Is Macbeth a Tragedy - 2186 Words

A tragedy is often thought of as a sad, pitiful event. The factors used to label an event as tragic are the consequences and the lasting effects. For example, the consequences of one or more deaths can be seen as a tragedy. And tragedies are often remembered long after the event, clearly impacting the future for those involved. Many people interpret events such as a natural disaster, a death of a loved one, or a permanent disability as tragic. However, others say that this definition of a tragedy is incorrect and is misused in modern conversation. The people who think this way use the word tragedy to define literature. The literary definition of the word requires more careful consideration of the character and the overall effect of the†¦show more content†¦He shows this by saying if he had â€Å"died and hour before this chance, [he would have] lived a blessed time† (2.3.103-104). Without a doubt, the play arouses fear and pity in the audience. In addition to arousing pity and fear in the audience, the play calls into question man’s relationship with God. At the start of the play, Macbeth’s relationship with God is good. Macbeth fought nobly and courageously for a good cause, defeating the traitor to the king. Similarly, at the end of the play, Young Siward also fights nobly and dies for a good cause, defeating Macbeth. For this reason, Young Siward is described as â€Å"God’s soldier† (5.8.55). Therefore, Macbeth could also be described as â€Å"God’s soldier† (5.8.55) up until he murders Duncan. As the King of Scotland, Duncan can be viewed as God. By killing Duncan, Macbeth has killed God. As a result, Macbeth has become the opposite of God, the devil. From this point on, Macbeth’s relationship with God is bad. At the scene of the murder, Macbeth could not say â€Å"Amen.† After committing a terrible crime, he â€Å"had most need of blessing, and ‘Amenâ€℠¢ stuck in [his] throat† (2.2.47-48). These events show that Macbeth’s relationship with God is questionable, which is one of the characteristics of a tragedy in literature. Another characteristic of a literary tragedy is that the tragic figure must be capable of great suffering. The tragic figure inShow MoreRelatedThe Tragedy Of Macbeth And Macbeth1510 Words   |  7 Pagesone of the most famous authors in the history of old and modern english texts. While living through the 1500s-1600s, and having very little knowledge of psychological issues, Shakespeare portrayed mental illnesses in Macbeth fairly accurately. The characters in the tragedy of Macbeth show many characteristics and warning signs of mental disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia and depression. Since there is scarce evidence of medical testing and research with the mindRead MoreMacbeth - Tragedy Essay1351 Words   |  6 Pagesclassical view, tragedy should arouse feelings of pity and fear in the audience. Does Macbeth do this? Tragedy has most definitely influenced the viewers thoughts on Macbeth within this play. In Shakespeares Macbeth, the audience sees a gradual breakdown in the character of Macbeth himself, due to the tragic events that unfold during the play. This has a direct effect on the audiences views and thoughts of Macbeth, thus creating pity and fear within the audience. Macbeth, being a man andRead More Macbeth - Tragedy Essay1224 Words   |  5 Pageshistories to tragedies. Perhaps one of his most famous in the tragedy genre is Macbeth. Though Shakespeare can be considered as a scholar in the sense that he was both a renowned and prolific playwright, look back a few hundred years to find Aristotle, one of the most famous scholars and philosophers of all time. In his treatise titled Poetics, he defends poetry against criticism as well as sets standards for tragedies in quot;The Nature of Tragedy,quot; a section of the Poetics. Is Macbeth fit to beRead MoreAnalysis Of The Tragedy Of Macbeth1 207 Words   |  5 Pages The ‘Tragedy of Macbeth’ (also known as ‘Macbeth’) is a play written by William Shakespeare and it was first performed in 1606. This play presents plenty of themes through the action and dialogue throughout the play. Although the play is universally and most commonly referred to as the dark tragedy presented by Shakespeare. The most common themes that were introduced to the audience tend to be femininity versus masculinity, pride and honor, the role of supernatural, temptation and evil and a lotRead More Macbeth - Tragedy Essay1313 Words   |  6 Pagesthe classical view, tragedy should arouse feelings of pity and fear in the audience. Does Macbeth do this? Tragedy has most definitely influenced the viewer’s thoughts on Macbeth within this play. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the audience sees a gradual breakdown in the character of Macbeth himself, due to the tragic events that unfold during the play. This has a direct effect on the audience’s views and thoughts of Macbeth, thus creating pity and fear within the audience. Macbeth, being a man and aRead MoreManhood in The Tragedy of Macbeth1133 Words   |  5 PagesIn Shakespeare’s Macbeth, he uses the theme of manhood to create motives for characters to act like a man. This is seen in many occurrences in Macbeth where characters try to act like men for certain reasons. Characters that apply this action are Macbeth, the first murderer, Macduff, and Young Siward. These actions are seen throughout the play, and play a key role in the development of the performance. Macbeth tells himself to act like a man in the following lines: â€Å"Prithee, peace! / I dare doRead MoreThe Tragedy of Macbeth Essay542 Words   |  3 PagesThe Tragedy of Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in 1604, portrays women in a variety of strengths. In Elizabethan society, women were considered the ‘weaker sex’ but in many of his plays Shakespeare appears to question this patriarchal society. Shakespeare wrote ‘ Macbeth’ intending to flatter King James I, the ruler in this era. James I had very strong opinions regarding women and, particularly, witches. He saw Women as inferior and expected them to be housewives and mothers. ShakespeareRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Macbeth By William Shakespeare1205 Words   |  5 PagesThe first tragic story created in ancient Greece. Tragedies were written as a form of catharsis or purgation of emotions. In these types of plays, the audience finds characters in which they can relate to which is a tragic hero. T he tragic hero creates his own failures based upon their own actions and produces a detrimental fate for himself. The process of the protagonist’s fall is based upon the tragic structure. The structure of a tragedy consists of the exposition, exciting force, hamartia, theRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Macbeth By William Shakespeare1052 Words   |  5 PagesEnglish II 2 October, 2015 â€Å"Tragedy† of Macbeth Macbeth, a play written by one of the most influential English writers of all time William Shakespeare. It was created to be a Shakespearean tragedy. A tragedy as Aristotle defines it as: â€Å"Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude †¦. through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions† (Aristotle: Poetics). What this is saying for a tragedy is that it should have the audienceRead MoreAristotelian Tragedy Macbeth Essays611 Words   |  3 PagesAristotelian Tragedy: Macbeth Aristotle is known widely for developing his ideas on tragedy. He recorded these ideas in his Poetics in which he comments on the plot, purpose, and effect that a true tragedy must have. The structure of these tragedies has been an example for many writers including Shakespeare himself. Many of Shakespeare’s plays follow Aristotelian ideas of tragedy, for instance Macbeth does a decent job in shadowing Aristotle’s model. Aristotle describes one of the most important