time. Even when he has just murdered his king, there is a grandeur aboutMacbeth that makes him a tragic hero: a great man who has erred greatly and suffered greatly rather than a petty traitor like the former Thane of Cawdor. He describes his sin with the imagery of gods and oceans:

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this bloodClean from my hand? No, this my hand will ratherThe multitudinous seas in incarnadine,Making the green one red.

Macbeth is heroic even in his villainy. He has a hero’s code of physical courage and valor, so that part of his downfall is attributable to his trafficking with the powers of darkness, which do not behave in an heroic way or allow him to do so. Faced with Banquo’s ghost, he protests that he could deal with any purely physical threat. What he cannot cope with, as a warrior and a hero, is this threat that cannot be dispatched heroically:

What man dare, I dare:Approach thou like the rugged Russian bear,The arm'd rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger;Take any shape but that, and my firm nervesShall never tremble: or be alive again,And dare me to the desert with thy sword;If trembling I inhabit then, protest meThe baby of a girl.

Even in V.v, when he is all but beaten, his mood immediately before the death of Lady Macbeth is one of heroic defiance in the face of terrible odds:

Hang out our banners on the outward walls;The cry is still “They come:” our castle's strengthWill laugh a siege to scorn: here let them lieTill famine and the ague eat them up:Were they not forced with those that should be ours,We might have met them dareful, beard to beard,And beat them backward home.

This continues to the very end. Though he is briefly dismayed by the revelation of Macduff’s birth by caesarian section, even the revelation that he is fated to die in the coming battle does not daunt him for long. His last words, again, are those of a man about to die a hero’s death:

I will not yield,To kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet,And to be baited with the rabble's curse.Though Birnam wood be come to Dunsinane,And thou opposed, being of no woman born,Yet I will try the last. Before my bodyI throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff,And damned be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!”

At the beginning of the play, Macbeth's courageous exploits on the battlefield are celebrated by King Duncan and the Scottish nobles. In act 1, scene 2, the Captain recalls Macbeth's heroic performance in battle against Macdonwald's forces by telling King Duncan,

But all’s too weak, For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution, Like valor’s minion carved out his passage Till he faced the slave; Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops, And fixed his head upon our battlements (Shakespeare, 1.2.15-24).

The Captain proceeds to tell King Duncan how Macbeth and Banquo valiantly fought against Norwegian forces after defeating Macdonwald's soldiers. He likens Macbeth to a lion and says,

If I say sooth, I must report they were As cannons overcharged with double cracks, So they doubly redoubled strokes upon the foe. Except they meant to bathe in reeking wounds, Or memorize another Golgotha (Shakespeare, 1.2.63-41).

When Ross finds Macbeth to deliver the news that he has been given the title Thane of Cawdor, Ross begins by describing King Duncan's reaction to the accounts of Macbeth's fearless performance on the battlefield. Ross's account of the king's reaction once again emphasizes Macbeth's heroics. Ross tells Macbeth the following:

The king hath happily received, Macbeth, The news of thy success, and when he reads Thy personal venture in the rebels' fight, His wonders and his praises do contend Which should be thine or his. Silenced with that, In viewing o'er the rest o' the selfsame day, He finds thee in the stout Norweyan ranks, Nothing afeard of what thyself didst make, Strange images of death. As thick as tale Can post with post, and every one did bear Thy praises in his kingdom’s great defense, And poured them down before him (Shakespeare, 1.3.90-101).

As the play progresses, Macbeth falls victim to his own ambition and turns into a ruthless, malevolent tyrant.

When the play begins, Macbeth is considered a hero. He has fought and defeated the enemy with bravery, strength and skill. The wounded sergeant reports the victory to King Duncan. He declares that Macbeth has ended the battle by killing Macdonwald and has his bloody sword to prove it:

For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,Which smoked with bloody execution,(20)Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,And fix'd his head upon our battlements.(25)

King Duncan expresses his admiration for Macbeth's heroic qualities. In fact, he honors Macbeth with a new title. King Duncan declares that Macbeth will be the new Thane of Cawdor. King Duncan uses heroic adjectives to describe his cousin:

O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman! 

