The Mighty King Macbeth, a true tragic hero or just someone who gave in to his weaknesses? Macbeth became a tragic hero when he played into his own faults; Although at first, he had a pure heart, At the beginning of the play, Macbeth’s qualities and his fundamental downfall are what makes him a tragic hero.

Macbeth, a strong character in the fact that he only lived by what prophecies told him. a loyal, kind, and brave man at the beginning of the play like a regular hero would be. He lets the witches take advantage of his fears and greed, so when they keep prophesizing his life, he listens. Macbeth, strong in loyalty, gets used by the three witches, they're omniscient, so they know how to manipulate people into the future that they so choose. Banquo, the main opposer to Macbeth, he shows the contrast between old Macbeth and new, stricken with greed Macbeth, “Thou art too like the spirit of Banquo. Down! Thy crown does sear mine eyeballs. And thy hair, Thou other gold-bound brow, like the first. A third, like the former.—Filthy hags! Why do you show me this? A fourth? Start, eyes! What, will the line stretch out to th' crack of doom? Another yet? A seventh? I’ll see no more.”(4.1 117-127) Macbeth, shameful of what he has led himself to, his fate.  That’s unbearable to his eyes and yet he continues to dive into the witches apparitions “And yet the eighth appears, who bears a glass Which shows me many more, and some I see That twofold balls and treble scepters carry. Horrible sight! Now I see ’tis true; For the blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me” (4.1 117-127) the idea that Macbeth, the tragic hero, understands finally how the prophecies meant to put him in his place in the great chain of being. which may not be as a king. Macbeth makes it clear his desire and what he’ll do to achieve them, without regard for how it will affect the ones closest to him, Because “That, trusted home, Might yet enkindle you unto the crown, Besides the Thane of Cawdor. But ’is strange. And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s In deepest consequence.— Cousins, a word, I pray you.” (1/3/120-127) The three weird sisters aren't completely fooling everyone, Banquo eventually figures that Macbeth hasn’t totally controlled what he's doing although Macbeth consciously made the decisions; he doesn't fully understand what consequences will arise. Macbeth took responsibility, but he has one major fault that ruins his future for anything.

Macbeth's major downfall and hamartia could be his greed for the crown and a fragile self-security. Macbeth announces to the kingdom that King Duncan, left us. His guilty conscience manifests itself, and he took it too far, losing his closest kinsman, his wife, and his lif. Banquo made it clear that “Thou hast it now—king, Cawdor, Glamis, all As the Weïrd Women promised, and I fear Thou played’st most foully for ’t. Yet it was said It should not stand in thy posterity, But that myself should be the root and father Of many kings…” (3.1.1-3) before Banquo got brutally murdered, Banquo gathered the courage to call Macbeth out for his actions, This made the audience realize how dangerous Macbeth actually had become; His heroic qualities manifested and turned sour with the fact that he decided to throw his foundations of a good man to the wind. Macbeth’s tragedy was self-promoted and wrapped up into so many murders, to the point that there’s simply no way out except insanity and a sharp sword. Macbeth, a coward until the end; with no ability to decipher between right and wrong, and only worried about power and wealth. Macbeth is Very aware of his actions, and at some point just forgets his old kind and brave self, conforming to the witches power and influence as Macbeth says “I am afraid to think what I have done; look on’t again I dare not” (2.2.50) but he knows that once he's done something he won't go back and he’ll keep pushing until he either dies or wins the battle between his evil side and the side he knows used to be the strongest. At the beginning of the play he realized that it would take courage to fight for what he wanted but I don't think he realized what that would entail and at that point, he made his grave.

In conclusion, Macbeth is best shown as a tragic hero through Banquo, due to his courage towards truth. The way that Banquo reacts to the decisions of Macbeth shows the contrast between a regular old hero and a tragic hero. Banquo outlines the qualities Macbeth shows of a tragic hero, his hamartia, naivety, and confidence in the wrong people (or witches), and the catharsis of the dinner party, Macbeth must release his guilty conscience in any form possible, in his case, a fit of insanity among the most important people to his reign.