Heroes and villains often have many of the same characteristics, ambition, strength, pride, and desire for glory. In most situations it is one characteristic that distinguishes someone as either a hero or a villain. Shakespeare’s Macbeth is an example of a villain, while Homer’s Odysseus is a classic example of a hero. Many of the characteristics of the two are men are the same, but it is the few differences that determine them to be villain or hero. Macbeth and Odysseus are similar in the way that they are both set back due to their character flaws; but a difference between them was the knowledge that they gained, or did not gain as a result of their journey.
The journeys of Macbeth and Odysseus were hindered as a result of flaws in their personalities. Macbeth is originally portrayed as a brave and capable leader on the battlefield. After seeing the witches, Macbeth learned that it was his future to become king, this stirred up conflict for Macbeth. Macbeth was faced with two choices, either to wait patiently for his kingship to come, or to take action in order to immediately become king. He chose the latter, which gave a glimpse into Macbeth’s true character. Macbeth impatiently wanted this power, so he took action by murdering the present king. This shows Macbeths lack of patience, and his lust for power as he knew that he would eventually become king, but he did not want to wait for it to come. In addition after returning to the witches the second time, Macbeth learned that “…none of woman born / shall harm Macbeth” (Macbeth-4.1.91-92) and “Macbeth shall never be vanquished be until / Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him” (Macbeth-4.1.105-107). This led Macbeth into a false sense of security (he...
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...ersonalities. A major difference between the two characters was the knowledge or lack of knowledge that they gained over the course of their journeys. Macbeth thought himself invincible, untouchable by any man born from a woman, though it was his overconfidence that led to his dismay and death. Odysseus on the other hand showed hubris, and contempt for his crew, as in all situations he put his life above the lives of his crew. Through his journeys, Odysseus did however learn to be weary of overbearing pride and devotion to glory. Macbeth on the contrary did not learn anything through his experience, he died as king the same way he became king, greedily and scornfully. Odysseus and Macbeth share many of the same qualities, but the major difference between the two is that Odysseus acted out of pride, Macbeth out of greed; which defined the men as a hero and a villain.
The main characters of each work are automatically associated with each other by their names, but they also share similar personalities and characteristics. Odysseus is a wily hero of the Trojan War who uses his deceptive...
The most apparent flaws, and perhaps the most tragic in Macbeth's character, is his lack of patience and temperance. These shortcomings haunted Macbeth, causing him to let his "overvaulting ambition" rush fate, and hasten his doom. Macbeth could not wait for an appointment to a position of more power. Instead, he murdered the king to take his place.
Often through great literature, there is an epic hero. In the Odyssey, Homer tells the journey of one man’s journey home from the Trojan War. The protagonist of the epic poem Odysseus is often regarded as a great hero. However, Odysseus is not quite the glorious soldier that people often see him as. Odysseus shows that he is an antihero through his pride, disloyalty, and bloodthirstiness.
...teristics and literary devices. The general archetypical description of a hero follows an outline of a muscular figure and super abilities. Yet on the contrary, in myths, heroes may not possess any of those traits. Whether the so-called hero is learning their lesson, overcoming struggle or even descending into darkness, all heroes share some similar and almost identical characteristics. A vast majority of all mythological heroes share the same basic idea which, helps audiences identify whether or not the character is indeed a hero or not. From story to myth or fairytale to drama, the hero is one character who changes the plot entirely. Whether that hero may be saving a burning building, or discovering who they are themselves, our heroes all give us hopes and dreams that one day even our worth will be recognized by ourselves and others as our admirable hero’s are.
The bulk of the praise a hero receives tends to be in response to his or her actions. People look up to the heroes who can perform the most miraculous feats. However, there is an element of heroism beyond the superficial element of a hero’s actions: the hero’s character. Both heroes and antiheroes might do great things; however, the similarities end where motivations are considered, and these differences in motivations are rooted in the differences in the character of heroes and the antiheroes. An antihero’s character is flawed, leading to actions based on selfish and impure motivations. In contrast, a hero is characterized by his or her selflessness; this can be defined as putting the interests of others above the interests of oneself, and
When people think of a hero, they picture someone flawless, someone who does no wrong. A hero is humble and is recognized for constantly saving people in dangerous situations. But that is not realistic. Heroes have flaws, and they do not always make the right choices, but they are still heroes because their courageous actions outweigh their rather dishonorable ones. This topic is discussed in the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer. Odysseus does not always fit his image as god-like, but he is still very much a hero because he has respectable morals and he protects those in need of protection.