King Duncan continues to exalt Macbeth. He refers to the previous Thane of Cawdor as a man who has lost his title. Now, Macbeth is the Thane of Cawdor. In the King's eyes, Macbeth is noble and honorable:                                    

What [Macdonwald] hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.

Macbeth is a true hero. He has heroic qualities. When King Duncan describes Macbeth, he states that his kinsman is incomparable. On the battlefield, Macbeth's character speaks for itself through his bravery and determination to defeat Macdonwald. King Duncan states that Macbeth cannot be compared to any other.

It is a peerless kinsman. (65)

Clearly, King Duncan holds Macbeth in high esteem. When the King of Scotland has so much respect for a soldier and relative, that proves Macbeth has the qualities of a hero.

Of course, Macbeth changes and becomes a power-hungry murderer, but he was a hero at the beginning of the play.  

One of the qualities of a tragic hero is his hamartia, or tragic flaw. I would argue that Macbeth's tragic flaw is his overreaching ambitions to become king, despite the fact that King Duncan is a good ruler. Macbeth acknowledges this:

Besides, this DuncanHath borne his faculties so meek, hath beenSo clear in his great office, that his virtuesWill plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, againstThe deep damnation of his taking-off.... (I.vii.16-20)

At the end of this same scene, however, Macbeth is determined to "bend up / Each corporal agent to this terrible feat" (I.vii.89-90). This reach for the kingship grows with each murder Macbeth commits.

Another characteristic of a tragic hero is hubris, or excessive pride. As the forces of his enemies surround him, Macbeth tells them, "I have almost forgot the taste of fears" (V.v.10). Macbeth has believed so exclusively in the prophesies that he has stopped considering that his own ambitious quest could fail.

A tragic hero also experiences anagnorisis, or an important discovery. Macbeth has believed that the Witches' predictions mean that it is his destiny to be king. After all, all men are born from women, and the woods can't come to his castle. He is therefore shocked to learn that Macduff was delivered via cesarean section and to watch Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane:

Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane,And thou opposed, being of no woman born,Yet I will try the last. (V.viii.35-37).

A tragic hero must face an eventual nemesis, or punishment. For Macbeth, this is his own death:

Hail, king! For so thou art. Behold where standsThe usurper’s cursèd head. The time is free. (V.vii.64-65)

To find an example of Macbeth as a tragic hero, take a look at Act V, Scene V. In this scene, Macbeth has just learned of his wife's death and he reflects on his actions thus far. What is key in this speech is Macbeth's realization that life is not only fleeting, but that all of his actions will soon be forgotten. He comments on the nature of life, for example:

Life's but a walking shadow.

In addition, he notes that the deeds and actions carried out in life will, ultimately, signify "nothing."

The result of this speech is that the reader catches a different glimpse of Macbeth's character. He is no longer the ambitious pretender to the throne, but is, in fact, a victim of the harsh realities of the nature of life. As a result, the audience can sympathize with Macbeth, if only briefly.

A tragic hero has to have a great fall. The drama in the epic is derived from watching the hero unwittingly ensnare himself in a trap he can't get out of. As the hero finds himself defeated because of a tragic flaw, the audience experiences what Aristotle referred to as purification or catharsis—the hero's demise sets things right again—he gets what he deserves, and we feel this reaffirmation of our faith in what is right by watching it happen.

It follows that, in order to have a great fall, a tragic hero must have attained some sort of greatness from which to fall. They must come to the realization that they have failed, and that their failure is due to their own weakness. Macbeth achieves political greatness, but it comes at an even greater cost.

When Macbeth sees that his ambitious plan to gain the throne and then hold it is failing, he becomes desperate. This desperation turns into despondency when Lady Macbeth dies. This is when Macbeth utters the “Tomorrow” soliloquy, which concludes with the lines:

It is a tale told by an idiot,

Full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

You can't fall much further than that. Macbeth now believes that life is “nothing.” All of his ambition and ruthless actions have come to exactly that: nothing. Macbeth shortly will fall the rest of the way when he is killed by Macduff.

