Comparing Morality In Macbeth And Animal Farm

People usually grow up with the same old cliché stories. They usually consisted of a clear-cut good guy and the clearly morally declined villain. Stories like these showcase characters as one-dimensional or views of black and white. The stories that are really impacting are those with some amorphous morality that makes room for grey area instead of being all black or all white. Two good examples of books that display amorphous morality include the allegorical novella by George Orwell, Animal Farm, and the tragedy by William Shakespeare, Macbeth. Both stories show how a couple of regular people can become the villains of their own story. The authors convey the emotion of sympathy for the character by giving the character flaws that readers can identify and

Generally, a fully presented character is a multifaceted, complex person with understandable motivation. Macbeth's understandable motivation is his lust for power, as is Napoleon's from Animal Farm. Macbeth's ambition and lust for power are first shown after he hears that King Duncan is giving the crown to his son Malcolm. Here, he had to decide whether to force his way into power over Malcolm or let fate take its course (I.iv.55-60). Before this situation, Macbeth was nonchalant about power, but now that it is getting farther out of his reach, he wants the power. Many people can relate to the emotions felt by Macbeth, which is why they are sympathetic towards him. Macbeth can be stripped down to a simple lesson about the dangers of greed and ambition. The basis of this lesson can be put into context anywhere even going as far as to pertain to the reader. The reader can now see themselves in the character and can see how easy it is to succumb to the situation. Thus they put themselves in Macbeth's shoes making them more sympathetic. The same cannot be

Macbeth is first described as "brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)" (I.ii.36). This makes him seem like a noble and respected man. By presenting him as such a valiant person Shakespeare gives the audience a chance to get to know the character and root for them. Macbeth did not descend on his own accord. The audience sees how Macbeth's world slowly collapses around him as he watches helplessly. Macbeth could not intervene with faith and was basically losing control of his life. After he had received the prophecy from the witches his wife Lady Macbeth pushed him to commit murder. While doing so, she remarked how "full o' the milk of human kindness" he was (I.v.15-18). This exchange also helps with sympathy for the character by showing he was pressured into it. To know that he fell victim to temptation makes his character more sympathetic. The witches sparked the greed in Macbeth. Greed and envy are things that anyone can become prey to as seen in Macbeth's case. Most people let their desires cloud their judgement and vacillate between what is honest and what is easy as Macbeth did; this treading on the line of what is right morally attracts many supporters of Macbeth. After he acted on the treasonous act, he is not the same Macbeth. He now hears a voice taunting him of the murder of