Is Macbeth a hero or a murderous tyrant? Discuss Essay

Macbeth, the Thane of Cawdor was a murderous tyrant without question. Macbeth was originally considered to be a ‘hero’ at an early stage in the play however; the people of his Kingdom soon saw another side of him which turned him into a ‘butcher’. It is clear that through all of Macbeth’s schemes of becoming king, such as killing King Duncan and then his friend Banquo, he was a bloodthirsty and ruthless man. This malicious and tyrannical behaviour was not evident in Macbeth’s character early in the scenes, but became obvious as the play progressed and more and more people died because of him in an attempt to keep a secret. Killing Duncan for his position of King was the secret that Macbeth tried desperately to hide. He and Lady Macbeth thought that the crime they had committed would easily be erased with the simple washing of hands to remove the blood. The criminal pair went to the extent of framing other people for their crime so that they would not be even considered as the culprits. Dressing in their nightgowns before they went back to bed and ridding their bloody clothes was also an attempt to draw no suspicious attention to themselves. However, the traumatic incident that Macbeth experienced when killing an innocent, good man was something that would haunt him for many nights to come. Macbeth became paranoid after the awful deed and confided in Lady Macbeth saying that Methought I heard a voice cry†¦ â€Å"Sleep no more!’ to all the house†¦ Macbeth shall sleep no more’. As well as being haunted by his dreams at night, Macbeth had suspicions of Banquo’s knowledge of the murder and so, had to put an end to it. Macbeth, through his greed, murdered Duncan for power and the throne, and then, through the aid of henchmen, he killed Banquo also. To Macbeth, murder appeared to be the only sure way of keeping his secret that he was convinced Banquo would reveal. Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be fear’d: ’tis much he dares. Macbeth was scared that his and lady Macbeth’s crime may come undone and so, once again, took to murdering the innocent. As well as Banquo, Macbeth instructed the henchmen to make Banquo’s son Fleance, embrace the fate of that dark hour. That is, kill Fleance also to stop him from revealing his fathers murderers, and therefore link it back to the King. This murderous intent from Macbeth was due to not only fear but also jealousy. Macbeth would not have royal descendants unlike Banquo according to the witches. So, by murdering Banquo, he thought he would succeed in concealing King Duncan’s death once and for all. By murdering Fleance, he would also prevent the line of Banquo continuing and becoming kings themselves. These actions of Macbeth were the beginning of the stage where he became desensitised to cold-blooded murder and therefore, as it did not affect him anymore, he became a ruthless and murderous tyrant showing no mercy. Macbeth had already been responsible for two deaths (as Fleance escaped the attack) and was in no hurry to cease until his position of king was not threatened. His murderous ways had paid off to a degree and now, because of his confrontation with the three apparitions in the woods, he felt invincible as they said. None of woman born shall harm Macbeth†¦never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to Dunsinane Hill shall come against him. It was after this discovery of his newly charmed life, that Macbeth truly turned into the ‘butcher’ that some had expected, and others had not. Originally known as brave Macbeth, over the series of murders and problems he had faced with seeing ghosts of Banquo, his fair, noble and valiant exuberance was lost and in its place, a malicious, merciless and murderous tyrant was born. Tyrant was the name given to Macbeth and he lived up to his title (through the use of henchmen again) when he massacred Macduff’s castle inhabitants. Macbeth was told to â€Å"beware Macduff† and when Macduff defiantly refused doing something and fled to England, Macbeth was immediately angered, determined to get his own back. The castle of Macduff I will surprise†¦give to the edge of the sword, his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line. Murderers seized Macduff’s castle and everyone living there was brutally slain under orders of the King. Even though all slaughtered were unknowing and innocent to matters regarding Macbeth, because of this desire to hurt Macduff, the emotional trauma would be the real weapon against him. Because of Macbeth’s murderous and tyrannical ways, being affected by death became an unheard of reaction and this was particularly evident when, just prior to battle, he was notified of his wife, Lady Macbeth, committing suicide. Macbeth barely cared about this and was focused more on the war rather than his wife’s tragic death. An explanation of this indifferent response is based upon himself becoming a murderous tyrant, desensitised to the unnecessary execution of many innocent lives. Therefore, his wife’s death held no importance, in fact more of a nuisance as â€Å"She should have died hereafter; there would have been a time for such a word.† Macbeth had no understanding anymore about his actions. Macbeth was a murderous tyrant. The barbaric and ruthless actions that he went through with were unnecessary and were carried out for the tyrant’s personal power gain and stability in the throne. A tyrant cannot be a hero just as a hero cannot be a tyrant. The change from hero to tyrant in Macbeth’s self is clearly evident and cannot be mistaken for anything but murderous. Not grieving his wife’s death, organising for his friends murder and murdering a good and noble king is evidence to prove that Macbeth was desensitised to killing. Macbeth killed everyone that attempted to stand in his fate’s way and regardless of innocence; they were brutally murdered. These actions clearly prove that Macbeth was an abominably murderous tyrant.