Analysing Macbeth as a Tragic Hero

Learn everything you need about the tragic hero in Macbeth with analysis of how Macbeth fits into the tragic hero character and why Shakespeare wanted to make him a tragic hero in the first place. This analysis is going to help anyone studying Macbeth, whether for exams or coursework and for any of the exam boards (AQA, Edexcel, OCR etc.).

I cannot overstate how useful this is. The truth is that you are very unlikely to get a direct exam question about tragedy (it would be too hard). However, that is exactly why it is so useful. It is relevant to the main characters, it is very relevant to the themes and it is a core vehicle by which Shakespeare communicates his key ideas. This means that you are going to be able to use this information for a wide range of questions, and it is going to give you a huge amount of high-level insight into the play. Do not be thrown by the long, Greek words; you may struggle to spell or pronounnce peripeteia (I certainly do), but you can absolutely understand it.

Timestamp
0:00 Why has Shakespeare made Macbeth a tragic hero?
07:56 Macbeth the hero
16:38 Macbeth's hamartia
26:20 Macbeth's internal conflict
32:09 Macbeth's peripeteia
37:37 Macbeth's anagnorisis
43:11 Linking Shakespeare's intentions to the tragic hero

This video is on my YouTube channel. However, there are a few benefits to watching it here instead:

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3. There may or may not be no ads, but I can neither confirm nor deny and I definitely didn't tell you if YouTube asked, OK?

There are also multiple resources to help you in the Study Materials section:

Unlocking Shakespeare Study Guide

This is the perfect accompaniment to my video on how to read Shakespeare's language. It goes back over the strategies with more examples and - most importantly - more opportunities for you to practice putting those strategies to use.

Macbeth Wide Margin Textbook

If you don't have a copy of the play to annotate, then this is a must, must, MUST have. If you do have a copy of the play, but it's one of those editions where they have filled every inch of the page with only slightly useful information and have left practically no space for your notes, then my version is also going to be ideal. The wide margins of this version mean that there is plenty of space for your notes. I have still provided translations for lots of the archaic language, and I've provided a list of characters at the start too. It is basically everything I always wished was in the copies of Macbeth I had to use to teach! If you are from a school and would like to order physical copies of the textbook, you can find it on Amazon too.

Macbeth Hexagons Game

If you are studying Macbeth for the purposes of an exam, then this is a fantastic, quick and easy revision game (dare I call it 'fun'?). The basic idea is that every hexagon has a character, theme or some sort of important technique on it. You have to join the hexagons up by connecting the things that link. It's a great way to practice making links and also revise what you know about every important aspect of this play.

If there are any videos or resources you'd like to help you with the study of this play, then please do leave a comment and let me know. I know that my videos only scratch the surface at the moment and you can rest assured that I fully intend to release videos on all the other characters, themes and key techniques. I'm also planning to release model essays so that you can spot the patterns of approach across top grade essays.