Macbeth Identity

Pico Iyer, Shakespeare, Barack Obama, FDR. All have something in common. They have provided the perfect evidence to make the assertion that an identity can be forcefully changed by a traumatic event. All of the authors that have been aforementioned have all addressed this, though in various forms, in their written works. For Pico, it was his TED-talk, Shakespeare, the tragedy of Macbeth, for Obama and FDR, their speeches. However there are two sides to this. There is a chance that identity could be changed for the better, but in most cases it is changed for the worse. Thus, causing the change in identity to be dangerous. Pico is, however, the exception that proves the rule. However, the fact that most cases end badly makes people more wary …show more content…
This may sound a bit drastic, but in the case of the Shakespearean tragedy, Macbeth, this is especially true. In the beginning of the book, he already has little family, with his wife being the only one we hear mention of, then he goes on to lose her as well, leaving him in a pool of his own misery and self loathing that is only brought to an end when he is slain by Macduff. The extent of his hatred towards himself after his familial loss is demonstrated in this quote “Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.(Act V Scene V, Shakespeare)” This quote was taken from when Macbeth discovers his wife’s demise, and his grief is evident. This heavy familial loss severely hurts Macbeth and it changes his identity. In the beginning/middle part of the play, he is ambitious, willing to kill King Duncan to place himself in a position of power. In the end of the play, he is defeated, a broken man who has nothing left, throwing himself at Macduff in a final act of desperation. The loss of his wife leaves him broken, an empty husk of the leader he once was, making him feel like he truly has no one to turn to. With an army marching at his doorstep, he has lost the battle before it has …show more content…
A good example of this is the great trauma of Pearl Harbor. When FDR gave his Day of Infamy speech, his words came with an extra layer of gravity, as it would decide whether or not the US would enter into the war on the Axis powers. He uses a few forms of figurative language such as repetition, and uses pathos to ensure the American people that he has empathy for them. This is demonstrated by the quote, “I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost.” In this quote, he demonstrates that he feels for the American lives lost in Pearl Harbor and demonstrates empathy towards the American people. This ties back to the main question, “Can a person’s identity be forcefully changed by a traumatic event.”, in a very interesting way. This event, the event in question being the Pearl Harbor attack, caused the American people to enter into WW2. This changed their identities in a dramatic way. The event caused the country to rear up, and become active in WW2 as the everyday citizen became pro-war. This was the most notable communal identity change that came as a result of Pearl Harbor. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Americans went about their daily business, not caring much about the war in Europe. It had seen distant, not important. This all changed, however, when the Japanese attacked. The Americans were rallied and the nation joined the