Directions:
1) Please finish reading through "Macbeth" Act III.
2) I would like you to do a little research and find examples of real life Macbeths and Lady Macbeths. Look for world leaders, entrepreneur, CEOs, or any people in a position of power who abused their power through ambition. It need not be murder (though, sadly, that has happened more times than we can count). How has power or financial greed caused an abuse of power? This can be seen in companies that started off with a worthy goal, and then ended up allowing money, greed, power and ambition take over, for example.
3) In the following blog post, please share a real life example of a person or entity that resembles the downfall of Macbeth. Please include a link to the website, so we can see your work. Also, include at least 1-3 direct quotation(s) from Macbeth, Acts I-III that show direct parallels to your example. Also, include links to source material.
I look forward to your responses!
Mr. P.
Well, I can think of one guy who was really ambitious and abusive of his power, and his name was Adolf Hitler:( 🛑⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠☠☠☠ Forgive me, brothers and sisters, I am not trying to be rude or anything! I loathe Nazis as much as any of you do, and I wasn't even in the mood to bring this up myself, but watching Macbeth kill certain people has pushed me too far, and I couldn't resist!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, combining multiple offices will make you so powerful, you think you could do anything. ▶First Witch: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!
DeleteSecond Witch: All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!
Third Witch: All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!⏹
Even a cross between two or three offices can create impressions of invincibility!
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian immigrant who enlisted in the Reichswehr even before he gained citizenship. He was appointed intelligence agent and reconnaissance commando of the in 1919. But after the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, he got arrested, tried, and thrown in a dungeon, where all he could do was write Mein Kampf, which was basically his essay on how to be the most evil bigot of all time. However, the part that M**beth reminds me of occured in 1934 after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg. Chancellor Hitler, whose cabinet had been in emergency control since the Reichstag fire in 1933, combined the offices of Chancellor and President into something that he entitled, "Leader."
DeleteOf course, this can lead to overconfidence, and like Macbeth, Hitler thought he could get away with all sorts of dirty crimes. However, in addition to blood, there were also ashes and smoke. I forbid you to laugh, it's not funny! The Holocaust was real, and denial only increases the risk of another one! The conquests led to the Second World War, the Allies discovered the camps as they closed in. In any case, Hitler was relentless, and didn't quit until liberators besieged Berlin.
Deletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler%27s_rise_to_power
If ever there was a real-life dystopia, it was Nazi Germany.
DeleteThis is why I value coexistence so much.
DeleteIt's understandable how you dislike them, but I think they were working for what they believed could be a Utopian society, except for the fact that it didn't agree with what the rest of the world believed, and of course, they were definitely wrong in killing 6 million people on the basis that their religion isn't desirable.
DeleteIn a dystopian society, there are people who call themselves a "master race" and pick on everybody who's different from them. In a utopian society, differences don't stand in the way of friendship. However, there is one thing I do discriminate against; Discrimination itself.
DeleteThe person that I can relate to Macbeth the most is Adolf Hitler. Both of their backgrounds are somewhat similar. Both were soldiers fighting for their country when they were younger. Macbeth was considered a model soldier for his country and Adolf Hitler had some of he same qualities in his younger years. Both wanted to improve their countries. But though gave in to greed and wanted more by any means. And in both cases this would go as far as murder. Hitler obviously killing many more than Macbeth yet the point is they would both murder innocent individuals in order to achieve their goal. Both people were very ambitious. They wanted what was not theirs even if it was far reached. Macbeth wanted Scotland and Hitler wanted to capture Europe. But with Macbeth everything comes crumbling down around him.The need for more than was needed was the lead to both of their downfalls. Hitler towards the end of the war was in a similar state. His chances of winning were slim and he took his life.