A tragic hero is said to be doomed from his beginning. Though courage and loyalty dwell in him, the temptation of superior life can be unsurpassable, and a civil person can display vicious, primitive attitudes and carry out evil deeds. Macbeth was an unfortunate man, who seemed insatiable, pitiless, and power-hungry, but really just attempted to cover up a tiny weakness he obtained through incidences beyond his control.
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.
A Shakespearean tragic hero may be defined as “an exceptional being of high degree” who contributes to his own degeneration and illustrates a personality flaw. The character of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is in all ways the perfect example of a tragic hero. His greatness and bravery in battle for his country ultimately leads him to be a great thane and eventually a powerful king, making his actions have a significant impact on a country. Macbeth’s ambition on becoming a king leads to an obsession to remain in his current position. His ambition comes to a point where he falls to the temptation of evil which leads to Macbeth’s inevitable downfall. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a brave man whose performance in Scotland’s battle is celebrated.
Heroes are often described as physically attractive, strong, intelligent figures with a flair for grand gestures,and an eloquent knack for stringing words together. The fundamental aspects of what defines a hero are conveniently glazed over. People forget that heroes often lead lives of quiet determination. When they have an idea, a goal they want to accomplish, they ignite a spark within themselves that burns into an uncontrollable blaze, which that can only be tamed by success. The fabricated image of a hero has been so deeply rooted into society that the quiet heroes in literature, such as Jefferson from A Lesson Before Dying, are often forgotten, or the misdeeds of cowards such as Frankenstein are overlooked. Jefferson is the literary foil for Victor Frankenstein, because he has strongly built morals that enable him to become a hero, whereas Victor Frankenstein is a weak willed and indecisive character. A hero is defined by their ability to go through with a task despite the obstacles that lie in their way, along with their courage and ultimately, they accept any responsibility that may befall them.
Macbeth is swaying between the forces of good and evil. He wants to stop killing but he also wants to become king and in his mind the only way to do that is to kill whoever is in his path, saying “I am in blood/ Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er.” (3.4.168-170). Macbeth is already deep into this situation and if he were to turn back now, it would cause him greater hardship than relief. Macbeth has been dealing with this inner conflict ever since he was told by the weird sisters that he is fated to become king. This conflict ties everything together, between fate versus free will and sane or insane. Macbeth started the play as being a glorified war hero, however as time moved on he transformed into a bloodthirsty tyrant. Macbeth has gone through so much that he has shifted into a guilty man haunted by nightmares and hallucinations but will not stop until he gets what he came for. Macbeth has gone so far into the void of guilt that his name has now fell into infamy, as shown by quote by Young Siward saying “The devil himself could not pronounce a title/ More hateful to mine ear.” (5.7.10-11). Macbeth had already grown a name for himself while he kept his innocence, however with all the killings macbeth has made, he has done nothing but shame his name. Macbeth name to others is more hateful and there is nothing that Siward would rather do than to end Macbeth’s life, thus ending all the guilt and evil inside
Miguel de Unamuno once said, “The greatest height of heroism to which an individual, like a people, can attain is to know how to face ridicule.” From the tragedy of MacBeth by Shakespeare, there are three characters that exhibit contrasting aspects of heroism. The protagonist Macbeth and the antagonists MacDuff and Banquo all play very important roles in the story that makes it a more popular read from Shakespeare’s collection. The story is told from the villain's side of the story and with this the reader is able to experience where the character went from the beginning of the story to the end. The beginning shows Macbeth’s innocence and his relationship with other characters and throughout the story we experience a big change and it all starts with the witches prophecy being announced to him.
One Writer;two tragedies and two really different murderers. William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Macbeth are generally common tragedies. Hamlet and Macbeth successfully deal with the need for royal power and its bad after effects.This essay examines the probable corollary that a tragic villain may possess and or including characteristics that may be on the same passing level with the tragic-heroes. Being hero-villains, Macbeth and Claudius present similarities.Both of them are magnanimous,driven by ambition,suffer internally,lack conscience and smart.
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.
Commonly, a hero is considered as a representative of morality, justice and power. Also, people have various ways to evaluate their own heroes. Especially children, as they grow up, are more likely to create their heroes who are usually brave, strong, righteous and indestructible. However, villains are the opposite side of heroes, and they are evil, demoniacal and cruel. Some of those heroes would easily turn into villains when they are trying to get revenge because their hearts are filled with hatred. The play Hamlet by Shakespeare tells the tragic story of a prince avenging the death of his father. In the play, the main character Hamlet changes from a hero into a villain through his immoral and repellant actions.