What elements of tragedy are present in Macbeth?

There are many elements of tragedy in Macbeth, including the deaths of a number of characters, multiple betrayals, and of course, the tragic downward spiral of Macbeth himself.

Macbeth's path to the throne of Scotland is a bloody one, and he becomes increasingly willing to kill to maintain power as the play goes on. Among the most notable and tragic deaths for which Macbeth is responsible are King Duncan, Banquo, Lady Macduff, and Macduff's young son. Banquo and Duncan's deaths are grave betrayals, as Banquo was Macbeth's former friend and Duncan was once Macbeth's king. King Duncan welcomed Macbeth into his inner circle and rewarded his loyalty with a new title at the beginning of the play. Macbeth knows Duncan to be a good man and a just ruler, yet he kills him anyway to satisfy his own ambition. The murder of Macduff's family (and the attempted murder of Banquo's young son, Fleance) serve to further highlight the depth of Macbeth's evil, demonstrating that there is no line he will not cross to retain the throne.

Murdering Duncan seems to put Macbeth on a course from which he cannot turn back, and his moral, spiritual, and mental deterioration in the wake of Duncan's death is one of the great tragedies of the play. Macbeth is loyal to Duncan initially and though he secretly dreams of the throne, he is hesitant to act upon these desires. It is Lady Macbeth, whose counsel he trusts deeply, who truly convinces Macbeth to follow through with the plot to murder Duncan. Though his wife is confident in their plan, Macbeth is wracked with guilt and anxiety and even hallucinates prior to and immediately after he kills Duncan. Macbeth's heart soon hardens, however, and by the end of the play, he doesn't even consult with his beloved wife as he callously orders the murders of women, children, and former friends.

By the end of the play, Macbeth seems to be devoid of a conscience entirely, and when he hears of his wife's death, he appears numb to it, remarking, "She should have died hereafter." His famous "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow" soliloquy reveals the depth of his despair and spiritual decay, as he suggests that life itself is meaningless. In the end, the Macbeth's death is not sympathetic, but entirely just. When Macduff appears onstage carrying Macbeth's severed head, justice has been served and Macbeth's tragic fall is complete.

What is the tragedy in Macbeth?

I would argue there are several tragedies in Macbeth. I'll discuss a few for you. First is the natural tragedy of man and greed. The tragedy arrives from Macbeth's own inner weakness in believing the witches for their prophecies and then being manipulated by his wife to act out and expedite said prophecies. Yet, you may want to jump and say, "But his wife made him..." while this is true, keep in mind when he hears the witches' prophecy the idea of killing the king does cross his mind, therefore the seed is planted. Another tragedy is suffered by Macduff. By choosing to be suspicious of Macbeth and pose as a threat (whether he was aware of it or not) his house is slaughtered at the hands of hired murderers, sent by Macbeth. His young son and wife are both killed, causing him great grief and subsequently being the "straw that broke the camels back" and sealing Macbeth's fate. A final tragedy, if you want to do some speculating and include gender studies, is the impact the loss of a child has on a mother. Some scholars and educators propose that Lady Macbeth and her husband lost a child prior to the opening of the play (See "MACBETH" 2006 indie film from Australia... portrays an excellent interpretation of this in the opening scene). Through this tragic loss, Lady Macbeth because callus and maliciously motivated.

Macbeth is a tragedy because a relatively good man who has the qualities to become a great man is derailed by his greed and lust for power.The prophecies of the witches begin his journey down the path of destruction. He could have ignored them, as Banquo did, and allowed fate take its course. Instead, with the encouragement of his wife, he takes matters into his own hands, murders his king and from then on his ambition overtakes him. He lets nothing or no one get in the way of his success.He has chances to reverse his course, but his ambition is too strong. By the time the play is over, his wife has gone mad and killed herself, Macbeth has had Banquo killed, along with his wife and young son, and Scotland is in disarray. Believing his will not be killed by "a man born of a woman" he is killed nevertheless by a man born by Caesarian section. He has lost everything, including his kingdom and his reputation.

How does Aristotle's theory of tragedy apply to Shakespeare's Macbeth?

