“To what extent is Macbeth a tragic hero or a butcher?”

In my opinion, I think that Macbeth is a tragic hero because he is constantly used and manipulated so that other people can profit from what he does, good or bad.

I think that Macbeth is manipulated by the three witches throughout the play. In particular, when Macbeth goes to meet the witches in Act 4 Scene 1, he is given three different prophecies by three apparitions. The first apparition says, “Beware Macduff, Beware the Thane of Fife.” This is the three witches tricking Macbeth, telling him to beware Macduff but not what he will do or when he will do it. They purposely leave out key information so that Macbeth will be left wondering the context of what they’re saying. This is them manipulating him, giving information that they want to give and leaving things out to confuse and trick Macbeth.

Also, Macbeth has been used by his own wife, Lady Macbeth, so that she will benefit from what she tells him to do. For example, in Act 1 Scene 5, she reads Macbeth’s letter about the three witches. Although she may not really believe that there are three witches, she sees that Macbeth does believe it. Therefore, she jumps on the opportunity to get Macbeth to do something by making him feel like she is helping him. But, in fact, she has an ulterior motive which is to be Queen of Scotland. She manipulates Macbeth by making him think she is in love with him. This shows that Macbeth is actually just a tragic hero because he is like a tool to other people, using him when they feel like it.

Macbeth has been told five prophecies, one of which is that he will be king of Scotland. He is told this in Act 1 Scene 3 when the Third Witch says, “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter.” Furthermore, when Macbeth goes to meet the three witches in Forres, in Act 4 Scene 1, the third apparition says, “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him.” This particular prophecy is hard to understand because you wouldn’t think that a forest could move to  a far away hill. This is because the witches are making Macbeth feel superior because he is thinking of their prophecy as very literal and doesn’t look at the closer meaning. In Act 5 Scene 5, a messenger comes to Macbeth in his castle and tells him that the forest of Birnam Wood is moving towards them. This is just Malcolm and Macduff trying to disguise their army so that they won’t be seen unless they are very close. This shows that all of the prophecies have a greater and darker meaning.

On the other hand, Macbeth has killed many people to get what he wants. He savagely killed Duncan to become king and he killed his best friend, Banquo, so that he wouldn’t tell anyone what he knows. Also, at the end of Act 4 Scene 2, Macbeth is in Fife and is accompanied by the three murderers. They kill Macduff’s whole family without remorse. They even kill his children. This shows that Macbeth is alright with killing anyone, anywhere. Macbeth shows his darker side here as he joins in with killing them. Death and murder has gotten normal to him. When he was just Thane of Cawdor and Thane of Glamis, he had a sense of patriotism. He would fight and die for his country and his king but then he had to actually kill his king in his sleep. This proves that Macbeth is a butcher and not a tragic hero.

Macbeth could also be seen as someone that is the subject of a joke. This is because it is also as if he is tricked by his wife and the three witches and that he can never be at peace as always there is something that goes wrong. In my opinion, I think that the three witches are the main problem. When Macbeth is made king in Act 3 Scene 1, he never gets a moment where he is at peace. Banquo suspects him and is suspicious of Macbeth. Macbeth then decides to kill Banquo. Then, his ghost, or what Macbeth sees him as, comes to the banquet hall and haunts him. He is surprised, scared, angry and in front of his subjects he shows a sign of weakness. They also become suspicious that Macbeth was made king by doing evil things. He is manipulated by the witches which causes him to go mad.

On the contrary, Macbeth can be seen as a butcher because he kills his closest friends and allies. He has a lot of blood on his hands from killing Banquo, Duncan and Macduff’s entire family. He does this all just so he can stay as King of Scotland. Even though he killed a lot of people in war, he did that for his country. He destroys all the obstacles in his way to reach his goal which is to be king and keep his family on the throne.

In conclusion, Macbeth is a tragic hero, not a butcher because he is manipulated by Lady Macbeth and the three witches. I think that the proof that he is a tragic hero outweighs the proof that he is a butcher. Lady Macbeth and the witches never tell him what they really want from him by telling him the truth but not the whole truth. I believe that Macbeth was doomed the minute he met the three witches and whatever he chooses to do, he will still fail. This is why Macbeth is a tragic hero and not a butcher.