Vlad the Impaler
When thinking about The Tragedy of Macbeth, many dictators, rulers or just regular people who has done horrible things come into mind. Macbeth was a war hero who was filled with the lies of a witch and got him power hungry, which led to him killing the king, his king. Macbeth was filled with power and killed anyone who would have the chance to take that away from him. Like many cruel, brutal, power hungry rulers, Macbeth's “friends” and “supporters” rose against him and killed him. Macbeth was a lot like Vlad the III who was also famous for being a war hero and conquering countries with cruelty and rage. Both relied on the fear of the people to keep their power strong.
Vlad III was born in 1431 in the Transylvanian city
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of Sighisoara. (Lee, 2011) Vlads father, Vlad II Dracul was the ruler of Wallachia, which was located more to the south of Transylvania. (Cooper-White,2013) During the time that Vlads dad was ruling, a war in Hungary was in process, so Vlads II, along with Vlad III and his brother, were captured and arrested. Vlad III was promised to be let free but his sons had to stay in the jail as long as the war was going on. While Vlad was in captivity he was not only tortured but he was also forced to learn many different subject such as science and philosophy. The Ottomans taught him how to be a warrior and a skilled horseman, which helped him to be the great warrior hero he was came to be know as before he started his rule. (Cooper-White, 2013) Vlad knew little about what was happening with his dad and siblings while he was in captivity. Vlads dad was dethroned and killed near a swamp in a Balentini and his brother was tortured and buried alive. After his family was killed off, Vlad was released and his bloody reign had begun. (Cooper-White, 2013) At 19 years of age Vlad took his father's place as the the king and took advantage of his power.
He tortured people who did not do as he said by breaking their arms. When Vlad took power he knew he was close to war with the Turks so he built watchtowers and underground trails. (Anset,2011) Vlad strived on people's fear because he knew if the people feared him, they would stay loyal to him. To make sure that people took him seriously, Vlad organized public executions using impalement. As a sort of a game to test his power, Vlad placed a priceless piece of gold in each of his district unguarded areas to see if somebody would dare to steal it, the whole time he was the king not even one was stolen. (Anset,2011) Vlads killings were to have estimated to be up to 80,000 people. Dead bodies of the enemies were placed around the villages to scare away enemy troops. The Ottoman Turks were forced to get their hats nailed to their heads to ensure that they will never break their religion. Vlad killed women, men, kids and elders for many different reasons. Women were killed because he says that they were not working hard enough, kids and elders were killed because he believed that they were useless. Anybody who tried to leave were killed and hung around the kingdom. (Anset,2011) Vlad was also know for drinking the blood of the people he killed. It was said that he would put it on his bread or drink it like it was water. This developed the story of Dracula, which is based on a vampire
that represented him. Vlad strived on the fear of his people and the fear of his enemies. At the end, Vlad was beheaded during battle and his head was taken back to his brother who was a general for the Turkish army. Many believe that Vlad was the one who arranged for his father and brother killed so the title of king would be his. After Vlads death, peace was stored throughout Europe but his story lived on as the most cruel ruling of all of history.
Vlad would punish his enemies for not only war crimes but for crimes against God for not remaining pure such as cutting off the breasts of women for not remaining virgins. This was an extreme version of what the Victorian era was about, despite his drastic measures, Vlad and most of the society during this era had the same values. Stoker used the identity of Vlad Dracula to create this monster who lusts for women and men alike for their blood as a way to let out his own sexual frustration. As he was unable to let them out himself due to the type of society he was placed in, where he would be chastised and judged he did this in his own way to let out the inner battle he was facing within himself. From being a war hero in Romania to being a sadist, Vlad Dracula was a real person who became the model of what the Victorian era could use to scare people into remaining
Shakespeare's Macbeth is a heroic tragedy that shows the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition for those who seek power for its own sake. These psychological effects can be seen in many characters, but are most clearly displayed in the main character Macbeth. Macbeth begins the play as a noble and stable character- a loyal husband, subject, and the Thane of Glamis. However, as Macbeth receives more power and becomes more ambitious, he loses his mental stability. Macbeth’s mind deteriorates from his strong ambition, his guilt of killing, and the paranoia that comes of power. You can also see Macbeth’s mind deteriorate by examining his visions, attitude toward fear and death, and how
Humans are always fascinated by power. Sadly, they do not realize the danger of it until it is too late. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare's underscores how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both consumed by power. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth dominates Macbeth, manipulating him to kill Duncan. After the death of Duncan, Macbeth becomes ambitious, and hires murderers to kill Banquo without notifying Lady Macbeth. Even though he is a decorated soldier, when Macbeth rises to power, he becomes ruthless. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth becomes weak, and insane. Shakespeare illustrates how Macbeth’s obsession with power undermines his moral judgement, leads to his mental deterioration, and ultimately results in his death.
Would you kill someone if it brought you power, and the ability to rule a country? Macbeth, one of the king’s generals wanted the power. Macbeth does many things throughout till he ends up in a crazed mess in the end. He goes from a thoughtful person who knew right from wrong, to a courageous ruler whose arrogance got the best of him. Throughout the play, Macbeth proves himself of a tragic hero. To prove that he is a tragic hero, he shows a supreme pride, and capacity for suffering. He also has a sense of commitment and vigorous protest, which eventually has an impact on him and other characters. Here are some facts that have been cited, to prove that he is a tragic hero.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play. Macbeth’s rise to the throne was brought about by the same external forces that ensure his downfall.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play centred around opposing forces trying to gain power in the succession for the throne of Scotland. Macbeth, in the beginning, is known to be a noble and strong willed man, who is ready to fight for his country. However, one may see that Macbeth has a darker side to him, he is power hungry and blood thirsty, and will not stop until he has secured his spot as King of Scotland. Though Macbeth may be a tyrant, he is very nave, gullible, and vulnerable.