ReplyDeleteWhile looking for examples, I decided I didn’t want to write about a political figure because I felt like that’s what everyone else was doing. So then I discovered Tonya Harding…
ReplyDeleteShe was U.S. figure skater and crowned national champion in 1991 in Minneapolis. She was the first U.S. woman to ever do a triple axel. In 1994, Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, both American figure skaters, were in the U.S. Olympic trials. However, Kerrigan was attacked and injured her knee. The attack was planned by Harding’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly. The intent was so that she could not compete against Harding so she could win the title, and that’s what ended up happening. Harding did claim that she knew the plan and then apologized for not doing anything about the attack when she originally heard the plan. Many thought that Harding was more involved than she said she was, letting this scandal follow her career forever. The motive is clearly there why Harding was a prime suspect. With Kerrigan removed from the competition, she would have no problem winning the championship yet again. She still could’ve won it fairly, though. This is where it relates to Macbeth. She wanted to secure her position as champion, just as Macbeth wanted to secure his position as king. And, if it really was her, both went to terrible lengths to secure their position, instead of just waiting and accepting fate. In the scene where Macbeth has already been Macbeth and becomes King, he is not very good at hiding why.
We hear, our bloody cousins are bestow'd
In England and in Ireland, not confessing
Their cruel parricide, filling their hearers
With strange invention: but of that to-morrow,
When therewithal we shall have cause of state
Craving us jointly. Hie you to horse: adieu,
He HAS to mention Duncan’s sons, however it just makes him mores suspicious, especially in Banquo’s eyes because he knows what motives Macbeth may have. Harding continuously claimed it wasn’t her, but that it was her ex-husband. Until she admitted that she vaguely knew the plan, putting her at suspicion since it’s clear what her possible motives would be.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonya_Harding
She wasn't the first US woman to "do" a 3axel, she was the first to land one.
Delete@Felix I meant the first to successfully do a triple axel
DeleteAung San Suu Kyi: For those of you who don't know, Aung San Suu Kyi is the primary government leader of the Myanmar, she was a human rights activist whose father helped overthrow an oppressive government. However, more recently there has been systematic oppression of the Rohingya people in Myanmar because they are Muslims living in a predominantly Buddhist country. She was awarded with a Nobel Peace Prize, and had it revoked due to the acts of Genocide occuring within the borders of a country she controls. Granted these acts of Genocide have been happening for the past 50 years but it has only gotten worse under her rule.
ReplyDeleteA direct parallel between her and Macbeth are that they are both heroes/ heroines in the eyes of their countrymen and do good things in the eyes of the world until they come into power, at which time they become corrupted by their power. She was a HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST who is now depriving others of their human rights.
Ironic!
DeleteTBH a real good one i was thinking of talking about her
DeleteI decided to relate Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to the Volkswagen German automaker company during the Volkswagen emissions scandal. The company basically promoted their cars as environmentally friendly because they had less emissions. Meanwhile, the company actually just programmed their car’s engines to activate their emissions controls only during the testing of the cars. So when the cars were actually being used by people on roads the cars emitted up to 40 times more emissions than the tests predicted. So they were selling their cars at high prices and people would buy their cars because they were supposedly environmentally friendly and had better gas mileage. The company was very deceptive in this way, they lied to their consumers to get money. This is similar to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth because in both situations they are greedy. They both want money and power, so to get that they lie and connive their way around a situation.
ReplyDeleteMacbeth quotes: “The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step / On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, / For in my way it lies. / Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires: / The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be, / Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.” Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 4 → This quote shows his greediness. This relates to the Volkswagen company because they too were very greedy when it came to the decisions they made.
“Thou wouldst be great; / Art not without ambition, but without / The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly, / That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, / And yet wouldst wrongly win. Thou'dst have, great / Glamis” Lady Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 5 → This quote shows that Lady Macbeth thinks Macbeth is too innocent to get the title of king because to get king she believes he is going to have to commit murder. We also learn from this that to get the crown she will commit murder if necessary. This relates to the Volkswagen company because they basically were willing to do this awful thing to get what they wanted, similar to Lady Macbeth.
Sources: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-34324772 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_emissions_scandal
Don't drive a Volkswagen. They're not as efficient as they're cracked up to be.
DeleteFraud-mobiles!
DeleteA man who's story is shockingly similar to Macbeth's is Bill Cosby. He was a famous, wealthy man who had a very successful acting career. The link below describes his fall- how he was convicted of sexual assault in three cases, thus placing him behind bars for 3-10 years. He had a mansion with all the luxuries one can imagine. This is similar to Macbeth's position in life at the beginning of the book in Act I. As he stated, "Macbeth have bought / Golden opinions from all sorts of people, / Which would be worn now in their newest gloss" (I, VII, 36-38). Macbeth has earned the respect of the people around him, the same effect Bill Coasby's acting career had on the people around him. The both of them were famous; but the two of them also decided they wanted a bit more than what they had (with some influence in Macbeth's case). Bill Cosby tried to get something that couldn't be bought, resulting in a very unfortunate situation for him as he was stripped of his status and placed behind bars. Although Macbeth's downfall has yet to happen, it has already begun with Banquo's death. Both of these men have overwhelming ambitions that have eventually led to their downfall.
