Hamlet and Macbeth: Contrast and Comparison

Introduction.

Being written with only seven years in between, Hamlet and Macbeth reflect the writer’s artistry at its pinnacle. For the centuries to come, Hamlet and Macbeth gained international recognition and were adapted for TV, theater, cinematography, and even comic novels an uncountable number of times. In Hamlet , the young prince of Denmark is summoned back from the university to be at his father’s funeral. Hamlet is shocked to receive the news, but as he returns home, he is even more surprised to know that his mother had married his uncle, Claudius. Through a mystical encounter with the supernatural forces, the prince learns about his uncle’s betrayal which pushes him to take revenge. In Macbeth , Shakespeare also develops the theme of power hunger, and treachery. A Scottish general Macbeth receives a prophecy from three witches about him becoming the next king of Scotland. Blinded by ambition, he kills King Duncan and takes over the throne. This essay will elaborate on these commonalities and point out some differences between the two tragedies.

The Supernatural in Hamlet and Macbeth

In literary works, the supernatural is often used for creating a dramatic effect. It is said that people are often drawn to the darker, forbidden side of life and events that are not quite explainable by common logic. For the reader, such works as Hamlet and Macbeth might be providing a safe medium to encounter the paranormal and experience a wide range of emotions from amusement to terror.

In both The Tragedy of Hamlet and The Tragedy of Macbeth , Shakespeare introduces supernatural creatures early on, which in each case, sets the mood for the entire play. The ghost of King Hamlet, Prince’s late father, and the three witches caught the main characters, Hamlet and Macbeth by surprise. As the readers sympathize with them, they also conclude that coming into contact with something as perplexing and terrifying must be disruptive to the characters’ lives. It becomes clear that Shakespeare sets them for a tragedy – a seemingly intractable dilemma that will test their sanity and good morals.

The supernatural plays a significant role in both Hamlet and Macbeth . When the Prince of Denmark encounters the ghost of his father, he does not believe what he sees right away: instead, he is in doubt about its “questionable shape” ( Ham. 1.4.24). Even though he promises to avenge late King Hamlet, he is not completely sure whether he should trust the specter. As the narration unfolds, this hesitancy stops him from murdering Claudius.

When put into the historical context of the period when the events were unfolding, Prince’s uncertainty becomes exhaustively understandable. To him and to those who witnessed the play around the time when Shakespeare was in his active years, there were only two possible explanations. First, a person who sees a ghost or a witch is deluded or insane. Second, this said person is unfortunate enough to meet the devil himself taking the shape of something that he or she is familiar with. Were Hamlet a pagan, he could interpret the event as a reunion with his late father and even be happy about it. However, as a Christian living during the Elizabethan era, he must believe that after death, all souls depart to either heaven or hell, thus, making the apparition strikingly abnormal (George 2). Eventually, for Hamlet, encountering the specter becomes a turning point to depression and madness, which distorts his personality throughout the play.

Another compelling interpretation of the ghost’s appearance in The Tragedy of Hamlet is being the main character’s moral compass. Hamlet was already judgmental of his mother’s choice of spouse, to begin with. However, he would never find out that Claudius murdered his father, King Hamlet, in cold blood if he never saw his specter. Despite its eeriness, the experience makes Hamlet realize the gravity of his uncle’s betrayal and their current family dynamics. It makes him ponder the importance of taking action as opposed to staying passive, which is depicted in the iconic soliloquy “To Be or Not to Be.” Another proof that the ghost provides moral guidance is its invisibility to Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, who is either blind to Claudius’ intentions or an accomplice.

In terms of morality, the role of the supernatural in The Tragedy of Macbeth is very different from that in The Tragedy of Hamlet . While the specter in Hamlet compels Prince to seek justice for the murdered father, which is a righteous thing, the three witches in Macbeth help the general uncover the darker side of his personality (Griffiths 2). He does not want the king overthrown because it is something that needs to be done. Macbeth is only acting on a whim, seeking to satisfy his hunger for power and domination. While Hamlet reflects on the nature of life and death and his choices at length, Macbeth’s change of character is almost instant. Soon after the prophecy is made, he turns from loyal and likable to evil and immoral.

This drastic change aided by the paranormal is quite refreshing to interpret in the historical context. The first viewers, who were Christians, must have seen the character development as a descent into madness and insanity. Only a crazy person could meet the witches in the first place and then act on what they told him. Another interpretation is Macbeth’s corrupt nature that had been hidden right up until the moment when he encountered the witches. If the second is true, it is safe to assume that Shakespeare might have attempted to show that every person can abandon his or her morals if a situation predisposes them to do that.

The Theme of Power Struggle

The power struggle is one of the common motives found in both The Tragedy of Hamlet and The Tragedy of Macbeth . In Hamlet , Prince of Denmark and Claudius are in juxtaposition to each other. They both crave to be in power, but their motives are vastly different. Claudius is not only selfish: he is violent and aggressive in his pursuit. To Claudius, his goal justifies the means, and he shies away neither from manslaughter nor incest (marrying a late brother’s wife was considered incestuous back then). Throughout the play, the uncle does not feel remorse, nor does he ever hold himself accountable for ruining the perfectly fine royal family. What leads Hamlet is not power and greed per se; however, one can say that the kind of control that he wishes to gain is control over the situation on the whole. Hamlet’s uncle is wreaking havoc on his family, and Prince is torn between taking action, which might put him in danger, and disengaging himself.

In Macbeth , Shakespeare presents the theme of power and ambition as something tantalizing but with the potential to corrupt when not handled with caution. Even though from the first reading, Macbeth’s change of character might seem unexpected, upon further examination, it becomes clear that the author foreshadowed his development. In the first, the king of Scotland receives a report that praises Macbeth’s military prowess. Namely, one of the soldiers tells the king that he “unseamed [one of the enemy’s soldiers] from the nave to the chaps” (Mac . 1.2.40). In modern English, this would mean that he ripped another man’s body from his neck up to his chin, thus, instantly killing him. In this episode, Shakespeare shows that Macbeth is capable of brutality if put in the right conditions. After the mystical occurrence, Macbeth’s actions are guided by both his strife for power and his wife’s vision of his life and military career. However, as opposed to Hamlet where both Prince and his uncle are driven insane, Macbeth’s opponent, King Duncan, is in sound mind.

What makes analyzing The Tragedy of Hamlet and The Tragedy of Macbeth especially interesting is that the reader gets to compare two different perspectives. In Hamlet, the reader gains an insight into the world of a teenager crushed by his father’s death and his uncle’s betrayal. It is possible to observe the devastation that murder causes for the victim’s closest relatives. Shakespeare shows Hamlet’s gradual development as he goes through the commonly known stages of denial, anger, and depression. Reading Macbeth allows a person to see things from a different angle. It is highly unlikely that Shakespeare would want the reader to sympathize with someone as corrupted as Macbeth. Yet, he or she at least can have a better understanding of what might motivate a person to commit a crime.