According to Aristotle, there are three elements that make a story a tragedy. The three elements (from the Greek) are hamartia, peripeteia, and anagnorisis, and all are present in Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Regarding hamartia, it is recognized that the "hero" has a tragic flaw; and the character's actions create problems that were not anticipated. In terms of Macbeth, Macbeth's tragic flaw is "vaulting ambition," or ambition that cannot be stopped; rather it trips over itself so that the character can, in this case, move up in the world.

Macbeth:

I have no spur

To prick the sides of my intent, but only

Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself,

And falls on th'other. . . . (I.vii.25-28)

Peripeteia indicates a change or "reversal" in one's circumstances.

...a sudden turn of events or an unexpected reversal, especially in a literary work, or...

[a] sudden and violent change in circumstances, especially in drama

In Macbeth, we might look to the witches' predictions for this reversal, or in terms of a violent change, we could refer to Macbeth killing Duncan and becoming a murderer—and then King.

The last element of tragedy, according to Aristotle is when the main character has something like an epiphany: when a critical piece of information is revealed to him (her). Anagnorisis...

...is a moment in a play or other work when a character makes a critical discovery... or,

Anagnorisis is the recognition by the tragic hero of some truth about his or her identity or action that accompanies the reversal of the situation in the plot, the peripeteia...

In this case, it occurs when Macbeth finally realizes that the witches' have led him to his doom, when all of the seemingly impossible "caveats" in their predictions actually occur. It looks like Birnham Wood is moving to Dunsinane Hill.

Amid these three elements, Macbeth is also a tragic hero. Aristotle defines the tragic hero as a "great" (important) man; he dies due to his tragic flaw; and, his death is his own fault. Macbeth is a great man: he is a decorated and honored soldier of King Duncan, well-loved by the King and admired by his peers. He has fought like a lion on the battlefield for his King. Macbeth dies because of his tragic flaw: vaulting ambition. He tries to be happy with all that Duncan has given him—the rewards and the honors. He tells Lady Macbeth he does not want to continue in their plot to kill the King, who Macbeth truly loves and admires. Lady Macbeth insults his manhood, and Macbeth gives in to her nagging and his ambitious nature, and ultimately, he dies. His death is his own fault because he does not ignore the witches' predictions—as does Banquo—and he gives in to his wife's desires, allowing her to manipulate him when he really does not want to commit regicide; however, she wants to be queen.

And so, Macbeth is a tragedy by Aristotle's definition, and Macbeth a tragic hero as well.

What are the characteristics of tragedy in Macbeth?

William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, is considered a tragic play. Most of the characteristics of what deem a play tragic are well known to literary academics. That being said, a great site which lies out the characteristics is the Santa Ana College (linked below). Based upon this site's definition of tragic characteristics, Macbeth is considered a tragedy for the following reasons.

1. "Tragedy is concerned primarily with one person." The play follows the actions of one main character--Macbeth. While other characters are seen, everything revolves around Macbeth and his actions.

2. "The story is essentially one of exceptional suffering and calamity leading to the death of the hero." Macbeth suffers greatly. He murders his king (Duncan), loses his wife (Lady Macbeth), murders his best friend (Banquo), and, eventually, dies.

3. "The tragedy involves a person of high estate." Macbeth is a well known man among Duncan's followers. He is even regarded as high enough to be named as Duncan's heir.

4. "The tragic fate of the hero is often triggered by a tragic flaw (hamartia) in the hero’s character." Macbeth's tragic flaw is his overly ambitious nature. In the beginning, he was fine with allowing fate to take its course. After being pressured by his wife, his ambition grew. This ambition compounded as his power grew.

5. "Shakespeare often introduces abnormal conditions of the mind." Not only does Macbeth's mental instability become apparent (think his seeing of the dagger and of Banquo's ghost), Lady Macbeth goes insane as well.

6. "Supernatural elements are often introduced as well." In conjunction with number five, supernatural elements exist within the play. Macbeth sees a floating dagger and a ghost. Lady Macbeth sees a "damned spot" which will not come off of her hand.

What is the story of Shakespeare's tragedy play Macbeth?

