Macbeth V. Aristotle's Tragic Hero

Macbeth fits the basic mold of an Aristotelian tragic hero but there are some characteristics that do not qualify him as a tragic hero. Aristotle's tragic heroes fit a certain mold and have to hit four key points. Macbeth doesn't meet all of these prerequisites.

An Aristotelian tragic hero has to fit five criteria. They must be of noble birth. This can also be of noble stature so the character doesn't have to be born into nobility, they can receive it later in life. Macbeth does have noble stature as he is Thane of Glamis. The second requirement is that the tragic hero must possess a tragic flaw. It's normally something like overconfidence, but it must be something the character already possesses. Macbeth does have a tragic flaw, his is his pride. The third is that the downfall must be evoked by an error in judgment. Mabeth's downfall is somewhat brought about by an error of judgment. The obvious answer to this is that his downfall definitely happened because of an error of judgment, his decision to kill the king. However, looking more closely, Macbeth's downfall is brought about by his encounters with the witches. They install in him a fear of the preordained future. 

The fourth characteristic is that the audience must feel pity for the hero. Due to Macbeth's version of the last requirement, the audience doesn't feel sympathy for Macbeth. Macbeth fits some of the characteristics of Aristotle's tragic heroes but not all of them. The last prerequisite is that Aristotle's tragic heroes always end in extreme happiness. They realize and accept their flaw therefore they end up happy. Macbeth displays the complete opposite. Throughout the entire play, the audience notices Macbeth growing more and more paranoid and mad. This happens because of the witches predictions. There is guilt eating away at him and then there's his tense relationships with everyone, especially Lady Macbeth which make him fear all. This paranoia would prove to be a clear foreshadowing of the...