Fatal Flaws

As in his other tragedies, Shakespeare uses fatal flaws to give more complexity to his characters’ personalities and make a disaster that awaits them at the end inevitable. Hamlet’s tragic flaw is his inability to action: for the majority of the play, he ruminates over his father’s death and tries to decide whether he should take revenge. The specter keeps haunting him only fueling the feelings of madness that he cannot quite process. Deep inside, Hamlet knows that there is not enough space for him and Claudius in the royal house and that one of them must go. Thus, he has to deal with both his inability to commit suicide and his hesitancy to kill his treacherous uncle. It is not like an opportunity never presents itself: at one point, Hamlet sees Claudius praying – a moment during which Prince could have caught him off guard. Yet, he does not use his chance to avenge King Hamlet.

Macbeth’s fatal flaw is his unchecked ambition that turns his greatest strengths into his greatest weaknesses. Back in his army days, people praised him for being respectful and courageous. Probably his most distinct personality trait was determination which allowed him to rise through the ranks in the military and survive in many battles. Through Macbeth, Shakespeare shows that there is a darker side to everything. After the mystical occurrence and not without his life’s persuasion, the general grows determined to do whatever it takes to take over the throne.

The Tragedy of Hamlet and The Tragedy of Macbeth end up in the death of the main character. In the world of Shakespeare, death is often the final solution to the most intractable of dilemmas (Apt 6). When Hamlet dies at the hands of Ophelia’s brother, he is liberated from the harsh reality in which he has to make choices that affect other people’s lives. Claudius is murdered as well, but his death does not exactly symbolize the triumph of good over evil. It seems like death in the works of Shakespeare plays the role of a great equalizer. It is indifferent to wealth and status and knows no mercy. At the moment of death, the characters are reminded about the nature of life which they have so far lived succumbing to vanity and greed.

At the end of The Tragedy of Macbeth , neither good nor evil wins: both King Duncan and Macbeth die. Even though Macbeth never acknowledges his misdeeds, death becomes his redemption. One may say that eventually, justice is served because the treacherous general never gets to enjoy his reign. Shakespeare shows exhaustively well where power and ambition can lead any person who lacks self-awareness and is easily malleable.

While it is unarguable that Shakespeare left a very diverse literary legacy, researchers were able to point out common themes and motives in some of his plays. It is possible to draw many analogies when comparing Hamlet and Macbeth . In both of them, the plot development is kickstarted by a paranormal occurrence. However, while the specter of Hamlet’s father compels the prince to seek justice and righteous revenge, the three witches push Macbeth to act on his unhealthy ambition. The Tragedy of Hamlet and The Tragedy of Macbeth employ the theme of power and greed shown through the characters of Claudius and Macbeth. Another commonality is the presence of a fatal flaw in Hamlet and Macbeth – inaction and unchecked ambition respectively. Throughout the plays, the main characters are gradually losing their sanity. However, Hamlet never takes action whereas Macbeth eventually commits a murder. Death makes all these men equal: it frees them from their fatal flaws and saves them and others from more pain and suffering.

Works Cited

Apt, Bryan. A Wave of Destruction: Time’s Inexorable Effects in Hamlet and Macbeth . 2015. Web.

George, David. “Hamlet, the Ghost, and a New Document.” Selected Papers of the Ohio Valley Shakespeare Conference , vol. 7, 2014, p. 1-29.

Griffiths, Charlie. “More Things in Heaven and Earth: The Role of Ghosts and the Supernatural in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth.” Diffusion – The UCLan Journal of Undergraduate Research, vol. 1, no. 1, 2015, pp. 1-10.

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Penguin, 2016.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Classic Books Company, 2001.

  • Hamlet and Macbeth

Hamlet and Macbeth are two of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays. Though they were written centuries ago, they continue to be studied and performed today. Both plays explore similar themes, such as the nature of evil, the corrupting power of ambition, and the importance of family.

Hamlet is a tragedy that tells the story of a young prince who is haunted by the ghost of his father and must take revenge on his uncle, who killed him. Macbeth is a tragedy about a brave general who is seduced by ambition and turns to murder to fulfill his aspirations.

Though both plays deal with dark themes, they also offer hope and redemption. In Hamlet, Horatio remains loyal to Hamlet until the end, while in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth eventually realizes the error of her ways. Ultimately, both plays show that evil does not triumph in the end.

While other revenge plays potentially lack the depth that Hamlet poses, this play goes above and beyond to address difficult questions with introspection.

Hamlet seems uncertain about everything. He is unsure about whether or not his uncle killed his father, unsure about what sort of person his mother is, unsure about the ghost’s reliability, and unsure about Hamlet’s own sanity. Even when Hamlet finally takes action at the end of the play, he does so impulsively and blindly, killin Polonius instead of Claudius and thus setting off a bloody cycle of revenge and counter-revenge that ultimately destroys Hamlet himself as well as almost everyone else around him.

Macbeth is a tragedy about a nobleman who commits regicide in order to fulfill his ambitions to be king and then descends into tyranny, paranoia, and madness. Like Hamlet, Macbeth is also a play that poses many questions, particularly about the nature of evil and whether or not people can be truly good or evil.

Macbeth himself is a complex character who vacillates between good and evil, and his actions throughout the play cause us to question whether he is ultimately responsible for his own downfall or if he is simply a victim of fate. In the end, like Hamlet, Macbeth’s blind ambition and impulsiveness leads to his ruin and the destruction of everyone around him.

Witches, wizards, ghosts, and otherworldly creatures have played a long role in theater storytelling. Many literary works by different writers and playwrights feature these concepts. For instance, some of William Shakespeare’s plays and poems allude to unearthly beings or powers. In Hamlet and Macbeth, two of his most highly-praised works, these themes are present throughout.

Witchcraft plays a significant role in Hamlet. Hamlet’s father, the King of Denmark, is murdered by his uncle Claudius, who then marries Hamlet’s mother and takes the throne. Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father, who tells him of Claudius’ treachery and commands Hamlet to take revenge. Hamlet feigns madness as he plots to kill Claudius but ends up killing Polonius, a courtier, instead. Hamlet’s girlfriend Ophelia goes mad after her father’s death and drowns herself. Hamlet finally kills Claudius but dies in the process.

The supernatural is also a key element in Macbeth. Macbeth is a Scottish general who is told by three witches that he will one day be king. Driven by ambition and spurred on by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the throne. He becomes paranoid and paranoid and starts to kill anyone who he thinks might threaten his position. In the end, Macbeth is defeated and killed by Macduff, a Scottish nobleman.

Both Hamlet and Macbeth are excellent examples of Shakespeare’s use of the supernatural as a central theme. In both plays, the witches represent the otherworldly forces that drive the characters to their doom. In Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet’s father is a key figure in motivating Hamlet to take revenge. In Macbeth, the witches’ prophecies drive Macbeth to murder and paranoia. In both plays, the supernatural is used to create an atmosphere of suspense and tragedy.

Both Hamlet and Macbeth are heavily influenced by supernatural forces, leading them to doubt their own morality. The ghost of Hamlet’s father and the three witches in Macbeth play a pivotal role in shaping the events of the plot and affect the mood of each respective play.

