The Themes Of Loyalty In Macbeth And Black Panther

The themes of loyalty to oneself, tradition and loyalty to country are explored in both Macbeth by Wiliam Shakespeare and Black Panther by Ryan Coogler, revealing the complexities of human motivation and behavior portrayed by characters in both the literature and film.

Firstly, Macbeth the protagonist has great ambition and desire for power. As a result of this, it leads him to betray his own value, resulting in his downfall. Macbeth is initially a loyal and honorable soldier of King Duncan, but when he becomes consumed by the idea of becoming king himself, he betrays his own sense of loyalty and murders Duncan in his sleep.(Shakespeare 2.2.19-20). Macbeth’s actions are driven by ambition, and he is willing to sacrifice his own moral principles

When Macbeth first became king, Malcolm fled Scotland because he felt not safe since he was next to become king and thought he would be killed too. "Boundless intemperance In nature is a tyranny; it hath been The untimely emptying of the happy throne, And fall of many kings" (Shakespeare 4.3.59-62). In this quote, Malcolm expresses his concerns about the treachery and danger that surround him, which indirectly suggests his decision to leave Scotland. After some time in England, he gathers support and plans a rebellion against Macbeth's tyrannical rule. Malcolm seeks the assistance of King Edward of England and forms an alliance with him to assemble an army and reclaim the throne of Scotland. "Be comforted. Let’s make us med’cines of our great revenge To cure this deadly grief.” (Shakespeare 4.3.252-253). This quote proves how loyal Malcolm is to his country by fighting for it by ending Macbeth’s tyrannical rule and freeing Scotland from his oppressive grasp (Shakespeare 5.8.65-66). A similar event happened in Black Panther with the character Nakia. When Killmonger became the Black Panther, Nakia fled to Jabari Land for help. Nakia took the heart shaped herb with her that she took right before they got burned which she used to save T'Challa's life after finding him alive at Jabari Land with the Jabari tribe. T’Challa and the Jabari tribe

Macduff and M’Baku follow tradition very strictly. Macduff in Macbeth is a very loyal Thane during Duncan’s reign. After his death, he becomes very suspisous of Macbeth’s sudden yet convenient rise to the throne after being named Thane of Cawdor after his success in his latest battle. Macduff flees to England in vengeance to support Malcolm in his assault on Macbeth and restore the values and traditions of the past. For instance, Malcolm is a direct descendant from one who ruled by divine right, as opposed to Macbeth, who instead took over the throne. There is a hint that Macduff was suspicious of Macbeth when he informs Ross that he may “see things well done there”(Shakespeare 2.4.52-53). This suggests that Macdff believes Macbeth will become a tyrant in the future. The leader of the Jabari tribe, M’Baku also follows tradition. Right after T’Challa was defeated in ritual combat and thrown down the waterfall to his alleged death, M’Baku found him and decided to save him and put him in snow to keep him alive. When Shuri and Ramonda went to the Jabari tribe, he chose to show them T’Challa and let them use the heart shaped herb to save him instead of taking it himself and becoming Black Panther. He did this in spite of the fact Killmonger “new king of Wakanda” would not follow the traditions of Wakanda, but T’Challa would. For instance, Wakanda would not sell their