A Character Comparison of Macbeth and Prospero from Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Tempest

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Recommended: Analysis of the novel Macbeth by William Shakespeare

These two Shakespearean characters, Macbeth and Prospero, from Macbeth and The Tempest can greatly compare to one another. From the very beginning, these two men are hard to understand and seem like your average warrior and ruler. Both of these characters are dealing with struggle of power; however, they both deal with this issue in different, interesting ways with different results. At the end of these two plays, we meet two entirely different characters than the ones that we were introduced to from the beginning. In Macbeth and The Tempest by Shakespeare, Macbeth and Prospero, the two main characters have a lot in common and can great compare to one another.
Macbeth, the main character in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, is hard to understand throughout the play; as well as Prospero in Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest. From the start it is hard to get a grasp of these characters and what they are like. For example, when you first meet Macbeth, he comes off as the brave, heroic, and oh so capable warrior, but when we witness his interaction with the three witches we realize that there is a whole other side of him that he hides. “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other.” (Act 1 Scene 7) Macbeth struggles with a consuming ambition and a sense of self-doubt. Jamieson says “Our perception of Macbeth as a brave soldier is eroded when we see how easily he is manipulated by Lady Macbeth.” Just like Macbeth, we realize that Prospero’s character is not what he seems. Prospero is a sympathetic character that was wronged by his brother. However, when we first meet Prospero he comes off as a self-absorbed, merciless man, which in turn makes him hard to like. ...

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...troduced to from the beginning.

Works Cited

Bevington, David. "Macbeth Character." Wikipedia. N.p., 2011. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. .
Davidson, Arden. "Character Analysis of Prospero." Humanities 360. N.p., 2012. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. .
Jamieson, Lee. "Macbeth Character Analysis." About. N.p., 2013. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. .
- - -. "Prospero." About. N.p., 2013. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. .
Vineski, Patricia. "The Character of Macbeth: An Analysis." Education Portal. N.p., 2006. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. .

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