The ghost of Hamlet’s father asks Hamlet to avenge his death, and Hamlet agrees. Hamlet is then consumed by thoughts of revenge and his mental state deteriorates. The three witches in Macbeth make predictions that encourage Macbeth to kill Duncan and become king. They also give him false hope that he will never be harmed by any man born of woman. These prophecies ultimately lead to Macbeth’s downfall.

Both plays explore the theme of ambition, and how it can have a corrupting influence. In Hamlet, Claudius’s ambition leads him to kill his brother and marry his sister-in-law in order to become king. In Macbeth, Macbeth’s ambition is fuelled by the witches’ predictions and he becomes a tyrannical ruler.

The theme of appearance vs. reality is also explored in both Hamlet and Macbeth. In Hamlet, Claudius appears to be a loving husband and brother, but he is really a murderer. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth appears to be a kind and caring wife, but she is really ambitious and will do anything to further her husband’s career.

Both Hamlet and Macbeth are about the dangers of allowing oneself to be controlled by supernatural forces. Hamlet is controlled by the ghost of his father and Macbeth by the witches. In both cases, the protagonists are manipulated into questioning their own morality and ultimately end up destroying themselves.

The spirits that appear to Hamlet and Macbeth at the outset of each act provide them with important information. When Hamlet encounters his father’s ghost for the first time, he is commanded to “avenge his most foul and unnatural murder” (Hamlet 1.5.25). Hamlet becomes enraged with Claudius as a result of this encounter, although neither he nor the audience know if the spirit is telling the truth.

Similarly, Macbeth meets three witches who give him three prophecies; the first two come true, so when the third—“Macbeth shall be king” (Macbeth 1.3.50)—does as well, Macbeth becomes consumed with ambition. Both Hamlet and Macbeth are then driven by a single goal: to take revenge/become king.

The theme of betrayal is also prominent in both Hamlet and Macbeth. In Hamlet, almost every character betrays someone else at some point in the play. For example, Hamlet betrays his mother by killing Polonius, even though he was just trying to kill Claudius. Gertrude betrays Hamlet by marrying Claudius so quickly after his father’s death. Ophelia betrays Hamlet by telling her father and brother about Hamlet’s strange behavior.

In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to kill Duncan so that he can become king; however, once Duncan is dead, she immediately regrets her decision and is haunted by his ghost. Later, Macbeth has Banquo killed because he is afraid that Banquo’s descendants will usurp his throne; this act of betrayal causes Macbeth to lose the loyalty of many of his friends and allies.

The theme of appearances versus reality is also present in both plays. Hamlet is constantly questioning what is real and what is just an appearance. For instance, Hamlet stages a play called “The Murder of Gonzago” in order to catch Claudius in the act of murder; however, Hamlet is not sure if his own father’s ghost was really there or if it was just his imagination. Similarly, Macbeth is haunted by the apparitions of the three witches; he is not sure if they are real or if they are just products of his imagination.

The main themes of Hamlet and Macbeth are very similar. Both plays deal with betrayal, revenge, and appearances versus reality. However, the way these themes are explored is quite different. In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses a lot of verbal irony and sarcasm, whereas in Macbeth he relies more on visual images and symbolism. Nevertheless, both plays are excellent examples of Shakespeare’s genius.

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Macbeth and Hamlet : Compare and Contrast

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MACBETH stands in contrast throughout with Hamlet; in the manner of opening more especially. In the latter, there is a gradual ascent from the simplest forms of conversation to the language of impassioned intellect,—yet the intellect still remaining the seat of passion: in the former, the invocation is at once made to the imagination and the emotions connected therewith. Hence the movement throughout is the most rapid of all Shakspeare's plays; and hence also, with the exception of the disgusting passage of the Porter (Act ii. sc. 3), which I dare pledge myself to demonstrate to be an interpolation of the actors, there is not, to the best of my remembrance, a single pun or play on words in the whole drama. I have previously given an answer to the thousand times repeated charge against Shakspeare upon the subject of his punning, and I here merely mention the fact of the absence of any puns in Macbeth, as justifying a candid doubt at least, whether even in these figures of speech and fanciful modifications of language, Shakspeare may not have followed rules and principles that merit and would stand the test of philosophic examination. And hence, also, there is an entire absence of comedy, nay, even of irony and philosophic contemplation in Macbeth,—the play being wholly and purely tragic. For the same cause, there are no reasonings of equivocal morality, which would have required a more leisurely state and a consequently greater activity of mind;—no sophistry of self-delusion,—except only that previously to the dreadful act, Macbeth mistranslates the recoilings and ominous whispers of conscience into prudential and selfish reasonings, and, after the deed done the terrors of remorse into fear from external dangers,— like delirious men who run away from the phantoms of I their own brains, or, raised by terror to rage, stab the real object that is within their reach:—whilst Lady Macbeth merely endeavours to reconcile his and her own sinkings of heart by anticipations of the worst, and an. affected bravado in confronting them. In all the rest, Macbeth's language is the grave utterance of the very heart, conscience-sick, even to the last faintings of moral death. It is the same in all the other characters. The variety arises from rage, caused ever and anon by disruption of anxious thought, and the quick transition of fear into it.

In Hamlet and Macbeth the scene opens with superstition; but, in each it is not merely different, but opposite. In the first it is connected with the best and holiest feelings; in the second with the shadowy, turbulent, and unsanctified cravings of the individual will. Nor is the purpose the same; in the one the object is to excite, whilst in the other it is to mark a mind already excited. Superstition, of one sort or another, is natural to victorious generals; the instances are too notorious to need mentioning. There is so much of chance in warfare, and such vast events are connected with the acts of a single individual,—the representative, in truth, of the efforts of myriads, and yet to the public and, doubtless, to his own feelings, the aggregate of all,—that the proper temperament for generating or receiving superstitious impres-sions is naturally produced. Hope, the master element of a commanding genius, meeting with an active and combining intellect, and an imagination of just that degree of vividness which disquiets and impels the soul to try to realize its images, greatly increases the creative power of the mind; and hence the images become a satisfying world of themselves, as is the case in every poet and original philosopher:—but hope fully gratified, and yet, the ele-mentary basis of the passion remaining, becomes fear; and, indeed, the general, who must often feel, even though he may hide it from his own consciousness, bow large a share chance had in his successes, may very naturally be irresolute in a new scene, where he knows that all will depend on his own act and election.

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The Weird Sisters are as true a creation of Shakspeare's, as his Ariel and Caliban,—fates, furies, and materializing witches being the elements. They are wholly different from any representation of witches in the contemporary writers, and yet presented a sufficient external resemblance to the creatures of vulgar prejudice to act immediately on the audience. Their character consists in the imagina-tive disconnected from the good; they are the shadowy obscure and fearfully anomalous of physical nature, the lawless of human nature,—elemental avengers without sex or kin:

Fair is foul, and foul is fair; Hover thro' the fog and filthy air.

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How much it were to be wished in playing Macbeth, that an attempt should be made to introduce the flexile character-mask of the ancient pantomime;—that Flaxman would contribute his genius to the embodying and making sensuously perceptible that of Shakspeare!

