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Macbeth Compared to Iago

 

            Sir William Shakespeare has written some of the greatest tragedies in English literature. Two particular examples are Macbeth and Othello. Shakespeare's shortest and bloodiest tragedy, Macbeth tells the story of a brave Scottish general (Macbeth) who receives a prophecy from a trio of sinister witches that one day he will become king of Scotland. Macbeth becomes infested with ambition brought on by other characters, which leads to his eventual downfall. Othello tells the story of a Moorish general is deceived by his ensign into believing his wife is unfaithful. To Cinthio's story Shakespeare added supporting characters such as the rich young dupe Roderigo and the outraged and grief-stricken Brabanzio, Desdemona's father. Shakespeare compressed the action into the space of a few days and set it against the backdrop of military conflict. And, most memorably, he turned the ensign, a minor villain, into the arch-villain Iago. Both of these plays are well known, and two particular characters that are worth comparison are Macbeth and Iago. Both of these characters share similarities and have contrasting attributes, but one thing that remains the same between these two villains in their ambition.
             Macbeth is introduced to us in the first act, without a visual appearance, but by a Captain, who witnessed Macbeth bravery. The immediate impression of Macbeth after the first scene is that he is a brave solider, but once he has his confrontation with the three witches, his physical courage is joined by a consuming ambition and a tendency to self-doubt "the prediction that he will be king brings him joy, but it also creates inner turmoil. These three attributes "bravery, ambition, and self-doubt "struggle for mastery of Macbeth throughout the play. Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show the terrible effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of character. We may classify Macbeth as irrevocably evil, but his weak character separates him from Shakespeare's great villains.


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