Similarities Between Macbeth And Fidel Castro

Fidel Castro as Macbeth

Fidel Castro has many similar qualities to those of Macbeth. Many people said he was a very charming man before he took over the reign of Cuba. He had a small following that would have done anything for him, as did Macbeth. Castro’s rise to power is shockingly similar to Macbeth’s. Banquo was Macbeth’s best friend and his right hand man, and as all great rulers, Castro also has a right hand man. Even though they share many similarities, their rise to power, loss of their right hand men, and their hunger for power stand out the most.

An outstanding similarity in both men includes their rises to power. Macbeth killed Duncan in an effort to become Thane of Cawdor and Fidel Castro rallied an army of men to overthrow Fulgencio Batista. Fulgencio Batista was the Cuban president before the Cuban Revolution. During the Cuban Revolution, Castro rallied together an army of 138 men, but was later captured. When he was captured he knew there was no legal way to get rid of Fulgencio and instead formed a revolution against him. The first attempt failed and Fidel and Raul Castro were both jailed. After being freed they rebelled again and this time they were triumphant. Fidel Castro finally became the president of Cuba. He rose to power and became loved by the public, but later in 1959

he turned to communism and became hated. He was the type of ruler that used fear tactics to gain the respect of his people. (“History.com”) Macbeth also planned a devious scheme to overthrow the King of Scotland, Duncan. He wanted the throne so badly and in order to gain it, thought was necessary to use “legal tactics” to gain the throne. Macbeth knew he was next in line and in case of the death of Duncan, he would obtain the crown. (“Sparknotes.com”)
As all famous rulers have someone to turn to, Castro had a right hand man that was with him since the beginning and suddenly disappeared.

Ernesto “Che” Guevara was there through thick and thin and during the revolution he was a crucial man for Castro. Over time, Guevara became wary of Castro’s motives and finally disappeared from the political scene. Macbeth also has a right hand man named Banquo. Banquo becomes conscious of Macbeth’s wrongdoings and Macbeth becomes paranoid. His paranoia overcame him and finally he decided to hire murderers. In the end, both right hand men disappeared from the scene and were never to be heard from again

(“theguardian.com”).
A trait that both rulers have in common is definitely: power-hungry. They both wanted and needed more to become satisfied with what they have gained. Macbeth became a serial killer and continued to murder and assassinates people who were once his allies. Castro acts as the benevolent ruler and later turns communist to run Cuba under a harsh regime. Both were feared rather than respected.
Even though, Macbeth and Fidel Castro are two not so very different people it is intriguing how many similarities, between two different rulers in two very different time settings, there can be. Both of the rulers were greatly respected before their reigns and it is during their reigns when people finally realize that they fear them more than they respect them.