The style and rhythm of the Captain's speeches in the. second scene should be illustrated by reference to the interlude in Hamlet, in which the epic is substituted for the tragic, in order to make the latter be felt as the real-life diction. In Macbeth, the poet's object was to raise the mind at once to the high tragic tone, that the audience might be ready for the precipitate consummation of guilt in the early part of the play. The true reason for the first appearance of the Witches is to strike the key-note of the character of the whole drama, as is proved by their reappearance in the third scene, after such an order of the king's as establishes their supernatural power of informa-tion. I say information,—for so it only is as to Glamis and Cawdor; the 'king hereafter' was still contingent,— still in Macbeth's moral will; although, if he should yield to the temptation, and thus forfeit his free agency, the link of cause and effect more physico would then commence. I need not say, that the general idea is all that can be required from the poet,—not a scholastic logical consistency in all the parts so as to meet metaphysical objectors. But O! how truly Shakspearian is the opening of Macbeth's character given in the unpossessedness of Banquo's mind, wholly present to the present object,— an unsullied, unscarified mirror!—And how strictly true to nature it is, that Banquo, and not Macbeth himself, directs our notice to the effect produced on Macbeth's mind, rendered temptible by previous dalliance of the fancy with ambitious thoughts:

Good Sir, why do yon start; and seem to fear Things that do sound so fair?

And then, again, still unintroitive, addresses the Witches:—

I' the name of truth, Are ye fantastical, or that indeed Which outwardly ye show?

Banquo's questions are those of natural curiosity,—such as a girl would put after hearing a gipsy tell her school-fellow's fortune;—all perfectly general, or rather planless. But Macbeth, lost in thought, raises himself to speech only by the Witches being about to depart:—

Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more:—

and all that follows is reasoning on a problem already discussed in his mind,—on a hope which he welcomes, and the doubts concerning the attainment of which he wishes to have cleared up. Compare his eagerness,—the keen eye with which he has pursued the Witches' evanishing—

Speak, I charge you!

with the easily satisfied mind of the self-uninterested Banquo:—

The earth hath bubbles, as the water has, And these are of them:—Whither are they vanished?

and then Macbeth's earnest reply,—

Into the air; and what seem'd corporal, melted As breath into the wind.—'Would they had staid!

Is it too minute to notice the appropriateness of the simile 'as breath,' &c., in a cold climate?

Still again Banquo goes on wondering like any common spectator:

Were such things here as we do speak about?

whilst Macbeth persists in recurring to the self-concerning:—

Your children shall be kings. Ban. You shall be king. Macb. And thane of Cawdor too: went it not so?

So surely is the guilt in its germ anterior to the supposed cause, and immediate temptation! Before he can cool, the confirmation of the tempting half of the prophecy arrives, and the concatenating tendency of the imagination is fostered by the sudden coincidence:—

Glamis, and thane of Cawdor: The greatest is behind.

Oppose this to Banquo's simple surprise:—

What, can the devil speak true?

Ib. Banquo's speech:—

That, trusted home, Might yet enkindle you unto the crown, Besides the thane of Cawdor.

I doubt whether 'enkindle' has not another sense than that of 'stimulating;' I mean of 'kind' and 'kin,' as when rabbits are said to 'kindle.' However Macbeth no longer hears any thing ab extra:—

Two truths are told, As happy prologues to the swelling act Of the imperial theme.

Then in the necessity of recollecting himself—

I thank you, gentlemen.

Then he relapses into himself again, and every word of his soliloquy shows the early birth-date of his guilt. He is all-powerful without strength; he wishes the end, but is irresolute as to the means; conscience distinctly warns him, and he lulls it imperfectly:—

If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me Without my stir.

Lost in the prospective of his guilt, he turns round alarmed lest others may suspect what is passing in his own mind, and instantly vents the lie of ambition:

My dull brain was wrought With things forgotten;—

And immediately after pours forth the promising courtesies of a usurper in intention:—

Kind gentlemen, your pains Are register'd where every day I turn The leaf to read them.

Ib. Macbeth's speech:

Present fears Are less than horrible imaginings.

Warburton's note, and substitution of 'feats' for 'fears.' Mercy on this most wilful ingenuity of blundering, which, nevertheless, was the very Warburton of Warburton —his inmost being! 'Fears,' here, are present fear-striking objects, terrihilia. adstanfia.

Ib. sc. 4. O! the affecting beauty of the death of Cawdor, and the presentimental speech of the king:

There's no art To find the mind's construction in the face : He was a gentleman on whom I built An absolute trust—

Interrupted by—

O worthiest cousin!

on the entrance of the deeper traitor for whom Cawdor had made way! And here in contrast with Duncan's 'plenteous joys,' Macbeth has nothing but the common-places of loyalty, in which he hides himself with 'our duties.' Note the exceeding effort of Macbeth's addresses to the king, his reasoning on his allegiance, and then especially when a new difficulty, the designation of a successor, suggests a new crime. This, however, seems the first distinct notion, as to the plan of realizing his wishes; and here, therefore, with great propriety, Macbeth's cowardice of his own conscience discloses itself. I always think there is something especially Shakspearian in Duncan's speeches throughout this scene, such pourings forth, such abandonments, compared with the language of vulgar dramatists, whose characters seem to have made their speeches as the actors learn them.

Ib. Duncan's speech:—

Sons, kinsmen, thanes, And you whose places are the nearest, know, We will establish our estate upon Our eldest Malcolm, whom we name hereafter The Prince of Cumberland: which honour must Not unaccompanied, invest him only; But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine On all deservers.

It is a fancy;—but I can never read this and the following speeches of Macbeth, without involuntarily thinking of the Miltonic Messiah and Satan.

Ib. sc. 5. Macbeth is described by Lady Macbeth so as at the same time to reveal her own character. Could he have every thing he wanted, he would rather have it mnocently;—ignorant, as alas! how many of us are, that he who wishes a temporal end for itself, does in truth will the means; and hence the danger of indulging fancies, Lady Macbeth, like all in Shakspeare, is a class individualized:—of high rank, left much alone, and feeding herself with day-dreams of ambition, she mistakes the courage of fantasy for the power of bearing the consequences of the realities of guilt. Hers is the mock fortitude of a mind deluded by ambition; she shames her husband with a superhuman audacity of fancy which she cannot support, but sinks in the season of remorse, and dies in suicidal agony. Her speech:

Come, all yon spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, &c.

is that of one who had habitually familiarized her imagina-tion to dreadful conceptions, and was trying to do so still more. Her invocations and requisitions are all the false efforts of a mind accustomed only hitherto to the shadows of the imagination, vivid enough to throw the everyday substances of life into shadow, but never as yet brought into direct contact with their own correspondent realities. She evinces no womanly life, no wifely joy, at the return of her husband, no pleased terror at the thought of his past dangers, whilst Macbeth bursts forth naturally—

My dearest love—

and shrinks from the boldness with which she presents his own thoughts to him. With consummate art she at first uses as incentives the very circumstances, Duncan's coming to their house, &c. which Macbeth's conscience would most probably have adduced to her as motives of abhorrence or repulsion. Yet Macbeth is not prepared:

We will speak further.