In order for a character to be considered a tragic hero, some basic criteria need to be met. First, he must come from a noble background. This is true of Macbeth, who distinguishes himself in battle before he even makes his first appearance on stage. Macbeth's valor causes King Duncan to exclaim of him: "O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!" (1.2.26).

Second, a tragic hero must suffer a tragic flaw. Macbeth's is his ambition. This is exemplified in Act I, scene 4, when Macbeth contemplates murdering King Duncan: "Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires."

Finally, a tragic hero must undergo a tragedy. Macbeth certainly does; he suffers the loss of his wife, his ill gotten kingdom, and his life. The totality of his downfall is clear in his last words, found in Act V, scene 8:

I will not yield, To kiss the ground before young Malcolm's feet, And to be baited with the rabble's curse. Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane, And thou opposed, being of no woman born, Yet I will try the last. Before my body I throw my warlike shield! Lay on, Macduff, And damn'd be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!”

Once he's back at home, Macbeth eventually decides that he doesn't want to move forward with Duncan's murder. However, his wife talks him back into it. At this point, he joins in her plotting, asking,

Will it not be received,When we have marked with blood those sleepy twoOf his own chamber and used their very daggers,That they have done 't? (1.7.85–88)

In other words, he asks who would possibly fail to believe them when they've used the daggers belonging to Duncan's chamberlains to kill the king as well as smeared the chamberlains with Duncan's blood. The implication is that none will question them, the great Macbeths. Who would possibly believe that these heretofore loyal subjects, who have just received such honors from the king, would do anything other than their best to keep him safe? None. It is villainous thinking from a newly-villainous man. To this same end, he says,

I am settled and bend upEach corporal agent to this terrible feat.Away, and mock the time with fairest show.False face must hide what the false heart doth know. (1.7.91–94)

Macbeth is resolved and knows he must deceive others, people he loves and respects, from now on. He has a "false heart" and so he must wear a "false face" in order to hide it. This admission and deception are certainly villainous.

Likewise, in Macbeth's scene with the murderers, he makes many such villainous statements. He tells them

That it was [Banquo], in the times past, which held youSo under fortune, which you thought had been Our innocent self. This I made good to youIn our last conference, passed in probation with youHow you were borne in hand, how crossed, the instruments,Who wrought with them, and all things else that mightTo half a soul and to a notion crazedSay "Thus did Banquo" (3.1.84–91).

He lies to them, telling that the Banquo is to blame for the terrible misfortunes they have endured in their lives. He manipulates and exploits these victims of poverty and social ills in order to accomplish the death of the innocent Banquo and his young son. If such double dealing doesn't prove Macbeth's villainy, what does?

There are several good quotes that could be used to help illustrate that Macbeth is a villain. Some of the best ones come near the end of the play after it has become clear to everybody that Macbeth is a tyrant and getting worse by the day. His methods of keeping power are far from admirable, and in Act 4, Scene 3, Malcolm has the following to say about Macbeth. 

This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongues,

Was once thought honest.

Not in the legions

Of horrid hell can come a devil more damned

In evils to top Macbeth.

Quotations from the play that support Macbeth as a villain depend on the reasons WHY the reader thinks that Macbeth is a villain in the first place.  Once this is established, then quotations can follow as support. 

For example, if I believe that Macbeth is a villain because he plots to do harm to the people who trust him, then I might choose a quotation from Macbeth's soliloquy in Act 3 Scene 1.  At this point in the play, Macbeth fears that the witches' prophecy will also come true for Banquo, and Macbeth is angry that all the deeds that he has done so far will only benefit Banquo's sons in the end.  So Macbeth says, "Rather than so, come fate into the list, and champion me to th' utterance" (III.i.74-5).  Macbeth hopes that fate will be on his side so that he will end up victorious.  Here, he plots to have Banquo and Fleance murdered to secure his place on the throne, and this makes Macbeth a villain in the play.

To define a tragic hero, it is probably best to use Aristotle's characteristics of a tragic hero. It is slightly frustrating that different sources will have slightly different characteristics for what a tragic hero is. However, the main components remain relatively static.

