Macbeth does not follow Aristotle's standards for a tragedyThere have been many great tragic authors throughout history: Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles from ancient Greece; Corneille and Hugo of France; Grillparzer and Schiller of Germany; and Marlowe, Webster and Shakespeare of England. Of this long list of men, Shakespeare is the best known. Many Shakespearean critics agree that Romeo, Juliet, and Hamlet are great tragedies. Many critics also argue that Macbeth is a tragedy, but if one follows Aristotle's standards for a tragedy, Macbeth would not be a tragedy. To truly determine whether Macbeth is a tragedy according to Aristotle, one must first examine his guidelines. The majority of Aristotle's norms concern the fall of the central character. To prepare the character for the fall, Aristotle believed that he should be middle class. This was because he believed that the poor had nothing to lose. He also believed that the fall must have been caused by a fatal flaw. Another feature that Aristotle considered important was a conflict between the central character and a close friend or relative. According to him, the main character should also have an enlightenment at the moment of his fall. Aristotle also believed that feelings of pity and fear should be felt by the audience during the play. He believed these feelings would lead to catharsis, or a release of emotions. Although most of Aristotle's characterizations of tragedy were related to the fall, he had two that were not. First, he believed that the central character did not have to be entirely good or evil. This was based on the belief that the ruin of an entirely good character would be too painful, and the ruin of an entirely bad character...... middle of paper...... not even thank his wife for the plan it made him a king. Because of Malcolm's final speech, the reader is left with positive feelings, not negative ones. Overall, Macbeth is not a tragedy by Aristotle's standards. Macbeth's fall follows the guidelines: he has something to lose, he has a fall, and he has conflicts with his friends and loved ones during his fall. But the core of the play, namely the emotions created, simply does not follow Aristotle's standards. The reader should feel pity and sorrow. Yet there is no reason to feel this way because Macbeth is utterly evil, and in the end the "good guy" is restored to power. Shakespeare put a good effort into trying to make Macbeth a tragedy, but he was not successful. Works Cited: Shakespeare, William. “Macbeth.” The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Longman, 1997.