Ib. sc. 6. The lyrical movement with which this scene opens, and the free and unengaged mind of Banquo, loving nature, and rewarded in the love itself, form a highly dramatic contrast with the laboured rhythm and hypocritical over-much of Lady Macbeth's welcome, in which you cannot detect a ray of personal feeling, but all is thrown upon the 'dignities,' the general duty.

Ib. sc. 7. Macbeth's speech:

We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honor'd me of late; and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon.

Note the inward pangs and warnings of conscience interpreted into prudential reasonings.

Act ii. sc. i. Banquo's speech:

A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, And yet I would not sleep. Merciful powers! Restrain in me the cursed thoughts, that nature Gives way to in repose.

The disturbance of an innocent soul by painful suspicions of another's guilty intentions and wishes, and fear of the cursed thoughts of sensual nature.

Ib. sc. 2. Now that the deed is done or doing—now that the first reality commences. Lady Macbeth shrinks. The most simple sound strikes terror, the most natural consequences are horrible, whilst previously every thing, however awful, appeared a mere trifle; conscience, which before had been hidden to Macbeth in selfish and prudential fears, now rushes in upon him in her own veritable person:

Methought I heard a voice cry—Sleep no more! I could not say Amen, When they did say. God bless us!

And see the novelty given to the most familiar images by a new state of feeling.

Ib. sc. 3. This low soliloquy of the Porter and his few speeches afterwards, I believe to have been written for the mob by some other hand, perhaps with Shakspeare's consent; and that finding it take, he with the remaining ink of a pen otherwise employed, just interpolated the words—

I'll devil-porter it no further : I had thought to have let in some of all professions, that go the primrose way to tb' everlasting bonfire.

Of the rest not one syllable has the ever-present being of Shakspeare.

Act iii. sc. 1. Compare Macbeth's mode of working on the murderers in this place with Schiller's mistaken scene between Butler, Devereux, and Macdonald in Wallenstein. (Part II. act iv. sc. 2.) The comic was wholly out of season. Shakspeare never introduces it, but when it may react on the tragedy by harmonious contrast.

Ib. sc. 2. Macbeth's speech:

But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer. Ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep In the affliction of these terrible dreams That shake us nightly.

Ever and ever mistaking the anguish of conscience for fears of selfishness, and thus as a punishment of that selfishness, plunging still deeper in guilt and ruin.

Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed.

This is Macbeth's sympathy with his own feelings, and his mistaking his wife's opposite state.

Macb. It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood: Stones have been known to move, and trees to speak; Augurs, and understood relations, have By magot-pies, and choughs, and rooks, brought forth The secret'st man of blood.

The deed is done; but Macbeth receives no comfort, no additional security. He has by guilt torn himself live-asunder from nature, and is, therefore, himself in a preter-natural state: no wonder, then, that he is inclined to superstition, and faith in the unknown of signs and tokens, and super-human agencies.

Act iv. sc. i.

Len. 'Tis two or three, my lord, that bring you word, Macduff is fled to England. Macb. Fled to England?

The acme of the avenging conscience.

Ib. sc. 2. This scene, dreadful as it is, is still a relief, because a variety, because domestic, and therefore soothing, as associated with the only real pleasures of life. The conversation between Lady Macduff and her child heightens the pathos, and is preparatory for the deep tragedy of their assassination. Shakspeare's fondness for children is every where shown;—in Prince Arthur, in King John; in the sweet scene in the Winter's Tale between Hermione and her son; nay, even in honest Evans's examination of Mrs. Page's schoolboy. To the objection that Shakspeare wounds the moral sense by the unsubdued, undisguised description of the most hateful atrocity—that he tears the feelings without mercy, and even outrages the eye itself with scenes of insupportable horror—I, omitting Titus Andronicus, as not genuine, and excepting the scene of Gloster's blinding in Lear, answer boldly in the name of Shakspeare, not guilty.

Ib. sc. 3. Malcolm's speech:

Better Macbeth, Than such a one to reign.

The moral is—the dreadful effects even on the best minds of the soul-sickening sense of insecurity.

Ib. How admirably Macduff's grief is in harmony with the whole play! It rends, not dissolves, the heart. 'The tune of it goes manly.' Thus is Shakspeare always master of himself and of his subject,—a genuine Proteus:—we see all things in him, as images in a calm lake, most distinct, most accurate,—only more splendid, more glorified. This is correctness in the only philosophical sense. But he requires your sympathy and your submission; you must have that recipiency of moral impression without which the purposes and ends of the drama would be frustrated, and the absence of which demonstrates an utter want of all imagination, a deadness to that necessary pleasure of being innocently—shall I say, deluded?—or rather, drawn away from ourselves to the music of noblest thought in har-monious sounds. Happy he, who not only in the public theatre, but in the labours of a profession, and round the light of his own hearth, still carries a heart so pleasure-fraught!

Alas for Macbeth! now all is inward with him; he has no more prudential prospective reasonings. His wife, the only being who could have had any seat in his affections, dies; he puts on despondency, the final heart-armour of the wretched, and would fain think every thing shadowy and unsubstantial, as indeed all things are to those who cannot regard them as symbols of goodness:—

Out out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more; it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

Macbeth and Hamlet : Compare and Contrast

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Hamlet Research Paper & Essay Examples

hamlet and macbeth comparison essay

When you have to write an essay on Hamlet by Shakespeare, you may need an example to follow. In this article, our team collected numerous samples for this exact purpose. Here you’ll see Hamlet essay and research paper examples that can inspire you and show how to structure your writing.