ReplyDeleteSorry I forgot the link: https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/09/25/bill-cosby-sentenced-years-state-prison/JQRyyOqqOQWvuzjfAzCVPJ/story.html
DeleteThe witches had better throw everything they've got at Macbeth. He must be stopped at all costs!
DeleteI believe that an example for a real-life Macbeth would, unsurprisingly, easily fall under our current president. Though there was not necessarily bloodshed, our president flaunts his status as president to punish those who are merely exercising free speech, that is reflecting the true yet unpleasant truth. This correlates to the instance in Macbeth where Macbeth realizes the threat Banquo is towards his future "King-ship", and so he has his best friend killed in order to eliminate the threat, much like the president removing people's permissions for speaking out against him. There is also the fact that if the president is lying about possible fraternization with Russia before the elec. and forcefully removing evidence, that is an impeachable offense, in which the president seems to bend the rules for himself, much like Macbeth when he killed Duncan, then killed the guards to eliminate witnesses.
ReplyDeleteSource:https://www.needtoimpeach.com/impeachable-offenses/
You can say that again!
DeleteThe relationships in this time period were traditionally lead by a man, with a woman following, but Macbeth and Lady Macbeth broke this stereotype. In the modern world a couple that I see truly lead by the woman is the Clintons. Just like Lady Macbeth running the show behind Macbeth, I feel like Hilary was running Bill’s presidency. All the things he did always felt like he was influenced by a woman (like appointing lots of women to important jobs), just like Macbeth could be persuaded by Lady to do what she wanted. Such as in Act 1, Scene 7 when Lady gets Macbeth from not wanting to kill Duncan to feeling he has to. Another parallel I see between their relationships is both wives at a certain point lose control. Lady Macbeth loses the hold on Macbeth when he begins to kill everyone in his way, Lady tries to get him to realize that you cannot kill everyone just because your King and that his fears are getting the better of him, but Macbeth doesn’t trust her anymore and brushes her help off (“O proper stuff! /// This is the very painting of your fear.”). Similarly Hillary began losing her control of Bill when he had an affair during the second term of his presidency, which Hillary tries to basically tell him just because your president doesn’t give you the right to do whatever you want. The difference, besides the obvious murder part, I see between the two couples is that I think Hillary was able to regain that control, but because Macbeth is going actually insane and Lady has no way to reining him in.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/bill-clinton
All the same, many of us would've taken her over Donald Trump. But the Electoral College stood in her way...
DeleteOne similar figure to Macbeth that I see in the real world is O.J. Simpson. Both Macbeth and Simpson were highly regarded in their time of fame and were very influential to average people. Also, both made tragic mistakes(like murdering their family and friends) because of their greed and jealousy, not to mention the fact that they did these things because their popularity and wealthiness made them think they could. However, because of Macbeth’s position, he goes over the top in believing murder was the solution to all his problems. Simpson on the other hand does not get away with his offenses for very long, because he did not have nearly as much power as Macbeth. Another parallel I see between these two men is that both seemed to have killed more to hide their offenses. Macbeth attempts to kill Banquo and Fleance because he knows their suspicions and O.J Simpson murdered his wife after killing a man who she was technically having an affair with, potentially to cover up his first crime. OJ does not trust his wife to hide his crimes, and Macbeth does not trust Banquo to keep his mouth shut. Macbeth is also jealous of Banquo’s prophesied line of kings, which he recieves as a threat to his kinship, “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus, Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature...When first they put the name of King upon me, and bade them speak to him. Then, prophet-like, they hailed him father to a line of kings. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown…” I believe that O.J. Simpson’s crimes relate very closely to Macbeth’s, and these crimes led these two men down a dark path and an unnecessary downfall from greatness.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.biography.com/people/oj-simpson-9484729
Killing more to hide offenses. How is that supposed to work? It only draws more attention!
