Hamlet And Macbeth Comparison

Personal greed is “an excessive desire to acquire or possess more than what one needs or deserves, especially with respect to material wealth…” which Claudius analyzes in Hamlet and Macbeth depicts in the tragedy Macbeth. Throughout both tragedies Claudius and Macbeth strive only for greed and obtaining what they don’t have. Their methods to achieving more are through becoming a tyrant over all who threaten them. A tyrannical ruler is one who cannot be content with what they possess and use unjust rules to maintain their power. Throughout Hamlet and Macbeth, two characters, Claudius and Macbeth, become consumed with their own personal which, results in their own demise. Claudius, the brother of the King of Denmark, was never content with

His use of spies specifically on Hamlet help him maintain power for a good amount of time because he is able to control Hamlet’s thinking. For example, Claudius asks Polonius’ help to spy upon Hamlet and the two of them devise a plan. Within this plan they call upon Polonius’ daughter Ophelia to see what is bothering Hamlet. “And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish/That your good beauties be the happy cause/Of Hamlet's wildness: so shall I hope your virtues/Will bring him to his wonted way again, /To both your honors” (Hamlet. 3.1.38-42). Queen Gertrude hopes that Ophelia will be the cause of Hamlet’s unexpected madness, but this is part of Claudius being able to use all at his expense to spy and keep power. Claudius is also exceptionally good at keeping secrets which allows him to maintain his kingdom. The major secret Claudius keeps is the murder of his brother, King Hamlet, and how Claudius was the one to kill him. To keep this secret Claudius acts upset that his brother was killed and tells the kingdom that it is a great lost but they will grow from this. He also goes to great lengths to keep the murder a secret in which he tries to send Hamlet away after he finds out of Claudius’ actions. His last method to keeping the crown is to manipulate servants into doing his dirty work. An example, is the use of

When the witches gave Macbeth his three predictions the first time they revealed his fate which caused him to begin thinking about the crown. Once given the predictions Macbeth tells his wife, Lady Macbeth and she begins to persuade him by using his manhood against him. “And wakes it now, to look so green and pale/At what it did so freely? From this time/Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard/To be the same in thine own act and valor/As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that/Which thou esteem’s the ornament of life, /And live a coward in thine own esteem….” (Macbeth. 1.7.37-45). When Lady Macbeth calls Macbeth a woman he is upset and sets out to prove her wrong therefore creating a sense of motivation to obtain the crown. Macbeth’s tyrannical personality is what helps keep him motivated and on track to obtain his personal greed. For example, after Malcolm, the eldest son of King Duncan, was named the Prince of Cumberland meaning the heir to the throne. Hearing this news upset Macbeth beyond belief because he never thought about Duncan’s kids becoming king before him. After rethinking his plan Macbeth’s tyrannical thinking still keeps him on track to get the crown. Macbeth’s personal greed was driven by predictions, his wife’s persuasion, and tyrannical personality leading him towards