What could a bloody play have in common with a romantic novel? Written over two hundred years apart, William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Jane Austen’s Persuasion tell two very different tales. The tragic story of a man’s downfall and the heartfelt romance both present important lessons about the characteristics of people. In these classic stories, Shakespeare and Austen depict humility as the most important quality in an admirable person by expressing this quality and the opposite, pride, in their characters. The circumstances these characters are put in and the events that happen to them represents the consequences of humility and its opposite. Shakespeare illustrates humility as a valuable characteristic through events that happen to characters who exhibit the reverse trait. In the third scene …show more content…
To Macbeth they say “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!/All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee thane of Cawdor!/All hail Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter” (Shakespeare ), revealing to him that he shall become thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland. The witches inform Banquo that he will “get kings, though thou be none” (Shakespeare). Soon after, the two learn of the death of the thane of Cawdor, causing Macbeth to become the new thane, proving one of the witches prophecies to have come true. After the announcement of Macbeth’s new thaneship from Ross and Angus, Shakespeare begins to plainly show Macbeth’s nature. Macbeth and Banquo discuss the event and their words begin to paint their personalities. Whereas Banquo is cautious and distrusting of the witches’ prophecy, Macbeth imagines the prospect of becoming king with eagerness. This eagerness comes