✍ Hamlet: Essay Samples

  • What Makes Hamlet such a Complex Character? Genre: Essay Words: 560 Focused on: Hamlet’s insanity and changes in the character Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Ophelia
  • Shakespeare versus Olivier: A Depiction of ‘Hamlet’ Genre: Essay Words: 2683 Focused on: Comparison of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Laurence Olivier’s adaptation Characters mentioned: Hamlet, the Ghost, Claudius, Ophelia, Gertrude
  • Drama Analysis of Hamlet by Shakespeare Genre: Essay Words: 1635 Focused on: Literary devices used in Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia
  • Hamlet’s Renaissance Culture Conflict Genre: Critical Essay Words: 1459 Focused on: Hamlet’s and Renaissance perspective on death Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Ophelia, Horatio
  • Father-Son Relationships in Hamlet – Hamlet’s Loyalty to His Father Genre: Explicatory Essay Words: 1137 Focused on: Obedience in the relationship between fathers and sons in Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Laertes, Ophelia, Polonius, Fortinbras, Polonius, the Ghost, Claudius
  • A Play “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare Genre: Essay Words: 1026 Focused on: Hamlet’s personality and themes of the play Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Polonius
  • Characterization of Hamlet Genre: Analytical Essay Words: 876 Focused on: Hamlet’s indecision and other faults Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, the Ghost, Gertrude
  • Hamlet’s Relationship with His Mother Gertrude Genre: Research Paper Words: 1383 Focused on: Hamlet’s relationship with Gertrude and Ophelia Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Gertrude, Ophelia, Claudius, Polonius
  • The Theme of Revenge in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Genre: Research Paper Words: 1081 Focused on: Revenge in Hamlet and how it affects characters Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, the Ghost
  • Canonical Status of Hamlet by William Shakespeare Genre: Essay Words: 1972 Focused on: Literary Canon and interpretations of Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Horatio, Claudius
  • A Critical Analysis of Hamlet’s Constant Procrastination in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Genre: Essay Words: 1141 Focused on: Reasons for Hamlet’s procrastination and its consequences Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Polonius
  • Role of Women in Twelfth Night and Hamlet by Shakespeare Genre: Research Paper Words: 2527 Focused on: Women in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Hamlet Characters mentioned: Ophelia, Gertrude, Hamlet, Claudius, Laertes, Polonius
  • William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Genre: Essay Words: 849 Focused on: Key ideas and themes of Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Ophelia, Laertes
  • Shakespeare: Hamlet Genre: Essay Words: 1446 Focused on: The graveyard scene analysis Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Ophelia, Laertes, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius
  • Oedipus Rex and Hamlet Compare and Contrast Genre: Term Paper Words: 998 Focused on: Comparison of King Oedipus and Hamlet from Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet . Characters mentioned: Hamlet
  • The Play “Hamlet Prince of Denmark” by W.Shakespeare Genre: Essay Words: 824 Focused on: How Hamlet treats Ophelia and the consequences of his behavior Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Ophelia, Claudius, Gertrude, Polonius, Laertes
  • Hamlet by William Shakespeare Genre: Explicatory Essay Words: 635 Focused on: Key themes of Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Fortinbras
  • Hamlet’s Choice of Fortinbras as His Successor Genre: Essay Words: 948 Focused on: Why Hamlet chose Fortinbras as his successor Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Fortinbras, Claudius
  • Hamlet, Laertes, Fortinbras: Avenging the Death of their Father Compare and Contrast Genre: Compare and Contrast Essay Words: 759 Focused on: Paths and revenge of Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Laertes, Fortinbras, Claudius
  • Oedipus the King and Hamlet Genre: Essay Words: 920 Focused on: Comparison of Oedipus and King Claudius Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude
  • Hamlet Genre: Term Paper Words: 1905 Focused on: Character of Gertrude and her transformation Characters mentioned: Gertrude, Hamlet, Claudius, the Ghost, Polonius
  • Compare Laertes and Hamlet: Both React to their Fathers’ Killing/Murder Compare and Contrast Genre: Compare and Contrast Essay Words: 1188 Focused on: Tension between Hamlet and Laertes and their revenge Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Laertes, Ophelia, Polonius, Claudius, Gertrude
  • Recurring Theme of Revenge in Hamlet Genre: Essay Words: 1123 Focused on: The theme of revenge in Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Laertes, Ophelia
  • The Function of the Soliloquies in Hamlet Genre: Research Paper Words: 2055 Focused on: Why Shakespeare incorporated soliloquies in the play Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude
  • The Hamlet’s Emotional Feelings in the Shakespearean Tragedy Genre: Essay Words: 813 Focused on: What Hamlet feels and why Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius
  • Blindness in Oedipus Rex & Hamlet Genre: Research Paper Words: 2476 Focused on: How blindness reveals itself in Oedipus Rex and Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Horatio, the Ghost
  • “Hamlet” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” Genre: Essay Words: 550 Focused on: Comparison of Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern
  • The Role of Queen Gertrude in Play “Hamlet” Genre: Essay Words: 886 Focused on: Gertrude’s role in Hamlet and her involvement in King Hamlet’s murder Characters mentioned: Gertrude, Hamlet, the Ghost, Claudius, Polonius
  • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Genre: Explicatory Essay Words: 276 Focused on: The role and destiny of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in Hamlet Characters mentioned: Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Hamlet, Claudius
  • Passing through nature into eternity Genre: Term Paper Words: 2900 Focused on: Comparison of Because I Could Not Stop for Death, and I Died for Beauty, but was Scarce by Emily Dickinson with Shakespeare’s Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, the Ghost, Claudius, Gertrude
  • When the Truth Comes into the Open: Claudius’s Revelation Genre: Essay Words: 801 Focused on: Claudius’ confession and secret Characters mentioned: Claudius, Hamlet
  • Shakespeare Authorship Question: Thorough Analysis of Style, Context, and Violence in the Plays Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night Genre: Term Paper Words: 1326 Focused on: Whether Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night Characters mentioned: Hamlet
  • Measuring the Depth of Despair: When There Is no Point in Living Genre: Essay Words: 1165 Focused on: Despair in Hamlet and Macbeth Characters mentioned: Hamlet
  • Violence of Shakespeare Genre: Term Paper Words: 1701 Focused on: Violence in different Shakespeare’s plays Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Horatio, Claudius, Gertrude, Palonius, Laertes,
  • Act II of Hamlet by William Shakespeare Genre: Report Words: 1129 Focused on: Analysis of Act 2 of Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Polonius, Ronaldo, Laertes, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, First Player, Claudius
  • The Value of Source Study of Hamlet by Shakespeare Genre: Explicatory Essay Words: 4187 Focused on: How Shakespeare adapted Saxo Grammaticus’s Danish legend on Amleth and altered the key characters Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Ophelia, Gertrude, Claudius, the Ghost, Fortinbras, Horatio, Laertes, Polonius
  • Ophelia and Hamlet’s Dialogue in Shakespeare’s Play Genre: Essay Words: 210 Focused on: What the dialogue in Act 3 Scene 1 reveals about Hamlet and Ophelia Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Ophelia
  • Lying, Acting, Hypocrisy in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” Genre: Essay Words: 1313 Focused on: The theme of deception in Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, Ophelia
  • Shakespeare’s Hamlet’s Behavior in Act III Genre: Report Words: 1554 Focused on: Behavior of different characters in Act 3 of Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, Polonius
  • The Masks of William Shakespeare’s Play “Hamlet” Genre: Research Paper Words: 1827 Focused on: Hamlet’s attitude towards death and revenge Characters mentioned: Hamlet, the Ghost
  • Ghosts and Revenge in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Genre: Essay Words: 895 Focused on: The figure of the Ghost and his relationship with Hamlet Characters mentioned: Hamlet, the Ghost, Gertrude, Claudius
  • Macbeth and Hamlet Characters Comparison Genre: Essay Words: 1791 Focused on: Comparison of Gertrude in Hamlet and Lady Macbeth in Macbeth Characters mentioned: Gertrude, Claudius, Hamlet
  • Depression and Melancholia Expressed by Hamlet Genre: Essay Words: 3319 Focused on: Hamlet’s mental issues and his symptoms Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Ophelia, Laertes, the Ghost, Polonius
  • Meditative and Passionate Responses in the Play “Hamlet” Genre: Essay Words: 1377 Focused on: Character of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play and Zaffirelli’s adaptation Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia, Polonius
  • Portrayal of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s Play and Zaffirelli’s Film Genre: Essay Words: 554 Focused on: Character of Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play and Zaffirelli’s adaptation Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Ophelia
  • Hamlet in the Film and the Play: Comparing and Contrasting Genre: Essay Words: 562 Focused on: Comparison of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Zeffirelli’s version of the character Characters mentioned: Hamlet
  • Literary Analysis of “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare Genre: Essay Words: 837 Focused on: Symbols, images, and characters of the play Characters mentioned: Hamlet, the Ghost, Claudius, Gertrude, Ophelia
  • Psychiatric Analysis of Hamlet Genre: Essay Words: 1899 Focused on: Hamlet’s mental state and sanity in particular Characters mentioned: Hamlet, Claudius, Ophelia, Laertes, Polonius
  • Hamlet and King Oedipus Literature Comparison Genre: Essay Words: 587 Focused on: Comparison of Hamlet and Oedipus Characters mentioned: Hamlet

Thanks for checking the samples! Don’t forget to open the pages with Hamlet essays that you’ve found interesting. For more information about the play, consider the articles below.

