Character of Macbeth
English Coaching Center Sketch the character of Macbeth. Or Discuss ‘Macbeth as a tragic hero’. Or Macbeth is a tragedy of ambition, discuss. Answer: Macbeth is a tragic hero and the tragic flaw in him is his ambition. It is ambition which brings about his downfall. He has grandeur which Shakespeare’s tragic heroes usually possess. The defect in Macbeth’s character is his excessive ambition, an excessive desire to attain the kingship which the witches have prophesied for him. Macbeth is a military general of extraordinary power. As a warrior, he has covered himself with glory in putting down a rebellion and defeating the foreign invaders. He is a man who inspires fear and admiration in us at the beginning. He is even favorite to Duncan, the king. But the manner in which Macbeth reacts to the prophecies of the Witches is a clear indication that he has secretly been harboring an ambition to become the king. The thought of kingship so engrosses him that in...