Arguments with proof for an essay on Macbeths themes (i have to prepare for my exam and these are the possible themes we will have to write about...

The concept of the tragic hero, within
Macbeth, is perhaps the easiest.  According to Aristotle's
Poetic, there are six main characteristics which align with the
tragic hero.

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1.  The tragic hero is a character of noble
stature and has greatness.  This should be readily evident in the play.  The character
must occupy a "high" status position but must ALSO embody nobility and virtue as part of
his/her innate
character.

Here, Macbeth
initially embodies virtue.  His loyalty to Duncan, in the beginning, shows that he is a
noble and virtuous character.  He is also regarded as being great. "I only have left to
say,/More is thy due than more than all can pay" (I, iv, 23-24) Duncan to
Macbeth

2. 
Though the tragic hero is pre-eminently great, he/she is not perfect.  Otherwise, the
rest of us--mere mortals--would be unable to identify with the tragic hero.  We should
see in him or her someone who is essentially like us, although perhaps elevated to a
higher position in
society.

Readers can relate
to Macbeth. In the beginning, he seems to be a man who upholds virtuous and noble
behaviors. (See quote above.)

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3.  The hero's downfall, therefore, is partially
her/his own fault, the result of free choice, not of accident or villainy or some
overriding, malignant fate.  In fact, the tragedy is usually triggered by some error of
judgment or some character flaw that contributes to the hero's lack of perfection noted
above.   This error of judgment or character flaw is known as
hamartia and is usually translated as "tragic
flaw".

Many have tried to
argue whose fault Macbeth's downfall is.  In the end, a person must always turn to
themselves to truly understand the position they are in.  Macbeth is no different.  It
was his choice to murder in order to gain the crown.  Just because it was stated in a
prophecy does not make it any less his fault in the claiming of the crown.  Macbeth has
freewill- and he executed his will in his murderous pace for the
crown.

4.  The
hero's misfortunate is not wholly deserved. The punishment exceeds the
crime.

Here is where Macbeth
falls away from the characteristics of the tragic hero. He committed murder and, in the
end, was murdered.  His punishment did not exceed his
crime.

5.  The
fall is not pure loss. There is some increase in awareness, some gain in self-knowledge,
some discovery on the part of the tragic
hero..

Again, one cannot see
Macbeth as a tragic hero if aligning him with this characteristic.  He did suffer loss
in his fall. Not only does Macbeth lose his life, he lost his
virtuousness.

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6.  Though it arouses solemn emotion, tragedy
does not leave its audience in a state of
depression.

In the end, many
readers do not leave Macbeth feeling depressed. For some, Macbeth got what was coming to
him.

Therefore, a thesis comparing Macbeth to a tragic hero
could look something like this:

While Macbeth does embody
some of the characteristics of a tragic hero, he fails to meet the ones considered most
important.

While Macbeth does embody a few of the
characteristics of a tragic hero, the fact that he falls short on meeting all of them do
not make him a tragic hero.