DeleteOne real-life example of Macbeth and ambition for more and more power is Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. While he is credited for a lift on the ban of female drivers, he also began to detain and possibly kill those who dissented from the government and his views. He launched a very broad anti-corruption drive that basically gave him complete control of the country by getting rid of his enemies which is the same as with Macbeth. There have also been issues where Saudi Arabia froze all new trade with Canada after it called for the release of the human and women's rights activists who were detained in his “anti-corruption” program, but actually just anyone who goes against the government. There is also an attempted criminal case against the Crown Prince for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi journalist who disagreed with the views of the government. The journalist was killed by members of a Saudi intelligence agency and the UN is currently trying to figure out if his killing was ordered by Mohammed bin Salman. There is a very clear parallel with Macbeth here who ordered the murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance who were a threat to his power, and therefore needed to be eliminated in Macbeth’s mind. While talking with Lady Macbeth, he says:
ReplyDeleteTill thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night,
Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day;
And with thy bloody and invisible hand
Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond
Which keeps me pale! Light thickens; and the crow
Makes wing to the rooky wood:
Good things of day begin to droop and drowse;
While night's black agents to their preys do rouse.
In the quote, Macbeth is saying that Banquo must be killed in order to Macbeth to live happily at all since Banquo’s descendants are supposed to take the throne after Macbeth, not Macbeth’s own children, according to the witches. Just as with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Macbeth is getting rid of his enemies and those who could interfere with his assent to power and his rule.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40354415
I think that Macbeth obviously draws many parallels with Hitler. They were both soldiers as young men, and they turned into evil leaders that did a lot of killing. One big difference that I can see between the two is that Macbeth seems as if he was driven to murder by his wife, Lady Macbeth, while Hitlers wife, to the best of my knowledge, didn't have that great of an effect on the massive killings. Lady Macbeth reminds me of a parasitic worm, with the way that she got into a normal mans head and drove him crazy. She, to me, seems like the real reason for all of this madness.
ReplyDeleteEva Braun went along with what her husband was doing, which was bad enough. I mean, she didn't seem to do anything to make him stop.
Deletehttps://www.healthline.com/health/worms-in-humans
Deletehttps://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/dark-charisma-adolf-hitler-personality/
The link that I attached was titled "The dark charisma of Hitler", and charisma is typically known as a heroic quality. Hitler and Macbeth already had qualities in common, as I had previously mentioned, but the way that they both had these heroic qualities, like intelligence, leadership abilities (in Hitler's case they were great enough abilities to make Germany believe that their "Final Solution" was moral, and their courage with both having been in the army, is uncanny.
I agree Owen, watching something that terrible happen, especially to the degree in which Hitler took it to, and still being married to him shows that she probably was not all too great of a person as well.
DeleteActually, they weren't married until the last minute.
DeleteI said "[Eva's] husband" and meant "her boyfriend."
DeleteMy mistake. (Serves them right, those Nazis)
DeleteA modern day example that follows Macbeth is The Lion King. With parallels being drawn from Scar and Macbeth. In The Lion King Simba runs away and therefore Scar is crowned the king. Although Scar’s past doesn’t line up with Macbeth’s, they both wanted to be king and to do so they have to kill the king; it just so happens that in both stories the heir to the throne runs away.
ReplyDeleteSimba, who just witnessed the death of his father runs away because he was afraid and felt guilty that it was his fault. Scar then became the king because Simba ran away. This is just like when Malcolm and Donalbain, the sons of King Duncan ran away because they were afraid that they would be the ones who people will blame. “Macbeth. We hear our bloody cousins are bestowed / In England and in Ireland, not confessing / Their cruel parricide, filling their hearers / With strange invention...” their running away makes Macbeth the King.
Another connection that can be made is how Macbeth had murders to kill Banquo while the hyena’s were the ones taking care of Scar’s dirty work. “Have you considered of my speeches? Know / That it was he, in the times past, which held you / So under fortune, which you thought had been / Our innocent self.” Although it’s not perfect, it still gets the point across that the leader had someone else working for them in their favor.
Instead of The Lion King, they should've called it M**beth, Performed by Furries.
DeleteBut then, it might be more like Hamlet. Either way, the Lion King is some sort of "Fur Shakespeare."
