External Forces In Macbeth And Things Fall Apart

External and internal forces affect every aspect of people's lives by creating room for change which plays a necessary role in the growth and development of a nation and its people. It can be caused by something within, a character or a nation, or a much stronger force that is yet to be understood. When faced with change one often finds themselves in a place where they must make a sacrifice. Change controls the actions of the main characters in both Macbeth and Things fall apart. The protagonists, of both the play and the novel, Macbeth and Okonkwo, initiate their destruction by failing to confront an evident change in a valuable relationship because they face the internal conflict of losing their identity. Eventually, both men feel great isolation …show more content…
Correspondingly, Okonkwo initially acknowledges this change wondering if killing Ikemefuna can make a, “man who has killed five men in battle fall to pieces because he has added a boy to [his] number? Okonkwo, [has] become a woman indeed” ( Achebe 65) but chooses to ignore his initial recognition. This foreshadows his downfall, the death of his beloved son will haunt him similarly to the killing of Duncan by Macbeth. Okonkwo ignores change by blaming everything foul in his life on his chi and everything good on his hard work. He wants to believe that there is no fault within him and that he is just ill-fated. Similarily, Macbeth uses the apparitions by the witches to justify his actions when he chooses not to think about them. Okonkwo feels betrayed after his beliefs change, he considers a falsehood to “the saying of the elders was not true if a man said yea his chi also affirmed. Here was a man whose chi said nay despite his own affirmation” (131). The reader discovers Okonkwo’s internal flaw of being unable to identify the fault within himself by blaming everything on a personal god. He uses this tactic to shield himself from the idea of that everything is not working as it previously did because of a change in himself. Similarly, Macbeth has the opportunity to look at his actions and realizes that he is, “in blood/ Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o'er” (Shakespeare III, vi, 42-44). Macbeth exemplifies that he will truly destroy himself. The imagery is used to reinforce his grotesque deeds in which he knows impacts him negatively but chooses not to change. Macbeth is afraid of crossing the metaphorical river of change in fear of losing his power as King. By not taking his opportunity to confront change, Macbeth leads himself to destruction as Okonkwo does by not reacting in the face of