Tragic heroes in stories are known as tragic because while they are heroes, they have a flaw that causes them to bring pain and suffering to themselves or those around them. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth starts off as a hero straight off the battlefield that kills a traitor for king Duncan and becomes a hero. As the play goes on, however, Macbeth's ultimate desire for power causes him to hurt people around him that he once cared about and causes them to suffer under his rule. Kind Duncan, Lady Macbeth, and Banquo all feel the negative effects of Macbeths flaw.
Under king duncans rule, Macbeth begins as a soldier for him, that’s killing traitors on the battlefield. In a turn of events, Macbeth encounters three withes that tell him the future, that he is to become thane of cawdor and thane of glamis and king after that. Upon this news, Macbeth decides that “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me/ without my stir” meaning that if being king is a possibility, and all he must do is set the idea in motion and kill King Duncan. While those are his initial thoughts, it was not done so easy by him. Macbeth struggled with guilt at first when he says” I’m afraid to think what I have done” but later moved on to feel little remorse as he became more powerful.
Banquo, Macbeths trusted friend, just happens to be with him when he encounters the witches and hears what they say about Macbeth becoming king. The witches also say that while Banquo will never be king, his sons will be. Because Banquo also heard the prophecy, it puts Macbeth in danger of being discovered for killing duncan since Banquo knows that it was predicted, and that Macb...