DeleteOne historical figure that is similar to Macbeth is Richard Nixon. Both Macbeth and Nixon were not rich men to start out their lives, but had put in the work to make their way up in life. Macbeth was born a poor man and had to work to achieve a higher status in life. Back in those days however, the only way to gain status was to increase your rank in the military. Macbeth had started the play as being the Thane of Cawdor and Thane of Glamis. Nixon had to improve to his social status through politics. Once both of these men got into their positions of power, Macbeth became king and Nixon became president, they weren’t fulfilled with what they had. Macbeth killed Banquo in attempts to stop his lineage from being kings. Nixon had made the Watergate Scandal in order to allow him to be re elected as president. Both of these attempts ended up failing because of the lack of ability from the people who were sent to accomplish these tasks. While it is not known how Macbeth’s failure in this affected him (since we haven’t read it yet), Nixon was tried in court and later on it was known that he was a part of it, he stepped down from his position and ended up tainting his name.
ReplyDeletehttp://katenewcombemacbeth.weebly.com/modern-day-link.html
I think a good example of a modern day Macbeth would be Harvey Weinstein. In his early career, he was a popular, celebrated filmmaker. Then he used his influence and power to sexually harass and abuse women who he knew wouldn’t speak out against him. He provided false information to director Peter Jackson, leading him to remove Ashley Judd from a casting list after she refused to watch him shower; he raped Lucia Evans after bringing her to his office for a casting call; and and blacklisted Mira Sorvino from major films after she tried to come forward with what he did to her. He abused the power and privilege of his fame, and rightfully fell from his perceived grace. Macbeth and Weinstein are different kinds of evil, but it’s a fitting comparison nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to the testimonies of some of his victims
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41580010
Lady Macbeth-page 39, lines 21b-24a: “Thou’dst have, great Glamis, that which cries, ‘Thus must thou do, if thou have it,’ and that which rather thou dost fear to do than wishest should be undone.”
I have decided to relate Mark Zuckerberg to Macbeth. This might seem like an abnormal pairing, but there is definitely some correlation if you squint. Both have done terrible deeds: Macbeth "summons [Duncan] to heaven, or to hell," and Zuck allowed personal information of millions to go toward politics. Obviously Zuck didn't kill anyone, but leak of personal info could allow horrible things to happen to people. Privacy is key, as people's locations and searches reveal too much. Their similarities continue when readers remember Macbeth being told by his wife "You must leave this" and Macbeth still continues with the killings by going for Banquo and Fleance. Zuck has lost the trust of many, but instead of stopping where he peaks, he continues to dig himself in a hole. Zuck is making a move to use software so that users on facebook with other apps like instagram and other messengers, will all connect back to facebook. This allowed the targeted ads that people have been seeing lately to extend further into their lives, further losing their privacy. Both won't stop when they've already sunk their ship. So watch out for the Zuck, because he's watching you.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I only E-mail, text, and call. (I must admit, I'm rather conservative that way.)
DeleteThis isn't an obvious choice but it fits so well. Also I love how you call him "The Zuck"
Delete⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠⚠ That rhymes with a bunch of profane things that I refuse to say.
DeleteMy modern day macbeth is Oj Simpson(sad I am sorry). Orenthal James “O.J.” Simpson (born July 9, 1947) is a former NFL football star, actor, broadcaster and convicted armed robber and kidnapper known for being acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Both Oj and Macbeth before comiting their crimes were famous well liked and respected people. Ducan even said to Macbeth "
ReplyDeleteWelcome hither:
I have begun to plant thee, and will labour
To make thee full of growing. Noble Banquo,
That hast no less deserved, nor must be known
No less to have done so, let me enfold thee
And hold thee to my heart.
showing that Duncan very much respected Macbeth. They were both athletic and brave Oj with football and Macbeth with war. On the bad side, they are both power hunger, impulsive and anger. "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me". Macbeth Quote (Act I, Scene III). This quote shows the primary reason for which he must kill Duncan, Macbeth was hoping for the crown for himself but it is given to Malcolm so he is now think of killing Duncan for the throne showing how power hunger he is. Though we dont really know why oj killed his wife but we know it was probably because his anger and greed like macbeth.
https://www.biography.com/people/oj-simpson-9484729
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/01/arts/television/oj-simpson-murder-trial-coverage.html
I feel like many of these cases are with wealthy men who are indeed ambitious and want to get more than the things they can buy, which results in these unfortunate events.