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare illustrates how greed for power and wealth can result in the destruction of oneself as well as others. The play's central character, Macbeth is not happy as a high-ranking thane - leading him to assassinate Duncan to become King, while unknowingly dooming himself. Throughout the play many examples are evident of Macbeth's unquenchable thirst for power.
It is in human nature that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions one must do to attain it. In Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth, a Scottish noble's craving for power leads him to do terrible deeds that leads to his demise. Shakespeare shows that power corrupts by using Macbeth who corrupts under the thought of have power over others. Macbeth becomes corrupt under the thought of becoming king and gaining almost complete control over the people that he rules. Macbeth wants the power badly enough to do horrible deeds such as commit regicide. Lady Macbeth becomes very ambitious and allows herself to become seduced to the idea of becoming Queen. Her ruthlessness urges Macbeth to commit regicide by questioning his love for her and his own manhood.
William Shakespeare's play Macbeth is a five-act drama that shows a clear example of how pride, greed, and power can alter a man's actions and personality. The taste of power blinds the story's main character, Macbeth. Sparked by Lady Macbeth, he becomes heartless and cruel as he kills anyone who is a threat to his power due to his paranoia of losing the throne. This fear ironically leads to his downfall and loss of the throne. The theme of the story is deceit and evil and how they affect a man's decisions.
Macbeth, one of the darkest and most powerful plays written by Shakespeare, dramatizes the disastrous psychological effects that occur when evil is chosen to fulfill the ambition for power. Throughout the play, Macbeth’s character loses mental stability and becomes enthralled with the idea of being king. Empowered by the three witches, this situation consumes Macbeth’s consciousness until his mental state becomes deranged. This mental deterioration is evident in what he says and does as he evolves into a tyrannical ruler attempting to protect himself from enmity and suspicion. In an attempt to fulfill his ambition for power, Macbeth displays mental deterioration and becomes increasingly bloodthirsty.
In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare has a strong theme of power. Macbeth is a king who is given three predictions from three witches, one of which is that he will become king. The one problem is he doesn’t know what he has to do in order to become king. His wife then decides that in order for him to become king, he must kill the current king. This one murder then leads to others in order to cover the original murder up. Once Macbeth becomes king, he doesn’t want anything to change, he wants to stay king until he dies. He then begins to kill again, but instead of killing to cover something, he is killing anyone who stands in his way of staying king. Macbeth’s fate is affected by the personality trait of bravery, his ability to be manipulated, and his determination.
The story of Dracula was infamous during its time through the tale told by Bram Stoker. This same tale has made its way through modern day times informing the current generation on the legend of Dracula. This same legend has lead back to the historical past of Vlad the Impaler with contradictions of Vlad the Impaler a Romanian ruler of being the inspiration for Bram Stoker and his character Dracula. Vlad the Impaler was born in Romania to Vlad Dragul ruler of Wallachia who lived in exile in Transylvania. Dracula and Vlad are connect to each other by the novel, Dracula, created by Bram Stoker an Irish writer who based his story in Transylvania telling about a vampire who lived in solitude
In Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, Shakespeare creates the ruthless character Macbeth, who is willing to go beyond any measure in order to attain the power of being king, including murder, deceit, betrayal and overpowering the chain of being. Macbeth was first tempted by the idea of kingship when three witches presented him with their portent of Macbeth becoming the next King of Scotland. Ebullient, Macbeth, immediately informed his wife of the news and they both pondered the thought of having the power to rule all of Scotland. Lady Macbeth, a power seeker herself, promptly schemed a plan to kill King Duncan in order for her and her husband to rule, displaying her ready ambition for power. Macbeth’s thirst for power ate away at his conscience
To become powerful, is to become corrupt and The Tragedy of Macbeth is a prime example. In William Shakespeare's tragic tale, a young noblemen soon becomes corrupt when he is given the opportunity to become king. His need for power and safety drives him to corruption, ultimately killing off anyone who stands in his path: innocent or not. Throughout the play, many characters portray the impact power has on a relationship: Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, Banquo and Macbeth, Macduff and Macbeth and many more. While all these characters were affected by power in the play, Banquo and Macbeth's relationship best demonstrates the effect of power. By examining the effect that power can have on relationships in The Tragedy of Macbeth, it is clear that Banquo and Macbeth's relationship represent best what the impact of power on friendship can be like. This ultimately illustrates that the need for power can drive people to take extreme measures in capturing that power.
Macbeth, who at the beginning of his play’s plot is in a position of some honor and power, obtains position as king of Scotland through secretive foul play, spurred on by some external manipulation as well as personal ambition. “Macbeth’s ambition is unchecked by both moral and legal considerations-he will stop at nothing to get what he desires… Macbeth’s unbridled ambition is the root of the play’s evil because he is willing to throw the world into chaos in order to satisfy his personal desires.” (Thrasher, 92). His rebellion is heinous, but so long undiscovered. His ambition, though present in some degree from the beginning, metastasizes within him through the play as more obstacles to his retention of royal status crop up. “He begins well…but this...