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Similarities Between Macbeth And Claudius

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This Essay compares Claudius with the tragic hero Macbeth. It brings out the amazing similarities between them though they are generally considered really apart from each other. These tragic characters are driven by the ambition to become the head of their land and it creates a mess for them and others who are involved in their personal and public life. The positive qualities of Claudius and Macbeth can make the readers feel that they deserve kingship. They are true to themselves and feel guilty for their murderous act. They have similar flaws, hubris, insolence, and bravado. Both Claudius and Macbeth are compared based on their characteristics and actions in both their story’s, also their ambitions and how they both were similarly connected …show more content…

Hamlet and Macbeth deal with the desire for royal power and its aftermaths. This comparative study takes us to the possible outcome that a tragic villain can possess qualities that can be on par with the tragic heroes. Being hero-villains, Macbeth and Claudius exhibit similarities. Both are tyrants, usurpers, murderers, aspiring, ambitious, courageous and treacherous. Though Richard III can also be compared with Macbeth and Claudius, Shakespeare’s presentation of that character projects more of his villainous nature than of his heroic qualities because he is cruel from nature. But Macbeth and Claudius become villains because of the accidental circumstances (Homchaudhuri 240). Macbeth’s epileptic nature, fear of death and also the fear of exposure of his dark silence of the actions reduces his heroic greatness. On the other hand, Claudius is cool and composed though he also bears in his heart, a dark silence. Both of them have their ladylove and they act as direct or indirect boosting power behind their deeds. In order to possess Gertrude and the royal power, Claudius commits fratricide. Lady Macbeth enhances Macbeth’s motive to attain royal power by bracing up his courage to commit regicide. Macbeth and Claudius are outstanding individuals. Other characterize cast light on them and vice versa. They are generous, proud and important. They rise above the common ranks of mankind. Macbeth wins the battle for King Duncan against the army of Macdonald, Ireland, and Norway. His performance in the battlefield is special and it is intimated to Duncan through the captain’s words that the brave Macbeth split the traitor Macdonald from his navel to his jawbone. That is why Duncan, in his welcoming

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Finally, Macbeth’s surrender to his uncontrolled passion for power led to his own tragic death and to his total transformation from being one of moral character to a heartless murderer. Although Macbeth’s decline evokes pity and compassion from the reader which makes him a tragic hero, passion without reason cannot be tolerated , because every man has a specific gift: the freedom of choice. Indeed, the prophecies of the three witches, Lady Macbeth’s wicked inspiration and encouragement, and Macbeth’s lustful passion to keep the throne altogether provided the perfect elements for the development and the end of the Shakespearean tragic play,

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“Macbeth”, a tragedy by William Shakespeare illustrates the devastation toward one's character as a result of use of ambition without the presence of morality. The effective use of Scotland's heath, immense castles, and bleak weather conditions in the story, serve to deliver a somber tone and sinister atmosphere to the reader. The setting is a necessary element in the story that symbolizes a secure environment that sharply contrasts with an environment that is insecure. Through the character of Macbeth, the reader is introduced to a man who at first is not characteristically driven to perform malicious actions, but in the end gives up his moral values for his desire. Shakespeare effectively uses Macbeth and his emotionally weak character in

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Claudius and Macbeth are each characters to be reckoned with. Both decide to murder their king and superior, whether they are actual kin or kinsmen under fealty, to place themselves upon the throne. After their initial crimes, both men handle their newfound power differently and take different measures to keep their crimes hidden. Macbeth goes into what appears to be a killing frenzy to keep his secret hidden, while Claudius acts as if his brother’s death was a tragic accident and is willing to speak about it openly. Also, Claudius marries his deceased brother’s wife while Macbeth blames the murder of the king on his own sons and takes his wife with him into the newfound royal life.

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