DeleteUnless they spend it on charity.
DeleteThe person that I chose was Suharto, the former President of Indonesia. He was born in in a small village and his parents divorced soon after his birth. He served in the military and rose up in the ranks. He stopped a coup from the Communist Party of Indonesia and was elected president in 1967. He had a strong anti-Communist stance and Indonesia economy grew substantially under his lead. However, as time went on there was growing authoritarianism and corruption. He controlled many monopolies and gave many government contracts and tax break to his family and friends. He embezzled $15-35 billion during his rule. Riots and demonstrations lead him to resign. He was later charged with misusing $550 million of charity money and placed under house arrest. A $1.5 billion lawsuit was filed against him but he died before the case was heard.
ReplyDeletehttps://integritas360.org/2016/07/10-most-corrupt-world-leaders/
Similar to Macbeth, Suharto was treated as a hero for greatly improving Indonesia economy. Macbeth ordered the murder of Banquo and said to the murders that “know Banquo is your enemy. Banquo never did anything to Macbeth but he was killed anyway. Suharto didn’t have to steal so much money from the people of Indonesia.
DeleteThis is a great connection because both men committed murder out of anger and greed, like you said, and both try/tried to hide it. These two men are very similar.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/andrew-carnegie
ReplyDeleteFor my choice, I picked Andrew Carnegie. Although Carnegie didn't have a huge fall, the ways that Carnegie came to his position were terrible. Carnegie was a titan of the steel industry and was idolized at his peak. Carnegie would create inhospitable working conditions in his steel mills, which would eventually lead to fatalities. His workers would attempt to rise up against him, and just like Macbeth, Carnegie would hire mercenary services to put down his workers. The equivalence of Macbeth hiring murderers to kill Banquo is Carnegie hiring the Pinkertons to kill his mill workers on strike. Carnegie would eventually move back to Scotland from America, and live out his days there. Carnegie's name was tarnished in America, only protected by his philanthropy and donations.
Though it isn't really modern day, I related Macbeth to Vlad the Impaler (Vlad III Dracula). He was a Romanian leader in the 1400's who was notorious for brutally killing his enemies and torturing them in creative and gruesome ways. Just like Macbeth, Vlad went on a killing spree. He went mad with power and did everything he could to remain on top. Though we haven't seen this specifically happen in Macbeth just yet, it's safe to say Macbeth WILL go on a killing spree, given the knowledge we have. I think Vlad the Impaler is a good example of what Macbeth will most likely become in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThis must be the inspiration of Count Dracula.
DeleteI think that Trump will soon be a Macbeth, although he doesn't really have a lady Macbeth. If the investigation goes through then that would mean that he used his money and power and colluded with Russia to get his presidency. Stuff has already started to fall out from under him. All of his cabinet except for a couple have been indited and I think it won't be long until he himself has his downfall, impeachment.
ReplyDeleteHaywood Schwartz
DeleteHe's going down, or so we hope.
DeleteThe modern day person I chose that can be compared to Macbeth is Bill Gates. This is because in his past, he willingly sacrificed his integrity and his relationship with an investor all in the ambitious effort to promote his own company. For example, in the past, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs made a deal. Jobs came up with an idea to create a graphical interface and he wanted Gates' team to create the software for it. The deal was that Gates could not distribute the idea to anyone else before it was released by Apple. Instead of Gates honoring their deal, he stole the idea for the graphical interface, and added it to his own Windows hardware. Jobs sued Gates and both companies ended all relations with each other. I believe that this situation speaks to the essence of Macbeth's character because Gates already had a growing and successful project, however, at the first opportunity, he was greedy enough to cheat on his competition to guarantee he would be one step ahead. In the quote from the play, Macbeth says to his wife, "we have scotched the snake, not killed it. She'll close and be herself, whilst our poor malice Remains in danger of her former tooth"(Act III, scene II). This quote reflects Macbeth's fear of the possible threats that hover over him, however, it also shows Macbeth's greedy nature through the fact that he still feels the need to tighten his grip on the crown, despite the fact that it already lies on his head. Macbeth sees no end to his hunger for power (unlike the witches.) This can be compared to Gates (in his past. Right now he is actually a very generous donator to multiple charities) because Gates felt the need to solidify his hardware's superiority despite his already great success. This, in turn hurt him in the future with the threat of being sued and the loss of a possibly valuable business partner. Similarly, Macbeth lost a friend from his actions (killing Banquo to stay king) and he lost his respect from the rest of the kingdom through his aggressive attitude and rule.
