The rise and fall of Macbeth very well mirrors the rise and fall of a 20th century dictator, the third president of Uganda, Idi Amin Dada. Macbeth and Amin Dada mirror each other in their rise to rule, what they did to stay in power, and the psychological changes they went through.
At the start of the play Macbeth, Macbeth is high ranking in the military and considered a war hero. This very clearly mirrors Amin Dada before his rise to presidency. Amin Dada joined the King's African Rifles (KAR), which were Britain's colonial African troops. Like Macbeth, he was a highly skilled soldier. He eventually reached the highest possible military rank for a black African in the British military. Another similarity in the two people's military careers is that they were both fairly brutal in the killing of enemy soldiers. Amin Dada had a reputation for excessive brutality and Macbeth was very brutal in the killing of the traitor Macdonwald and "unseamed him from the nave to th' chops." (1.2.22) Both people also took over their countries by force. However, Macbeth was at first unwilling to kill the king ("We will proceed no further in this business"(1.7.31)) and persuaded into it by Lady Macbeth, was never found out, and appointed to the throne by the lords of Scotland. Amin Dada took over via a coup d'état and appointed himself president. Amin Dada was also more accepted by his country at the verybeginning of his reign than Macbeth was. It's shown in the beginning of Macbeth's reign that he is mistrusted by Macduff, "Will you to Scone?, -No, cousin, I'll to Fife," (2.4.35-36), and Banquo, "I fear thou play'dst most foully for 't." (3.1.2-3) .
Macbeth and Amin Dada employed extremely similar tactics in both of their attempts to stay in pow...
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...ided by Ugandan rebels. This mirrors Macbeths downfall because the forces that worked to overthrow him were Malcom’s forces from England with aid from a group of what you could call Scottish nationalists because of their devotion to their country. (‘O Scotland, Scotland!’) (4.3.100). This group of course included Macduff, the Siward, and many others. The main difference between the death of both of them was that Idi Amin Dada died in exile, and Macbeth was killed by Macduff.
Macbeth and Idi Amin Dada are similar in their rise and fall from power, their mistakes, and their character and psychological breakdown. Their strongest parallels are their intense paranoia and their proclivity to be highly ambitious.
Works Cited
"Biography: Idi Amin Dada." About.com African History. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014. .
In every tale of power and evil, there are similarities and differences to do with the antagonists and protagonists. In the Novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding and the Play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, there are analogues between the Lord of the Flies antagonist Jack, and Macbeth’s protagonist Macbeth. They both share a lust for power but too have different stories when it comes to that lust for evil.
After a long and hard battle, the Sergeant says to King Duncan, “For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name,- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution , like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage till he fac’d the slave;” (1.2.16) . This quote shows that Macbeth is viewed as a valiant soldier and a capable leader. However, it does not take long for the real Macbeth to be revealed- a blindly ambitious man, easily manipulated by the prospect of a higher status. His quest for power is what drives his insanity, and after having been deemed the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth’s ambition can immediately be seen. In a soliloquy, Macbeth says, “Present fears are less than horrible imaginings; my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastica, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.140). Macbeth has just gained more power, and his immediate thought is of how to gain an even higher status as king. He imagines how to kill Duncan, and then is troubled by his thoughts, telling himself it is wrong. This inner struggle between Macbeth’s ambition and his hesitation to kill Duncan is the first sure sign of his mental deterioration. Although Macbeth does kill Duncan, he questions whether or not he should to do so, which is far different from how Macbeth feels about murder later in the play. Macbeth becomes king, and this power leads
Macbeth is captured by his wild ambition at the opening of the play when he and Banqou meet the three witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he is the Thane of Cawdor, and later will be king. They tell Banquo that his sons will be kings. Instantly Macbeth started to fantasize how he is going to be king. He understood that in order for him to become king he has to kill Duncan. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”(Act 1 Sc. 3, p.23). He was pondering about the assassination until the moment that he could no longer control his emotions. “To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on the other-“(Act 1 Sc. 7, p.41). Because of his “vaulting ambition” he killed Duncan.
Macbeth is portrayed as a good man in the opening of the play. The wounded Captain described him by saying, “Brave Macbeth, well he deserves that name” (1.2.17). Macbeth is depicted by the Captain this way because he witnessed Macbeth brutally take the life of Macdonwald. Although he is brave and brutal, he is also honored because of his loyalty to King Duncan. Macbeth expresses his loyalty to Duncan when he says, “The service and loyalty I owe in doing it pays itself” (1.4.25). However, Macbeth’s appearance will change suddenly after him and Banquo meet the witches. The witches prophesized their fates to them and it all seemed great for Macbeth, who they said will be king hereafter (1.3.53). What the witches also state in their prophecies is that Banquo is lesser than Macbeth, but he will have sons as kings even though he won’t be one himself (1.3.70). One of the predictions actually comes true; the witches told Macbeth he would become Thane of Cawdor (1.3.52). Once this prediction comes true, Macbeth is already in a struggle with his ambition.
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.
