Macbeth and Hamlet as Tragic HeroesWilliam Shakespeare wrote many literary works - from his sonnets to his plays, each has its own characteristics. A popular characteristic from his plays is the tragic hero. The audience can still identify with the tragic hero and the many trials he faces. Macbeth and Hamlet are just two of Shakespeare's plays featuring the tragic hero. Through their nobility, their tragic flaws and their dignity, Macbeth and Hamlet prove to be tragic heroes. Macbeth's nobility begins with the title "Thane of Glamis" (1.3.74). After the death of the original "Thane of Cawdor" (1.3.110), Macbeth gains this title as well. Once the witches reveal the prophecy that Macbeth would be king, Macbeth murders the king and seizes the throne. This reaches the pinnacle of Macbeth’s nobility. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as a "worthy thane" (2.3.43.), however, this transforms into nothing more than a "hellhound" (5.8.4.) by the end . Just like Macbeth, Hamlet is very powerful and has a high status in the land. Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and was named "next to the throne" (1.2.109) by Claudius. "Lord Hamlet"(1.5.112.) is very respected by the Danish people. Claudius takes this into account and does not immediately kill Hamlet when he discovers that he knows the truth about his father's death. Similar to Macbeth, Hamlet begins in a nobler position than he ends. Once Hamlet starts acting crazy, others begin to believe that his "noble spirit is here overthrown!" » (3.1.153.). The idea that Hamlet and Macbeth both begin with a high position and fall into defeat leads to the development of the theme of power corrupts, an important theme in middle of paper ......s honoring by exchanging forgiveness with him. In turn, the dignity of Shakespeare's tragic heroes is finally restored, but this does not change their fate. The characteristics of Macbeth and Hamlet lead them to become tragic heroes. The specific details of these characteristics make Shakespeare's tragic heroes well-defined in each of his plays. At the moment of their death, Macbeth and Hamlet realized their fate and accepted the consequences like true tragic heroes. Volume 3. Edited by Laurie Harris Gale: 1984Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Edited by Norman Sanders. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Sylvain Barnett. New York: Classic Bookmark, 1998.