Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare and was first performed in 1606. The play begins when Macbeth hears a prophecy from three witches that he will become king of Scotland, after which he is encouraged by his wife Lady Macbeth to kill the king and murder those who threaten his throne. Macbeth is considered a tragic hero because of the misjudgment of his destiny and his throne, as well as his great capacity for suffering.
For one thing, Macbeth fits Aristotle’s criteria of hamartia, in other words, errors in judgment. One of his earliest errors in judgment is that he believes the third hag when she says that he “shalt be king hereafter!” (Mac 1.3. 53) and indulges in the compliments of others. Macbeth is easily convinced and thus begins his attempt to change the course of his destiny. Although he does not want to kill Duncan at first, he is slandered by Lady Macbeth, who is craving for the throne and makes up his mind to kill the current king, which exposes Macbeth's error in judgment. In the literary criticism titled "Macbeth as Tragic Hero," James Berquist supports this idea stating, “it is clear that Macbeth’s error and subsequent fall is due to a flaw in character and not a depraved character” (Berquist 114). Duncan's death marks Macbeth's transition from a nobleman to a brutal murderer, and he asks the witches to tell him what the future holds. He is smug and confident that no one can defeat him because he believes in the beautiful vision described in the prophecy. “Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of women born Shall harm Macbeth” (Mac 4.1 98-104). Macbeth does not properly understand the true meaning of the phrase and mistakenly thinks that by killing all those who might be a threat to the throne, no one could take away his throne, but what happens later proves that this is not the case. It is his blind confidence and error in judgment of the present and the future that led to the tragic end, but it could not be attributed to his evil nature; much of this is pushed by others.
For another thing, Macbeth shows a great capacity for suffering, further validating his tragic nature. He is just living his life in peace, but the appearance of the three witches changes everything; they bring a surprising yet heartwarming prophecy that inspires Macbeth's ambition and desire. But at that time, he is not fully immersed in desire but struggles with good and evil, just as he asks himself in the text, “Or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, proceeding from the heat oppressed brain” (2.1.44-51)? The doubts about himself here show Macbeth's hesitation about whether to murder Duncan and the conflict between his internal good and evil, which is just a microcosm of his ability to bear the pain. He does not have to suffer the guilt of killing either, but his wife's desire leads him to the abyss step by step. Literary critic James Berquist also emphasizes this point as he claims, “when he actually overcomes the desire to murder Duncan for the crown, his wife presses him according to his desire to be manly, which, as we have seen, is where he is weak and susceptible" (Berquist 115). Besides that, after he seizes power, he begins to consider the stability of his throne. He goes to glory because of the prophecy, and he may also destroy it because of it. He is in fear all day because of the killings, and his words and actions reveal his inner unrest. “Macbeth: (to GHOST) Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.61-62). However, in the midst of the most terrifying days, the person he cherishes the most also dies. Looking at the expression on her face, he feels so guilty and remorseful that he begins to complain about the unfairness of his fate. “She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word…Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player. That struts and frets his hour upon the stage” (5.5.20-28). Macbeth loses the person he loved most and is left alone even as he enjoys the power that comes with the throne, not to mention the tragic end of his subsequent murder.
Macbeth's life is tragic due to his errors in judgment and tremendous capacity for suffering. He craves power, only to have it backfire on him in the end; he suffers from extreme inner fear and doubt and kills indiscriminately to keep his position, only to have himself annihilated by the crusading army. Thus, Macbeth is undoubtedly a tragic hero.