The roots of the modern tragedy are found in Ancient
Greece. At that time, there were several theater competitions that allowed
playwrights to display their work to large groups of people. Three of the most
famous tragedians in Ancient Greece were Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
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| Sophocles |
Sophocles wrote a very large amount of plays, and
two of his most famous tragedies were Oedipus
Rex (Oedipus the King) and Antigone. These
are both perfect examples of the ideal structure of a tragedy.
The classic tragic hero has traits such as being of
noble birth, having a hamartia (tragic flaw), and being doomed to a tragic
fate. At the end of the tragedy, there
is a moment of catharsis, which is when the audience feels pity for the
protagonist.
Also, the “pure tragedy” contains three unities: The
unity of time (the play takes place in a short period of time, usually one
day), the unity of place (any action only happens in one location), and the
unity of action (there are no subplots, and all action adds only to the main
plot).
In this sense, Macbeth
has many similarities to a classic Greek tragedy. Comparing the characters
of Oedipus and Macbeth, one can note that in concept, they are actually quite
similar.
Both of these protagonists are doomed to a terrible
fate, and they both receive prophecies which they choose to ignore until it is
too late for them to avoid their fate. Although Oedipus eventually does try to
decipher his prophecy and find the truth, it is not enough. Both characters
show paranoia and arrogance as an effect of their tragic flaw. Both of them try
to deny their fate, but eventually have a clear moment of anagnorisis, which is
when they realize the effect of their mistakes.
Macbeth, like other Shakespearean or modern plays,
does not follow the three unities exactly. However, Shakespeare’s portrayal of
a tragic hero is faithful to the classic tragic heroes of Ancient Greece.
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