Macbeth And Iago Analysis

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Macbeth is more similar to Othello towards the beginning of Macbeth but becomes more similar to Iago by the end of Macbeth, for similar to Othello, Macbeth, after murdering Duncan, feels incredibly guilty. However, unlike Othello, Macbeth’s guilt disappears as the play continues and is replaced with fear and paranoia. Macbeth starts out very different from Iago, for he is not cunning and is unable to lie, but he quickly becomes more similar to Iago as the play continues.
Towards the beginning of Macbeth, Macbeth is similar to Othello, for they both feel incredibly guilty for committing murder. After Macbeth kills Duncan, he is overwhelmed with guilt. When Lady Macbeth wants him to return to Duncan’s chamber, Macbeth refuses for he is “afraid …show more content…

After Macbeth murders King Duncan, he becomes worried that his friend Banquo might try to overthrow him, for the witches that predicted that Macbeth was going to be king also “hailed [Banquo] father to a line of kings” (Shakespeare 69). In order to stop this, Macbeth orders three murders to murder Banquo as he is horseback riding with his son, Fleance. Similarly, Iago has been plotting the downfalls of all the characters in Othello. One example of this is at the end when Iago wants to get rid of Roderigo because “[h]e call[ed] [him] to a restitution large [o]f gold and jewels;” Iago accomplishes this by tricking Roderigo into fighting Cassio (Shakespeare 223). When Roderigo was injured in the fight, Iago murders him. Both Macbeth and Iago played active roles in removing people who stood in their way.
In conclusion, towards the beginning of Macbeth, Macbeth is very similar to Othello and very different from Iago. Like Othello, Macbeth feels guilty for murdering King Duncan. Macbeth is also not very sly like Iago is. As the play progresses, Macbeth, unlike Othello, becomes less sympathetic and more ruthless causing him to be like