They both shared many qualities when it came to ambition taking over them. They both manipulated there way into power, and they also believed they were invincible. Hitler killed millions of innocent people and Macbeth killed the people that loved him. In Macbeth, Shakespeare shows us the side effects of ambition. It’s like a drug that makes you believe you are indestructible and makes you act irrational. For example it says, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o 'erleaps itself, and falls on th 'other" (Macbeth). The quote illustrate Macbeth desire for more power, his ambition drives his reasoning for killing the king. This is how he justifies it to himself. He 's saying he as nothing against the king its just part of the prophecy and his desire to gain more power. Lady Macbeth is also to blame when it comes to the death of King Duncan, she was the one that questioned Macbeths manhood and pressured him into murdering Duncan. It says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o ' th ' milk of human kindness. To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without. The illness should attend it” (Macbeth). As you can see Macbeth has the ambition to get more power its just he is questioned if he would really have the nerve to kill
In Macbeth, Macbeth’s tragedy is sealed by his ruthlessness that is a result of envy and anger. Succeeding the kingship, Macbeth does not find contentment in it. He yearns to have a future like Banquo who will be “father to a line of kings. /” (III. i. 65), but he is cursed with a “fruitless crown” (III. i. 66). Being the ruthless man that he was, Macbeth decides that if you cannot have children ascend his thrown then Banquo will curse with the same misfortune, so he has murderers kill both Banquo and his son, Fleance. Though killing Banquo is unforgivable, Macbeth’s ruthlessness was more evident when he also sends the murderers to kill Fleance. Macbeth’s ignorance of Fleance being a helpless child who cannot defend himself makes him more ruthless. Banquo could have defended himself from the attack of the murderers, as he is a great and experienced solider. Trying to have Fleance killed is unfair as he had no way of defending himself. Fortunately for Fleance, he was able to escape his death. The ruthlessness of Macbeth is also demonstrated when he chooses to kill the people who were present in Macduff’s castle, after hearing from Lennox that “Macduff is fled to England. /” (IV. i. 161). Macbeth had good reasoning to kill Macduff who was planning to attack Macbeth’s castle with army from England, but the killings of Macduff’s family were insensible and a result of anger: “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, /
The war is over, the battle’s won! The rebels and their leader, Macdonwald, have been defeated by the mighty army of King Duncan! Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, commanded the army and led it to victory against the opposing forces, although he was absent during the end of the battle.
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.
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is described as being “valiant”. He is a skilled warrior, who is loyal to his king and his country. Almost single-handedly, he wins the war for Scotland. He defeats many of the enemy soldiers, including a traitor, all in the name of his king. But, when three witches encounter Macbeth and his friend Banquo, Macbeth’s ambition begins to grow. They tell Macbeth that he will be Thane of Cawdor and King. Soon after, Macbeth meets with King Duncan. He informs Macbeth that he is the new Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is astonished, and from then on he is obsessed with being king. His ambition begins to become ruthless when Duncan proclaims that his son Malcolm is the Prince of Cumberland, and therefore, the heir to the throne: “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, /For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires:/The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be/Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.” (I,iv,48-53) At this moment, Macbeth, realizing that they stand in the way of the witches’ prophecies, decides that both Duncan and Malcolm need to die for him to be king. As soon as Macbeth kills Duncan, he enters into a world of evil. Later in the play, Macbeth’s ambition becomes increasingly ruthless. He kills his best friend Banquo, and almost kills Banquo’s son, Fleance, because he believes they would stand in the way of his reign. The witches told Banquo “Thou shall get kings, though thou be none.” (I,iii,67) This means that Banquo himself would not be a king, but that his successors would be. Macbeth tries to prevent this by killing Banquo and his son Fleance.
Macbeth is a brave general who fights for his country Scotland, defeating the King of Norway. He is loyal to his king Duncan, but Macbeth has ambition to take over the kingdom for himself. He has lots of doubts of if he is doing the right thing, but still murders Duncan and then Banquo who is another general who fought with Macbeth. These murders and guilt about his treason are leading Macbeth to become insane. This essay shows that although Macbeth’s strong desire for power is influenced by the three witches in the play and also the planning and ambition of his wife Lady Macbeth, in the end he is responsible for his self-destruction.
Who would have thought that being a king would be so difficult? Oedipus and Macbeth are both kings that seem to have a lot of trouble staying king. The similarities do not stop there. Macbeth and Oedipus are similar in a variety of ways. The interesting thing is that they are also very different but still suffer the same fate. These similarities and differences teach us a valuable lesson about power.
Macbeth is seen as a “valiant cousin, worthy gentleman” (I, ii, 24). He is a brave warrior who is well respected in his community, until the witches prophesied to him that he would one day be king (I, iii, 50). Macbeth interpreted that he must act to fulfill the prophecy. He sends a letter to Lady Macbeth asking what to do. She suggests that he should kill Duncan.
All great leaders have their rise and fall. Some throw themselves into failure, some are pushed into it. Those who are pushed into it are usually influenced by evils around them. In the play, Macbeth by Shakespeare, the main character, Macbeth, is pushed to failure. The play takes place in Scotland and is about a young warrior who goes by the name Macbeth. Macbeth is told he would be a king by three witches. Macbeth kills the existing king and becomes a cruel, unjust king. He eventually goes insane and is killed and humiliated. Many may think Macbeth’s downfall was his own fault, those people are wrong. There were three main outside influences that were responsible for Macbeth’s fall. The first influence is his wife, Lady Macbeth, who seeks to be the queen and pushes Macbeth to pursue the crown. The second is Macbeth’s good friend Banquo who was with Macbeth when he was told he was to be king in the future. Banquo’s silence made Macbeth paranoid and that caused Macbeth to order his men to kill Banquo. This was a big cause in Macbeth’s insanity. The final influences are the three witches who drive Macbeth to kill Duncan, and they make him weak by letting him think he is invincible. Macbeth may have been a bad king, but he was not responsible for his collapse.
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...