he enjoys at the beginning of the play his 'vaulting ambition' (I.vii) exemplifies his less desirable characteristics. Macbeth cannot be discussed as either purely heroic or villainous; the complexity of his character is illustrated by his violent inner conflict which arises from the opposing traits he possesses and is fuelled by his imagination.
             At the beginning of the play Macbeth is introduced to the audience through the words of other characters. The opinions expressed include a description of Macbeth as a 'valiant cousin, worthy gentleman' by Duncan, the king himself . In Macbeth's absence he is described as being 'brave' having fought heroically against the rebel Macdonwald. This is an example of Macbeth fulfilling the interpretation of a hero as 'a person noted or admired for their courage or outstanding achievements.' (Illustrated Oxford Dictionary, Dorling Kindersley). Macbeth's bravery is certainly a heroic quality. We learn of his physical prowess and bravery on the battlefield and in the same speech the Captain directly calls him 'brave Macbeth' and personifies him as 'valour's minion'.
             A modern audience may be sceptical about labelling Macbeth a hero for a killing in battle, but to a Shakespearean audience the threat of rebellion was very real and it would indeed be a hero who prevented it. Macbeth is rightly described as 'noble' as he has fought for his country in a bloody battle. The Captain tells of Macbeth being a fierce warrior and being un-afraid to kill in war describing Macbeth killing Macdonwald as, 'he unseamed him from the nave to th" chops'. At this point in the play it is acceptable for him to be a brutal killer and as it is on behalf of his country.


Essays Related to Macbeth: Hero or Villain

1. Macbeth - The Tragic Hero

... they undergo suffering through their mistakes. More so, these characters learn from their journeys as they portray a combination of both good and bad qualities, disregarding the idea of being just a villain or a hero. The protagonist from William Shakespeare's Macbeth undergoes a series of disastrous events bringing upon his downfall. His doubtful thoughts, courageous qualities and obsession towards his ambition drives the audience to believe that ... is fearless when fighting for honor and becomes eager to fulfill his desires at any cost. William Shakespeare creates such attributes to ...

  • Word Count: 1185
  • Approx Pages: 5
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2. Macbeth - Character Summaries

... obtain the throne, which weakens their relationship to the point where Lady Macbeth cannot handle things anymore and decides to kill herself, and Macbeth does not feel concerned about the fact that his wife is dead. Depending on one's understanding about the character, the question about whether Macbeth is a villain or tragic hero is a difficult question to answer. In the beginning of the play ... , Macbeth shows that he is a hero because he fought fearlessly and he showed that he ... was loyal to his king. Macbeth has certain characteristics, which makes him into a tragic hero. His ambi...

  • Word Count: 1079
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3. Macbeth

... there is little to admire is extreme and does not reflect the whole truth. While, by the end of the play Macbeth is indeed a villain of the worst sort and while it would not have happened but for the choices he made, he is but a man ... Unfortunately the extraordinary circumstances caused those weaknesses to be amplified exponentially. A villain can be defined as a wicked or evil person, or a dramatic or fictional character who is typically at odds with the hero. In the case of Macbeth, either definition may be appropriate, for Macbeth does become a wicked and evil person and by the end o...

  • Word Count: 1027
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Feminism in Macbeth and Antigone

... blood to be saturated with murderous agents to the extent that none of the natural, stereotypical "womanly feelings", or "compunctious visitings of nature" will be left to hinder her from committing her evil deeds. She sways Macbeth out of feeling sympathy for Duncan, mitigates his regret in killing such a great king, and entices him to take ... I have longer to please the dead than to please the living here" (Antigone, 85-89). While Lady Macbeth possessed the darkest traits of the most wicked villain, Antigone stands out with her noble, courageous, confident attitude-traits that define a...

  • Word Count: 1748
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5. Macbeth

... detail in order to enable myself to conclude whether he was a hero or villain. In accordance with the traditional specification of a hero requires being, a person who opposes a conflicting force, either externally or internally, a conflicting force from its own state or another. In the opening scenes of the play, Macbeth has come to be seen as hero. However, we can find abundant evidence in the play that he ... was a villain more than a hero. In act I sc. ii, Macbeth is described by his king as ... : " O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman" (Act 1, Sc. 2) The quote mentioned above reinforc...

  • Word Count: 825
  • Approx Pages: 3
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6. Macbeth As A Tragic Hero

... tragic trait, which is also his greatness, is fatal to him. He errs, by action or omission, and his error, joining with other causes, brings on his downfall. The character of Macbeth is a classic example of a tragic hero. There are several factors that contribute to his degeneration, but only three of them really stand out. The first point that contributes to his downfall ... is the prophecies that were told to him by the witches. The next is Lady Macbeth's manipulation and strong influence over Macbeth's judgement. And finally, Macbeth falls because of his ... ambition and desire to b...

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  • Approx Pages: 6
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  • Grade Level: High School

7. Macbeth Compared to Iago

... against the backdrop of military conflict. And, most memorably, he turned the ensign, a minor villain, into the arch-villain Iago. Both of these plays are well known, and two particular characters that are worth comparison are Macbeth and Iago. Both of these characters share similarities and have contrasting attributes, but one thing ... wife for wife- (II.i.286). None of these claims seems to adequately explain Iago's deep hatred of Othello and Iago's lack of motivation "or his inability or unwillingness to express his true motivation "makes his actions all the more terrifying. He is wi...

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8. Macbeth

... from a position of honor and respect due to a flaw in his character. Macbeth is the essence of a tragic hero who rises high then falls rock bottom to his death. Macbeth changed from being the "noble" hero in the beginning to the "hell hound" and "villain" as he is perceived in his final days. Macbeth's downfall was caused by his ambition, a character flaw which is exploited by ... the witches. Another reason for Macbeth's downfall was Lady Macbeth or an outside force of evil such as the witches. Although ... Lady Macbeth exerts a certain influence on him, Macbeth's downfall is caused b...

  • Word Count: 525
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9. Misplaced Ambitions in Macbeth

"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Harvey Dent spoke these words in the 2008 adaptation of Batman: The Dark Knight. Dent is referring to such men who suffer from a shift of good to evil due ... to the power thrusted upon them. He is essentially saying that a person of authority will either die honorable or survive only to see themselves become morally diluted by ambition.  Such a quote can easily be applied to Shakespeare's Macbeth as every central character met with power is eventually exacerbated by it. In Act 3 scene 1, Banquo reflects to h...

  • Word Count: 1338
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

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