MACBETH: TRAGIC HERO
OR VILLAIN?
Allison Sutton
Sami Thomas
Tommy Farrell
Jake Ackerman
& Ben Russell
Period 5, Group #3
What Makes Macbeth A Hero?
 Won the battle; has military skills
 We wonder what happens to him and he has the tragic flaw
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which in his case is ambition
Had extreme pride, and when his manhood was being
questioned he committed evil acts
Inherently evil
Has great guilt
Had to be influenced by 3 things to change his original
noble character
What Makes Macbeth A Hero?
 Was named Thane of Cawdor so he embodies
nobility and virtue
 We can identify with him because his flaws are
shared by many
 Doomed from the start because of his ambition
 Follows the sequence: great, good, flaw,
recognition, and downfall
What Makes Macbeth a Villain?
 The influences of the witches and his wife did
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not instigate his ambition, it had already
corrupted his heart from the beginning
Doesn’t ever right the wrong
Took what the witches said too serious
The witches did not tell him to kill his king
that praised him, he made the ultimate
decision to commit the evil act
Willing to do anything he needs to in order to
get to the top (greed)
Easily manipulated by things around him and
mentally weak because he does not stick to his
morals
Physiological Reasons Driving Macbeth
 Macbeth was trying to fill a void in his life. He had no compassion
from his wife, childless, and only had war to look at or really be
involved with
 Feels like he is above society because of all the praise for his
military victory and feels as if he is above society and cannot just
be a common person now
 His moral side (super ego) was crippled by his desire to be king
 His id, which drives him to satisfy his own needs, allows him to
murder and commit evil acts
Work Cited
"How Is Macbeth a Tragic Hero? - Homework Help - ENotes.com." Enotes.com. Enotes.com,
n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
"How Is Macbeth Is a Statement of Evil?" Yahoo Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct.
2013.
"I Dream of Oedipus: Freud?s Interpretation of Macbeth." I Dream of Oedipus: Freud?s
Interpretation of Macbeth. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
"Macbeth and the Nature of Evil." By Elaine Pilkington From Insights, 2004. N.p., n.d. Web. 30
Oct. 2013.
"Macbeth Character Analysis." About.com Shakespeare. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
Scott, Mark W. Shakespeare for Students: Critical Interpretations of As You like It, Hamlet, Julius
Caesar, Macbeth, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, and Romeo
and Juliet. Detroit: Gale Research, 1992. Print.