ReplyDeletehttp://beyourgoogle.com/bill-gates-stole-steves-idea-and-become-billionaire-was-it-fair/
Deletehttps://www.history.com/topics/1960s/rafael-trujillo
ReplyDeleteThere were many people that I would have referred to when making a comparison of Macbeth. But one person in particular stood out to me and has always been thinking about it for a long time. And that person who is now in his grave and thankful not alive is Rafael Trujillo, who was a Dominican politician, soldier, and dictator who ruled the Dominican Republic for 31 year until his assassination in 1961.
Like Macbeth, both of them were one of the best fighters in their military and were appointed one of the highest rankings in their military. “For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel, which smoked with bloody execution, like valour's minion carved out his passage till he faced the slave; which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps, and fix'd his head upon our battlements.” Trujillo was trained by the US marines and soon named commander in chief of the National Army. Both of them attain power by assassinating their current leaders by the help through others. Macbeth had killed Duncan with the help of his wife Lady Macbeth. After Duncan was killed, he had said, “I go, and it is done; the bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan; for it is a knell that summons thee to heaven or to hell.” Trujillo had Dominican President Horacio Vásquez in exile with the help of a leader of the rebel group against the president, Rafael Estrella Urena. In addition, Trujillo eliminated his political rivals by intimidation or force and won the presidential election. They both killed other people who try to stop them from exposing them of their terrible deeds and usually hire people to do their bidding. Macbeth had killed his comrade Banquo, in order for him not to expose to everyone that he was the murderer of Duncan. As Banquo was being killed by the murderers right in front of his son Fleance, his last words were “O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge. O slave!” In Trujillo’s case, there were many people who spoke out against Trujillo and his ways. One in particular were the Mirabal sisters, with the exception of Dede, who opposed Trujillo’s dictatorship and took part in activities against his regime, while also fighting the rights for women in the Dominican Republic. Trujillo tried giving them a chance to reconsider because of his lust for one of the sisters, Minerva, but still went against his otherwise. In the end, Trujillo sent out his ‘secret police’ to assassinate the Mirabal sister by taking them to a sugarcane field and clubbed to death. With this comparison, Trujillo and Macbeth are very alike, with the exception that Macbeth has empathy and Trujillo has none.
I don't really think Macbeth has empathy either.
DeleteI feel like the witches played an interesting role in Macbeth. Since they were told to have powers and in the play whatever they said was an event that will happen in the future. At the start of the play, Macbeth and Banquo had mixed feelings about the witches and thought them as being crazy. However once the events they had said would happen were going on, they slowly began giving in to the feeling that what they were saying was true. Banquo still seemed skeptical of the idea that the witches were able to prophesize what goes in his life. But Macbeth gave in very easily to the thought that they had ultimate wisdom. Banquo and Macbeth showed two very different reactions with the witches. Macbeth took the role of initiating all of the events which were going to happen, but Banquo sat back and allowed for everything to happen. When Macbeth was trying to be in charge of his fate, he was able to plan everything to be the way he had wished it to be, but the execution was not in his power. As he was slowly getting himself deeper into trouble, he understands that no one was able to defy the power of the witches and he starts going rogue. This was the beginning of his downfall and ended up proving the prophecy of the witches correct.
ReplyDeleteA modern day example of Macbeth is President Snow from the movie Hunger Games. The are both quite similar because they are hungry for power and crave control over others. They both kill people to keep or have control over everyone except Macbeth killed people with his own hands to become king, meanwhile President Snow got people to do his own work and many people in the districts because they were rebelling and he needed to maintain power. Even though they dealt with their external struggles the same they both had internal struggles that they handled differently. Macbeth felt remorse and guilt for killing King Duncan, but President Snow would just deal with them as if how he dealt with his external struggles, by killing people close to the other people who are giving hope to the districts.
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