Iago and Macbeth Comparison and Contrast

             Tragic heroes are identified in many of Shakespeare's plays. In The Tragedy of Macbeth and The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice, a character is developed as the tragic hero. In Shakespearean literature, the tragic hero must possess a tragic flaw. Iago, from Othello, is driven by greed and jealousy to his destruction at the end if the play. Macbeth, from Macbeth, is driven by two outside forces: the three weird sisters, and his wife. Both are also foolish and fall into a state of general disregard for the law. While the two characters are very different, their tragic flaws link them both to evil.
             Macbeth is a man "not without ambition"(1.5.18.). He desires to be king in due time, if that is the way that fate should happen to play; however, his wife, Lady Macbeth, believes that it would be best for him to be king at all expenses. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth encounters three witches that hail him as the Thane of Glamis, his current position, Thane of Cawdor, the position he is appointed to by the king, and "King hereafter" (1.3.54.). These witches give him the prophecy of becoming the Thane of Cawdor before King Duncan honors Macbeth. Because the prophecy was true, it sparked him to wonder about being king. Lady Macbeth and the three witches lead Macbeth into his evil ways. Lady Macbeth fills Macbeth's mind with being King. She even wants to help in the plot to kill the King. The witches are important to Macbeth because he turns to them when he is in doubt.
             Iago is different in the way he approaches what he wants. Cassio is appointed to be lieutenant to Othello, but Iago sees this as blasphemy. Cassio is younger and without the experience of Iago. Iago has ambition, and his own will to carry through with his plot. His jealousy is the only spark that he needs in order to get revenge on Cassio and Othello. Iago was different from Macbeth in the fact that he did not use out...

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Iago and Macbeth Comparison and Contrast. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 10:13, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/91654.html