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. .
Napoleon represents the transformation of Macbeth from the theme of ambition to the theme of
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 beginning of the book, the main character Macbeth is a honorable man that stumbles upon 3 wicked witches that corrupt his mind. When Macbeth and the witches first meet, the witches tell him that he will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and king, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis.”(17) The witch’s corrupt Macbeth’s mind with the fact that he can obtain these titles by doing certain things like killing Banquo to progress farther in his ranks. Toward the end of the book, Macbeth isn’t a bystander anymore, but an enemy to many to where he will be slain by a man who was not of woman born. During a battle, a man named Macduff comes and kills Macbeth, “And let the angel whom thou still hast served tell thee Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped.”(185) Macbeth became the evil that he stood by from in the beginning.
A common similarity in Shakespearean plays is the main character either being an tragic villain or tragic hero. In Macbeth and Hamlet both villains Claudius and Macbeth are killers who are seeking power. William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet and it is about a king’s son seeking the revenge of his father's wrongful death by his own brother Claudius. He also wrote Macbeth which is about a power hungry warrior who becomes king by his corruption and ambition. King Claudus and King Macbeth both are similar in many ways but yet have many differences with set them apart but in the end bring them together by an common action to gain power.
Macbeth and François Duvalier are closely related due to shared ambition and an initial endorsement by the commoners. Macbeth...
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.
Laurence Sterne once wrote, “No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time.” This passage embodies one of the over arching themes of Macbeth. The character Macbeth, in Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, could easily identify with this passage due to the fact that he is pulled in opposite directions by both his desire to do what is right and his desire for power.
What do Bill Clinton the 42nd President of the United States and Macbeth the former King of Scotland have in common? More than you think. Macbeth by Shakespeare is a tragedy that dramatises the effects of political ambition. Bill Clinton is the 42nd President of the United States and was the former governor of Arkansas. Focusing on the similarities and differences of Macbeth and Clinton reveals that having a large ego may lead a reader to not think about the consequences of their actions. Macbeth and Bill Clinton are similar because they both have a similar downfall, a behind the scenes facilitator, a very different rise to power, and similar weaknesses. Macbeth and Bill Clinton are a lot alike
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.
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, /
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
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
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.
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...
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.