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Study Guide: Macbeth: Comparative Analysis

  • Key facts about Macbeth
  • Historical & Political Background
  • Character Infographics
  • Macbeth Character Map
  • Understanding Shakespeare
  • Macbeth Quiz
  • Comparative Analysis

Comparative analysis

A comparative essay asks that you compare at least two (possibly more) items. These items will differ depending on the assignment. You might be asked to compare:

  • positions on an issue (e.g., responses to midwifery in Canada and the United States)
  • theories (e.g., capitalism and communism)
  • figures (e.g., GDP in the United States and Britain)
  • texts (e.g., Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth)
  • events (e.g., the Great Depression and the global financial crisis of 2008–9)

Although the assignment may say “compare,” the assumption is that you will consider both the similarities and differences; in other words, you will compare and contrast.

From "The comparative essay", Vikki Visvis & Jerry Plotnick, in Writing Advice , University of Toronto, accessed 5/06/2017, <http://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/types-of-writing/comparative-essay/>

Literary Comparison

A literary comparison essay is an essay that examines two or more works in relation to one another. It examines a select set of similarities and differences. When reading for analysis, you are not reading for a surface understanding, you are reading to understand why things happen and what the deeper meaning behind a character is, or a setting, or an event.

Block vs Point-by-point Comparative Essay Structure

To deconstruct the topic thoroughly: rewrite the topic in your own words; ask questions of the topic; brainstorm ideas, list your key points in order to ensure that you do not ignore any key element of the topic. Consider which quotations and/or specific text references you can draw on to illustrate and illuminate your key points. Order your points to allow for a logical and cohesive discussion and ensure that you have selected enough examples and quotations for each text to enable sufficient comparison to unfold.

  • Harvard Writing Center: How to write a comparative analysis An article outlining the five elements required to write a good compare-and-contrast essay.
  • Using Textual Evidence A collection of tips on quoting and using textual evidence and the technique of close reading, as well as some basic literary terminology you may find helpful to know.
  • Literary devices and terms List of literary devices with detailed definition and examples.
  • Author's craft: Literary devices A useful website that explains the use of literary devices and their effects.
  • Compare and contrast transition words Some compare and contrast transition words to help in your writing.
  • Comparative linking phrases Some key phrases or words that you might want to use when linking sentences and paragraphs in a comparative analysis.
  • Transitioning - beware of velcro A velcro transition will not persuade an essay's readers that they are in the hands of a serious writer with something serious to say.
  • Types of papers: Compare and contrast To write a compare/contrast essay, you’ll need to make NEW connections and/or express NEW differences between two things.
  • Comparative essay terminology Flashcards and audio - also links to a quiz.

Sample compare/contrast essays

  • Sample compare-contrast essay outline A sample outline for an essay comparing and contrasting Achilles’ and Odysseus’ attitudes toward war. Although this sample mentions only one paragraph per topic sentence, you may have more than one paragraph supporting each main point.
  • Comparing two novels How to compare two novels in a comparative essay with examples.
  • << Previous: Macbeth Quiz
  • Last Updated: Feb 27, 2024 3:30 PM
  • URL: https://libguides.stalbanssc.vic.edu.au/macbeth

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Related Topics

  • As You Like It
  • Romeo And Juliet
  • The Merchant of Venice
  • Twelfth Night
  • The Tempest
  • Midsummer Night's Dream
  • Titus Andronicus
  • Measure for Measure
  • Much Ado About Nothing
  • Taming of The Shrew

Similarities and Differences Between Hamlet and Macbeth

Similarities and Differences Between Hamlet and Macbeth

Throughout William Shakespeare’s plays Hamlet and Macbeth there are many similarities, along with many differences. These plays are both Shakespearean tragedies, which often use supernatural incidents to capture the reader’s interest, and consists of a hero that has a tragic flaw. There are many comparative and contrasting aspects in these plays. The opening of Hamlet involves a supernatural, as does the opening of Macbeth. In the first scene the ghost of his father, King Hamlet, approaches Hamlet. Similarly, the opening of Macbeth

involves the three witches. Although the witches can be seen by anyone they approach, the ghost of King Hamlet is only seen by Hamlet himself, and in one scene by Marcellus and Bernardo, Hamlet’s servants. Similarly in both plays, the main characters are slightly suspicious of the actual powers these supernatural figures have. As the witches use their apparent powers to tell Macbeth the future, the ghost of King Hamlet tells Hamlet what has happened already. Hamlet states in one of his soliloquies “The spirit that I have

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seen / may be the devil” (2. 2. 598-599). Macbeth also has his doubts because when the witches tell him that he will be named Thane of Cawder, Macbeth himself had not known, but many people had. It is possible the witches could have known. In the same matter in both plays, the presentation of the supernatural began to lead to the final downfall of each of the characters. In Macbeth, the three witches cause him to think and do evil deeds. In Hamlet, if he had not seen the ghost of his father, he would not have known that Claudius has

killed his father to claim the throne. In both instances the characters gave into the nagging supernatural beliefs. And hence they lost their lives. Other characters in these plays show parallels in their plots. Both plays have a main character that portrays the king of that country. In Hamlet, the King of Denmark, Claudius is directly related to Hamlet. He is his uncle, and also his mother’s new husband. However, in Macbeth the King of Scotland, King Duncan, is not directly related to the main character. Both plays do however, have

the main character killing off the king in order to get the throne, which ultimately results in there own death. Horatio, in Hamlet and Banquo, in Macbeth share the same loyalty to the main characters. In both stories these friends are more skeptical of the supernaturals than the main characters themselves. In a meeting with the witches, Banquo challenges them to “Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear / Your favours nor your hate” (1. 3. 60-61). In a scene where Horatio and Hamlet witness the ghost, Horatio tries to keep Hamlet from

going with the ghost. He was even reluctant in the opening scene to go with Marcellus to hear about the ghost. Some themes in the plays are also similar. The way that the weeds and flowers illustrate good and bad in Hamlet is like the way the birds do in Macbeth. This is also true of the fair and foul theme in Macbeth and the indirections theme in Hamlet. In Macbeth, to the weird sisters, what is ugly is beautiful, and what is beautiful is ugly. Through the play fair appearances hide foul realities. This theme has

a lot in common with the theme in Hamlet where the appearance varies from the reality. In contrast, one of the main themes in Macbeth is Manhood, while in Hamlet it is frailty, and more specifically, the frailty of women. It seems evident that Shakespeare used a strong, similar story line in these two tragedies. Apparently Macbeth and Hamlet are similar stories in numerous ways. These two plays seem different because of the variation in story lines, but in fact are very similar due to the parallel characters and themes.

