A Comparison Of Macbeth And Cr

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to decide how he is to live within this “absurd and irrational world” (Moore & Bruder 504). “Macbeth” employs many existentialist concepts. Macbeth’s murdering of Duncan to obtain his kingship displays a basic existentialist philosophy in that he eliminated his obstacles in order to fulfill his ambition (Gellrich 17). The witches who constantly taunt Macbeth drive him to his ultimate goal (Craig 255). Dostoevsky also employs an existentialist philosophy in his novel. The “set of unconscious drives” (Cox 42) that propel Raskolnikov to commit his crime reveal that “human nature is not entirely definable by its rationality”(Jalava 1). This relates to existentialism by virtue of people occasionally performing certain actions that cannot be explained (Jalava 6).
Both the works of Shakespeare and Dostoevsky suggest “existential approaches to tragedy”(Gellrich 257) that ultimately determines the protagonist’s fate. The two protagonists, Macbeth and Raskolnikov, possess tragic flaws that ...

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man’s conduct is unexplainable (Bradbury 38).
The existential theory explains the motivation for both protagonists. The philosophy of existentialists stresses man’s determination to satisfy his aspirations. The bases for their belief stems from the “conception of the human condition,” (Stone 1) referring to the manner in which man’s actions are justified. The existentialist ideas focus on the irrationality behind man’s behavior (Jalava 1). Furthermore, Macbeth demonstrates his motivation through his thoughts and actions. Illustrating the theory of existence as fallacious, and feeling ashamed of his actions, Macbeth loses his mind (Somerville 33). Of course, the thought of becoming king at ...

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