Comparing Macbeth And Oedipus The King

Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Oedipus the King by Sophocles are both tragic stories which contain many elements of which are similar and different. Although both Hamlet and Oedipus suffer from fate, Hamlet’s father is murdered by his brother Claudius, while Oedipus kills his own father. Both Hamlet and Oedipus have the opportunity to shun their fate, but the two men believe themselves to be the only individual who can resolve the predicament which they are faced with. The homeland of Hamlet and Oedipus, Denmark and Thebes, are both in a state of tumult. After Hamlet’s father’s death Denmark was presided by a new court, after Claudius, who in addition to murdering Hamlet’s father, became king by marrying his

*INTRO*The character Oedipus in the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, and the character Othello in the play Othello the Moor of Venice by Shakespeare are both tragic characters. Oedipus ends up killing his father, and marrying and having children with his mother, whereas Othello ends up mistrusting and killing his wife. These two individuals have similarities and differences in several aspects such as the roundness of their characters, the retribution that they incur upon themselves and upon their respective wives whether directly or indirectly, and their horrors.

When we think of the tragedy, we think of something bad happening to someone. This cannot be a tragedy. To know what tragedy is we have to take a look at what Arthur Miller thinks of as tragic.

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is a play that has stood the test of time mainly due to the important themes it explores. The main theme being man’s vain struggle against the all-powerful will of the gods. Whereas ancient cultures believed in fate and a preordained path for humankind, modern culture is based on the idea of free will with the notion that every individual is free to choose between right and wrong, good or evil. This has become the basis by which each member of society is judged. There is, however, philosophers and scientists who have posited that we do not really have free will; that our destiny is set in stone. The play is a good platform to explore fate versus free will.

The path to destruction isn’t an instant path; it’s usually based on several things such as choices, relationships and even fate. In regard to relationships, the person can be at odds with one individual, groups or societies. Oedipus the king and Antigone both have 2 central characters that happen to be at odds with societies but for different reasons. I will analyze why Oedipus and Creon were at odds with their societies, how the conflict affected them and others and whether they received just punishment.

In Western culture today, it is a widely accepted fact that men and women have equal power in a marriage; whereas in Elizabethan times, a woman was dominated by her husband and she would have very little control over her life. The leading omnipotent couple in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth have a compelling marriage with a power dynamic that is beyond the boundaries set by society at the time in which he wrote the play. The directors Roman Polanski and Rupert Goold in their film adaptations of Macbeth, use contrasting paradigms of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the power between the two that result in two fascinating interpretations of Shakespeare’s original characters. By

Even though they are both heroes there are many differences between Homer’s Odysseus and Shakespeare's Macbeth. Theses differences come from the fact that Odysseus is an epic hero, while Macbeth is a tragic hero. Common traits of a tragic hero are the hero is of noble birth the hero possesses a tragic flaw that eventually leads to his downfall. The flaw offer has to do with excessive pride also known as hubris. On the other hand, epic heroes are larger than life and embody the values of particular society, an epic hero is superhuman. He is braver, stronger, smarter and cleverer than an ordinary man. Many times they are on a quest for something of great value to him or to his people. The tragic and the epic hero can both teach the reader

Instead of Macbeth being Thane of Glamis, he is a high-class chef of a well-renowned restaurant in the middle of London. The environment in Shakespeare Retold has changed from a Shakespearean era to the 21st century. Both Macbeth and Joe have high positions that will eventually lead to their downfall. Both the play and the film emphasize on the same values and they demonstrate how ambition and greed drive a human to their insanity and madness. For example, in Shakespeare Retold, Joe was introduced as a kind, jovial person who as a chef himself taught his fellow cooks how to properly make food. His desire to secure his throne, in this case, the main chef, made him disoriented and was breaking plates, and burning food, something he wouldn't do before. The loving aura changed and it was just filled with chaos, in which the environment was not a place where his workers wanted to be. The change of scenery from the kitchen to an ominous night was effective in such that viewers could see that it meant something bad was about to happened. Lastly, at the end of the film, the kitchen in a highly renowned restaurant was not as luminous as before. The lights were turned off by Joe, and this is where we could see that he was beginning to shut himself down.

Oedipus the King was written by Sophocles and was is titled Oedipus Rex in Latin. It is one of the most well-known Greek tragedies. As is the case with Greek tragedies—or roughly most tragedies that make their way to stage—fate plays a key role in the events in Oedipus Rex. Oedipus discovers there is a plague on his city. The only way to lift the plague is by slaying the former king’s killer. As the play’s acts unfold one discovers about the prophecy concerning Oedipus. The prophecy states that Oedipus is destined to kill his father and marry his mother. But was this just by chance or his predetermined fate.

In the play Macbeth, ambition, strength, and insanity play major roles in how the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth behave and react. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth present all 3 of these behaviors at one time or another during the play. However, there behaviors progress in very different ways. While Macbeth gets stronger and more ambitious, Lady Macbeth does the opposite. She starts out strong and ambitious, but becomes weaker and more reserved.

“Leaders become great, not because of their power but because of their ability to empower others,” (John Maxwell). Dorothy and Macbeth are two characters in different pieces of fictional literature. Their method for solving problems is very much alike. They both reject their obstacles and display the same fault, pride. Macbeth puts all of himself into his pride and wanting for power, that in the end, he loses the crown and everything that he once loved. However, even though Dorothy has a sense of pride as well she is able to shift paths and gradually conquer her flaw by being there for a friend who before abandoned her, and give that same friend hope in a once thought of a hopeless situation. And by giving her friend a hand to hold she

Villains are crafty and skillful while using their mastery of manipulation in an attempt to gain power. Shakespeare presents the tragedies, Macbeth and Othello as plays filled with plots driven by manipulation. Shakespeare uses the power of language in the characters Iago and Lady Macbeth by using influential rhetoric to sway those around them and also lead to the deadly downfall of Othello and Macbeth. In both of their cases, Shakespeare reveals the power of power because when things do not go according to plan, their own downfall is inevitable as well. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s actions show that women too can have the ambitions that men have and perhaps be just as devious and evil. It is this ambition and ease of cruelty that fuels her

A Comparison of Macbeth and Hamlet MACBETH stands in contrast throughout with Hamlet; in the manner of

To understand Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth it is necessary to fully comprehend the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The differences between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are profound. Over the course of the play, Shakespeare skillfully changes the role of the two characters. Macbeth is frightened at the beginning then confident at the end while Lady Macbeth confident at the beginning and frightened at the end.

Characters in plays begin to become influenced as their stories unfold. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, two prominent characters Macbeth and Banquo have certain differences and similarities, and as the play progresses, contrasting attributes of both characters begin to appear. Both characters uniquely develop in the play, portraying eminent leadership skills, while possessing contrasting attributes towards temptation, and relationships with their families.