Comparison And Contrast Of Mac
Heart of Darkness and MacBeth
Joseph Conrad and William Shakespeare are not traditionally paired up for a critical analysis. However, the characters MacBeth and Kurtz in MacBeth and Heart of Darkness, respectively, prove to be worthy of comparison. MacBeth and Kurtz share many common characteristics: both have vaulting ambition that leads both to their success and their demise, a superiority complex, and both make similar sacrifices to achieve their goal. Despite their many similarities, MacBeth and Kurtz differ in many respects. The way the authors present each character varies greatly, and the way each interacts with his surroundings contrast a great deal. The circumstances ...
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the sides of [his] intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/ And falls on th’other" (Act I, sc. 7). Despite many other good reasons for overthrowing a king, such as for the good of the state or if the king is infringing on the people’s rights, MacBeth claims only selfish intentions. Like MacBeth, Kurtz, too, starts his road to evil with ambition. Kurtz, in order to earn his Intended’s hand, goes to Africa to make something of himself. Instead of going on a "heavenly mission to civilize"(Conrad, 70) the savages, Kurtz’s intentions, from the start, are to make money as quickly as possible. And he does. This "vaulting ambition" leads both met to climb the ladder of success at a quick pace. MacBeth is named "Thane of Cawdor" after one brave battle; Kurtz is given control of the Inner Station because of his success in bringing in ivory. Ambition, though traditionally looked at as a positive characteristic cause both men to perform evil deeds.
With ambition ...
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get ivory and punished them harshly. Because of his powerful position and because he truly believed that he was in many ways better than everyone else, Kurtz was able to convince everyone he came in contact with of this theory of his god-like stature. Both men thought of themselves as superior because of the titles and duties earned from their evil and cheated ambition.
MacBeth and Kurtz’s evil ambition and feelings of superiority lead to their downfall. Both men follow the path that leads to evil and therefore they, in the end, must sacrifice their chance of eternal happiness. MacBeth recognizes his fate when he states, "Out, Out, brief candle!/ Life’s but a walking shadow"(Act V, sc. ...
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"Comparison And Contrast Of Mac." Essayworld.com. October 4, 2006. Accessed November 22, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Comparison-And-Contrast-Of-Mac/53409.
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