Generally, a tragic hero is a person that is looked up to and revered by people. The character is either rich, famous, or both. In Macbeth's case, we are told that he is a great warrior on the battlefield, and I think that this is important. However, I think it is also important to note that even before these battles, Macbeth was a thane. He is part of the upper class.

All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!

The defining trait of a tragic hero is generally identified as a tragic flaw of some kind. There is something about his/her person that will ultimately lead to his/her downfall. For Macbeth, it is his ambition. However, in this play I urge readers caution about placing too much blame on Macbeth's ambition. The ambition is definitely there. He talks about his "vaulting ambition," but Macbeth is initially able to keep it in check. He tells his wife that he is not going to go through with the murder, but she berates him into doing it with her famous speech. Macbeth's ambition plants the seed in his mind, but Lady Macbeth's ambition pushes him over the precipice to take the first step.

A third characteristic is a reversal of fortune brought upon the hero because of the hero's error in judgment and actions. This happens to Macbeth. He moves from being a thane, to being a king, to being dead. It is not necessary for a tragic hero to die. Aristotle's characteristics say that the hero must suffer greatly because of his mistakes. The suffering should also be more than the hero deserves. It just so happens that most of the time the great suffering and punishment usually ends with the hero's death.

Hail, King! for so thou art. Behold where stands

The usurper's cursed head.

Another trait of the tragic hero is that the hero must understand his/her doom and the fact that his/her fate is a result of their previous actions. By act 5, Macbeth knows that everyone is trying to kill him and remove him from the throne, but he believes that he is untouchable. He believes this because he was told that he cannot be killed by anyone born of a woman. Then, Macduff announces that he was not born in the traditional sense.

Despair thy charm,

And let the angel whom thou still hast served

Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb

Untimely ripped.

Accursèd be that tongue that tells me so,

For it hath cowed my better part of man!

And be these juggling fiends no more believed,

That palter with us in a double sense,

That keep the word of promise to our ear,

And break it to our hope. I’ll not fight with thee.

Aristotle defines a tragic hero as a man who is great—meaning, in this case, a hero or someone highly regarded by others. Our hero must die, and his death is his own fault, generally brought about by his tragic flaw.

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth is a great man: at the beginning of the play, Macbeth has just come from the battlefield, and King Duncan receives news of Macbeth's valor in the latest skirmish with the Norwegians. The Sergeant reports:

For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name

Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel...

carved out his passage

Till he faced the slave... (I.ii.18-19, 21-22)

Duncan is full of praise for Macbeth and heaps rewards upon him when they meet. Reading further, we find that Duncan is not only Macbeth's King, but also a cousin and Macbeth's friend. Duncan loves him like a son and pledges to continue rewarding him for all he has done in defense of his native Scotland.

A tragic hero must have a tragic flaw. Macbeth is quick to note that his flaw is "vaulting ambition:" ambition that is never satisfied. His desire to be greater—more powerful—is insatiable.

Finally, our tragic hero must die because of his flaw. Macbeth has listened to and believed the predictions of the three witches. However, they provide him only with "half-truths," things that aren't really accurate in the deepest sense—they sound plausible, if not totally credible. Macbeth accepts all that the witches tell him, even knowing they are creatures that serve evil. Hecate, queen of the witches, notes that man's "chiefest enemy" is a false sense of security.

He shall spurn fate, scorn death, and bear

His hopes ’bove wisdom, grace, and fear.

And you all know security

Is mortals’ chiefest enemy. (III.v.30-34)

The witches lure him on with their enticing lies until Macbeth realizes he has been tricked and has no way to turn back. For one last time, we see Macbeth's greatest as he chooses to fight to the death rather than surrender to Malcolm. (Macduff eventually kills him.) So Macbeth declares:

Yet I will try the last. Before my body

I throw my warlike shield! Lay on, Macduff,

And damn'd be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!” (V.viii.37-39)

Macduff enters and reports his victory to Malcolm:

Hail, King! for so thou art. Behold where stands

The usurper's cursed head. (63-64)

According to Aristotle's definition, Macbeth is a tragic hero.