What makes a hero a hero? By definition, a hero displays courage in adverse situations and is willing to sacrifice himself in positions of weakness. Based on this definition, the character of Macbeth is not a hero but a man whose lust for power led to his own destruction and opposition to Ian Johnston's Introduction to Macbeth. I believe that the character of Macbeth in Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth is not a hero because he was responsible for killing Duncan, he killed people for unjustified reasons and was the cause of his own death. In Johnston's lecture he says that Macbeth cannot be held responsible for Duncan's death. The lecture says, “His (Macbeth) imagination has committed him to evil before his conscious mind realizes that the decision has been made.” The lecture further analyzes Macbeth's mental state and exactly how Duncan's death occurs. Johnson highlights Macbeth's mental behavior well, but it must also be said that he agreed to kill Duncan before he even entered the room. In Act 2 Scene 1 Macbeth says: “I go and it is done. The bell beckons me/ Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a death knell/ Calling you to heaven or hell. He has come to the consensus that he will kill Duncan and that his soul will face the entrance to heaven or hell. I am certain of Macbeth's evident consent to killing Duncan. Later in that act, after Duncan's death, Macbeth goes to see his wife to tell her that Duncan is dead. They then begin to discuss all the incidents that happened after his death, such as the owl's hoot. Macbeth tells his wife, “I thought I heard a voice cry, “Sleep no more! / Macbeth kills sleep" - innocent sleep, / Sleep that ties the frayed knot of worries, / The death of everyday life... .. middle of paper ......the tragedy Macbeth is not heroic .Using both Shakespeare's Macbeth and Ian Johnston's Introduction to Macbeth, I believe I have proven my point. To be a hero your character must be willing and capable of sacrifice and Macbeth's decisions do not allow this of being a hero. Works Cited "Hero." Wikimedia Foundation, 20 January 2014. Web. 16 January 2014. .Johnston, Ian. "An Introduction to Shakespeare's Macbeth." , n.d. Web. 20 January 2014. “No Fear Shakespeare: Macbeth.” SparkNotes and Web. 16 January 2014. .Shakespeare, William . New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Print.