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Macbeth vs Hamlet

Both Hamlet and Macbeth (the plays) are considered tragedies and both main characters are considered tragic heroes so you might begin there with your comparison. One of Hamlet’s problems in the play is that he takes a long time to seek the revenge he promised his father’s ghost that he would seek. He tends to overthink matters. Macbeth, on the other hand, tends to act very quickly and rashly. Hamlet is a generally likeable character and dies a heroic death having finally fulfilled the promise to his father’s ghost.

Macbeth however, dies a far less noble death as he is considered a murderous tyrant by the end of the play. I suggest that you follow the links below for further help. One way of looking at it is through the lens of honor. Both Macbeth and Hamlet fight and ultimately are killed, but only one is honorable– Hamlet. While Macbeth kills many people in pursuit of becoming King, Hamlet delays killing his Uncle because of philosophical concerns and doubts about what is the right thing to do and how to do it.

Hamlet finally is able to avenge his father’s death, but dies honorably in the process. In contrast, Macbeth also dies, and although he does die in battle on the battlefield it can not be called an honorable death as he has caused the deaths of so many other people purely for his own potential benefit. One thing they have in common is that their journeys, both of which end in blood and death, start with something mystical– Hamlet with the ghost of his father, and Macbeth with the witches.

There are so many ways to contrast the characters! Both Hamlet and Macbeth have characters who appear to have a mental breakdown. However, Hamlet is acting the part to deceive Claudius, while Macbeth has truly gone mad in his lust for power. Macbeth and Hamlet are different in many of their characteristics as people. Macbeth is very war orriented and wants to rule everything that he touches while Hamlet is very calm, artistic and sensitive (you can see this by the way he handles his fathers death and by the way he handles his emotions).

You could say that Macbeth and Hamlet are on opposite ends of the good/evil spectrum. Hamlet is very much on the good side as he is trying to make right what his uncle has spoiled and unveil the wrongdoing he has done. Macbeth on the other hand is the one who has done the wrongdoing and is trying to remain in power as king while McDuff is trying to put it right. Neither of them are able to survive at the end of the play. Hamlet and Macbeth are both murdered because they are trying to, in their minds, put the right king on the thrown.

Macbeth and Hamlet are similar in their halucinations. Both see the ghost of a dead king that brings on important plot movement. Hamlet sees his father who was killed by his uncle and Macbeth sees the king whom he/Lady Macbeth killed. Thesis: Shakespeare used the same definition of tragedy when he wrote Macbeth, and when he wrote Hamlet; Shakespearean tragedies use supernatural incidents to intrigue the reader’s interest, and his plays consist of a hero that has a tragic flaw (sometimes the want for the supernatural) which causes him to make a fatal mistake.

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Both Hamlet and Macbeth (the plays) are considered tragedies and both main characters are considered tragic heroes so you might begin there with your comparison. One of Hamlet’s problems in […]

Comparison Essay Hamlet – Macbeth

Comparison Essay Hamlet – Macbeth

hamlet and macbeth comparison essay

Hamlet and Macbeth, two dying heroes In all the plays of Williams Shakespeare there is a hero, a main character who changes major things in the country, because they are close related to the royal house, which makes them noble. But did you recognize that these well meant deeds, almost always leads to the death. In this essay I will compare this strange characteristic of the Shakespeare plays Hamlet and Macbeth. First Hamlet. The father of King Hamlet (which is the main character), Old King Hamlet is been murdered by Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius (the successor of Old King Hamlet).

And to make it worse, Claudius married Gertruide, which was the wife of Old King Hamlet, only two months after the funeral of Old King Hamlet. Only Hamlet knows Claudius murdered his father because of his father’s ghost, and he wants to get his revenge, but he is not real sure about it. At the end he decides to just kill Claudius, but at that time Claudius already knows of the plans of Hamlet, and he himself has also got a plan to kill Hamlet. It results in a meeting where everyone gets killed except Horatio, a close friend to Hamlet, who is given the order to spread the true story.Then Macbeth. Macbeth, general in the army of King Duncan, gets promotion after an important victory. On his way back, three witches tell him that he will become King of Scotland in the future.

This happens very soon, and forced by his wife he kills Duncan, Banquo (a close friend), and later also Macduff his family, all to keep his position. But this is fatal to Macbeth, because when he hears about the murders he thinks of a plan to kill Macbeth, by camouflaging his army as a forest.Meanwhile Macbeth has been another time to the witches and they tell him that he will not be defeated unless it will be by the forest of Birnam or by someone not born from his mother.

But now Macbeth, camouflaged as a forest, and born by Caesarean section (so not from his mother), comes on stage. However Macbeth doesn’t know this and self-assured he goes to Macduff, where he gets killed. Reading these two short summaries of the plays, you must immediately have recognized some things, which are the same in the two plays. One thing is the behaviour of Hamlet and Macbeth.Why is it that two noble and honest men, let themselves stimulate for a serious offence like murder? As you can also read, it is because of a close friend or family, who forces the main character to do such deeds. In Hamlet it is the ghost of his father, and in Macbeth it is his wife, Lady Macbeth.

Due to those people, major changes occur in the play, mostly in cases of more murders, or strange thoughts and other deeds. Hamlet eventually murders a whole bunch of his own family, forced by the Ghost, while he is not even sure if the Ghost tells the truth.Macbeth also murders a lot of people, forced

by his wife, only to keep his position as King of Scotland. A second thing in both plays is the tragic end of both heroes.

Because of all the things (explained in the previous paragraph) they had to do they get that far in trouble that at the end, it even results in their own death. In Hamlet, Claudius finds out about the plans of Hamlet, and he organizes a meeting, where Laertes, who hates Hamlet, will fight against Hamlet, with a poisoned sword.This results in a total mess, where everyone (except Horatio) gets killed. In Macbeth is the death of Macbeth caused by his wife, and also by the witches, who tell him that no one can kill him, unless it is someone, not born form his mother.

So this leads to the fact that Macbeth thinks he is immortal. Only when he meets Macduff, his biggest rival, it turns out that Macduff is born by Caesarean section so he can kill Macbeth, and he also does that. Bibliography ?http:/en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Hamlet ?http:/en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Macbeth

More about Macbeth

  • Macbeth Summary
  • Macbeth Analysis
  • Macbeth Character analysis
  • Macbeth Facts
  • Macbeth Questions
  • Macbeth Quizzes
  • Macbeth Quotes
  • Macbeth Symbols
  • Macbeth Themes
  • Macbeth Thesis statement

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