Austin WhiteMrs. MorganENG 3U105 November 2017 Macbeth Essay Tragic heroes often have distinct qualities that make them different from other characters. Often, the tragic hero has a lot of ambition to achieve a certain goal. This leads to the tragic hero feeling guilty, as he has difficulty accepting what he has done, or the person he has turned into due to his ambition. Finally, the audience feels pity and fear, often during the tragic hero's downfall. William Shakespeare's play Macbeth perfectly represents a tragic hero. Macbeth displays a great amount of ambition, guilt and is capable of creating pity and fear in the audience, making him a true tragic hero. First, MacbethMacbeth first illustrates a fair amount of guilt immediately after killing Duncan: “My thought heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more! Macbeth kills sleep” (II.ii.35,36). Macbeth imagines a voice stating that sleeping is no longer safe as Macbeth killed Duncan in his sleep, increasing the cruelty of the crime and leaving Macbeth crying with guilt and remorse. He initially didn't want to kill Duncan. He hoped there was another way, until he realized it had to be done to be successful, and this was the start of a future filled with surprising amounts of guilt for him. Secondly, another example of Macbeth showing guilt is when he imagines the ghost of Banquo: “You cannot say that I did it. Never wave your bloody locks at me” (III.iv.45). Macbeth imagines Banquo's ghost and tries to tell him that the murder is not his fault, which shows that he is filled with guilt over killing Banquo. This is when it becomes most apparent that guilt is tearing Macbeth apart, and he is starting to lose his sanity as he imagines ghosts and attempts to speak to them. Finally, further guilt is shown during a conversation between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth: "I am so penetrated into the blood that, if I waded no more, the return would be as tedious as the going further." (III,iv,143). Here Macbeth feels guilty as he admits that everything he is doing is wrong, but he is so deeply involved. The audience feels pity, which probably begins when the tragic hero begins his downfall. First, the audience shows great pity for the tragic hero Macbeth after he murders King Duncan: “I will go no more: I fear to think what I have done; Look at him again, I dare not” (II.ii.51-53) The audience feels pity for Macbeth in this case as it is clear that he realizes he has made a mistake and is sincerely sorry, and the guilt is eating away at him live. Lady Macbeth had a negative influence on him, giving him the ambition to kill King Duncan. Macbeth is evidently frightened by what he has done and deeply regrets it, eliciting pity from the audience. Later, fear joins the audience during the scenes involving Macbeth and the murderers. Fear is instilled in the audience when it is clear that Macbeth has transformed into a cold-blooded, unpredictable and easily influenced killer: “It is finished. Banquo, the flight of your soul, if it finds heaven, must discover it tonight” (III.i.146,147). At this point it is clear that Macbeth will kill Banquo. This creates great fear in the audience because they can predict Macbeth's downfall when he turns into a murderer and commits more until he is killed. The last point where the audience shows the most pity for Macbeth throughout the play is during his speech when he realizes that