[TGB!]

HAMLETS a better example than MACBETH. HAMLETS not really heroic so much as he is justified in his desire for revenge. . .I mean we root for him because CLEARLY there are enemies around him, but hes the "hero" by virtue of circumstance - not really any actions hes done outside his need for vengeance.

Originally Posted by Akuma

Macbeth is a hero because he never gives up even when he is completely outnumbed and when all the predictions of his death came true.

So - Hitler than (up until he offs himself) was a "her" because he never gave up and soldiered on?

Originally Posted by Akuma

It gives the reader a sense of heroism because he always fights on.

Again - he soldiers on because he KNOWS he can not be beaten, not because hes got some inner-strength. "No man born of woman" - THAT is the ONLY reason he continues in the face of overwhelming odds, because he believes in the WITCHES prophecies. . .not his own talent.

And lets not forget the whole sanctioned murder of an innocent family and of the King he supposedly loved. . .

[quote:71213]There are no perfect heros or villians.[/quote:71213]

Sure there are. . .just because someone has REDEEMING qualities (I'm sure HITLER was good for a joke every now and then), does not cancel out overwhelming evidence to suggest otherwise about their character.

Originally Posted by Akuma

If you read the play and weren't cheering for Macbath at the end even after all the horrible things he's done, then all Shakespeare's work was lost to you.

Ive read SHAKEY since elem-school, trust me I'm not lacking in appreciation of the work. Youre "working definition" of an anti-hero is a vague one that can EASILY be applied to individuals who are CLEARLY villianous with no remorse or desire to rectify their past deeds. . .

To the END - MacBeth stays the course. . .why? Because he "knows" he cannot be beaten and because he is WEAK. He could move BACK to the side of righteousness, but that way is MORE DIFFICULT than the current path of murder and bloodshed he has embarked on. . .he HIMSELF recognizes the villiany of his actions -

"I am in blood / Stepp'd in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er."

He doesnt stop, and he makes every movement to ensure that his children ascend the throne (the murder of Banquo). He COULD attain salvation and penance for his actions, but he DOESNT. . .

If thats heroic. . .