Macbeth: A Proper Tragedy?

William Shakespeare wrote many plays, but is most famous for his tragedies, the last of which was titled Macbeth. In this play, Shakespeare portrays a dark and gloomy world, in which darkness dominates over the light; yet he also shows how this world was brought on by a choice. Macbeth, the main character, is shown a future to which he is most agreeable, a prophecy of a future with him as King. Soon after, he realizes what must happen for such a prophecy to come true, and then comes the moment of choice: should he succumb to the darkness, or should he resist? Macbeth is a noble and loyal knight, prone to resisting evil; yet, when faced with a choice in which he most shines, he forsakes his morals to live a life of greatness. His choice brings this play to a tragic end; Macbeth, at first noble and brave, spirals lower and lower until he becomes a mere shadow of what he once was, a villain, far gone into insanity.

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