Hamlet versus Macbeth

The two plays are a huge contribution to the works of one of the greatest tragedy playwrights of the centuries William Shakespeare. The play have been rewritten and acted up to date. The two plays have more in common that the fact that they both are named after their main characters. The plays are about two tragic heroes who despite the fact that they accomplish what they set out to do end up losing their lives along the way. The plays also has a lot of differences that are arise in terms of themes, characterization and motif. On the other hand, Macbeth received a Prophesy that he would become king and this got into his head and he plotted to kill the King of Scotland, King Duncan.

Macbeth with the help of his wife succeeded in the plan and he murdered the king framed the murder on his guards and took over the throne. On his way to the throne and on the throne he killed many people, either trying to cover up his wickedness or when trying to reach a goal. The two characters were surrounded by cases of murder or murder they had committed themselves before they were murder. Both Hamlet and Macbeth were driven by passion. Both Hamlet and Macbeth share the aspect of supernatural occurrences. The two characters were each visited by the supernatural beings. Hamlet was visited by the ghost of his father who revealed to him that it was his uncle Claudius who had indeed caused his demise in order to take the throne.

It is the ghost of his father that convinces him to avenge his death by killing Claudius. The ghost of the deceased King Hamlet is seen initially by guards of the royal palace who observed that it was indeed the king. The insanity of Macbeth starts at the banquet when he sees the ghost of Banquo then follows through the play where he acts rashly and is seen to be delusional. Although the two characters have different causes for their madness, Shakespeare uses madness for both characters to bring out the effects of vices before and after they are committed. Differences The character Macbeth was older than Hamlet, he was more experienced and wiser. Macbeth had taken part in war and politics and the idea of killing someone else was not a foreign one.

The plan to kill the King was therefore well laid out and he understood well the consequences that would follow after he went through with it. Macbeth with the help of his wife murdered the king and took over the throne. He even killed his friend Banquo when he realized he was a threat to his throne. On other hand, Hamlet was the protagonist, playing the part of the offended or oppressed. As the readers we get to know Hamlet as a good person and even when he commits murder we understand his reasons and justify them. The motive of Macbeth’s killings were different from that Hamlet. His delay led to the death of Polonius, Ophelia, and his mother and later on led to his own death.