The plot concerns the rise to power (and the subsequent demise) of a noble warrior (he's called a Thane, which is like a Lord) of ancient Scotland, Macbeth.  He begins the play fighting a battle in the service of the current king, Duncan.  Duncan has decided to silence once and for all by two rebellious Thanes.  When Macbeth proves himself loyal and courageous in battle, Duncan decides to add more glory to him by bestowing one of the titles that had formerly belonged to the slain rebel upon Macbeth.

Meanwhile, Macbeth and his comrade, Banquo have been waylaid by three mysterious witches, who prophesy that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor (the title that the king has decided to give him) and then King.  They also say that Banqo will beget kings.  Macbeth and Banquo do not know what to make of these predictions, but Macbeth is later surprised to note that the first prediction has come true when Duncan makes him Thane of Cawdor.

Upon returning home to his wife, Macbeth makes the choice that changes the course of the play for him.  He decides to take his wife's counsel and murder Duncan so that he might fulfill the witches' prophesy and become King.  He does the deed and does become King, but this only, ironically, deepens his troubles.

He finds he must murder Banquo and his son to prevent Banquo's children from becoming kings.  He succeeds with killing his friend, but Banquo's son escapes.  He then must face other prophesies from the witches and, ultimately, an uprising against him led by Duncan's son and other Scottish Thanes.

The culmination of the story shows Macbeth's decline into a desparate killing machine, and ultimately ends in his death at the hands of those more honorable characters that would rule in his place.  His wife, Lady Macbeth, is also overcome with her own guilt and goes mad and kills herself.

The play is considered a classical tragedy. Macbeth is a tragic hero whose tragic flaw is his own ambition.  In the beginning, it seems to be the thing that raises him up, but ultimately, it is the instrument of his own demise.

You can find more detail about the play in the links to the Entoes study guide given below.

What elements of Aristotle's defined tragedy are found in Macbeth?

In his Poetics, Aristotle defines "tragedy" in part by stating that "the writer presents 'incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to interpet its catharsis of such emotions.'"  Under this definition, Macbeth functions as a tragedy because the events in the play do arouse the pity and fear of the audience, yet by the end of the play, the audience should no longer relate to these emotions.  At the beginning of Macbeth, the witches predict that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland.  Although Macbeth sees great happiness in this prediction, Banquo fears the absolute verity of the witches' prediction and says that caution must be taken lest they fall into a trick.  The witches represent supernatural elements and should arouse fear in the audience.  When the prediction begins to come true, Macbeth cannot rid himself of his greedy, ambitious desires and the audience pities Macbeth for not having a stronger, more cautious character.  He is a valiant soldier who has been led astray.  However, these feelings of pity give way at the end of the play when Macbeth himself admits that he has behaved in the wrong manner yet still goes on to fight Macduff just to see it through to the end.  Macbeth never makes amends for his wrongs, and this is tragic according to Aristotle's definition.

In what way is Macbeth a Shakespearean tragedy?

Tragedy now days is simply taken to mean sad but the truth is that it has a much more complex meaning than that.  Just as a true comedy should end in a marriage, so a true tragedy should end in a death.

A tragedy is the depiction of human suffering through which we (the audience) is meant to reach Catharsis (cleansing). At the end of Macbeth, the tyrannical king is dead and a good and righteous king is restored to the throne, Scotland and the viewer is cleansed because good has triumphed over evil.

Macbeth is tragic because of its attendant peripetia, the titular characters reversal of fortune. Macbeth was a respected general, he had a title and respect from his peers and the king and yet through his actions he loses the respect and love of those around him and he is brought low in the esteem of others as he strives to be considered more important.

There is also tragedy to be found in the fact that the play is a play of decline, we see Macbeth as a noble warrior at the start, the kings loyal subject, and a friend of Banquo, however, by the end his moral decline is complete and after killing his friend, his king and guest, and attempting to kill a child, and ordering the death of others, there is no lower that he can sink.

Macbeth himself fits into the heroic mould, and yet he is fatally flawed. This flaw or hamartia, is over come or destroys the hero, in the case of Macbeth it is his hubris, his pride and self-assertion.

Greek Tragedies also contained choral sections, which would be sung/performed by groups, which Macbeth has in the witches, and their choral sections of spell casting, which they say together.