In William Shakespeare’s brilliant play Macbeth the theme of “knowledge is power” is heavily clouded by other, more prominent, themes. Some of them include greed, ambition, and fate. However, the play does contain the theme of “knowledge.” Shakespeare demonstrates this theme in a way that is very similar to that of Animal Farm. He portrays knowledge as a tool to manipulate others. This theme is very important because, at the time, the idea of witches and magic was not considered fiction. Just before this play was written, the king of England accused witches of cursing his journey to a nearby kingdom. Back then, people believed that the knowledge these witches have gives them power that no human should ever possess.
At the beginning of the …show more content…
Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!”
“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!”
“All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”
In this quote the witches tell Macbeth that he will become Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland. However, Macbeth doesn’t realize that the witches are using their knowledge of his fate as an advantage over him. They plant the idea of becoming king into Macbeth’s mind knowing that his greed will later lead to his downfall. In short, they had used their knowledge of Macbeth’s fate to manipulate him and twist his mind into one of a murderer. This is very similar to the knowledge of human society that corrupts the pigs in Animal Farm.
Another example of the witches taking advantage of their knowledge is when Macbeth comes to them for advice once again:
“Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff, Beware Thane of Fife, Dismiss me. …show more content…
In this quote, Billy is sharing his knowledge with a surly old man named Mr. Rumford. But because Billy is “a madman” Rumford refuses to consider that anything Billy says is true. Another example of this theme is presented in chapter nine, when Billy goes to a radio talk show in New York : “And then Billy was allowed to speak. Off he went, in that beautifully trained voice of his, telling about the flying saucers and Montana Wildhack and so on. He was gently expelled from the studio during a commercial.” In this quote Billy tries to express his opinions and let his voice be heard. However, because he isn’t credible and is now labeled a “madman” no one will believe his crazy
At the beginning of the …show more content…
Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!”
“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!”
“All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”
In this quote the witches tell Macbeth that he will become Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis, and King of Scotland. However, Macbeth doesn’t realize that the witches are using their knowledge of his fate as an advantage over him. They plant the idea of becoming king into Macbeth’s mind knowing that his greed will later lead to his downfall. In short, they had used their knowledge of Macbeth’s fate to manipulate him and twist his mind into one of a murderer. This is very similar to the knowledge of human society that corrupts the pigs in Animal Farm.
Another example of the witches taking advantage of their knowledge is when Macbeth comes to them for advice once again:
“Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff, Beware Thane of Fife, Dismiss me. …show more content…
In this quote, Billy is sharing his knowledge with a surly old man named Mr. Rumford. But because Billy is “a madman” Rumford refuses to consider that anything Billy says is true. Another example of this theme is presented in chapter nine, when Billy goes to a radio talk show in New York : “And then Billy was allowed to speak. Off he went, in that beautifully trained voice of his, telling about the flying saucers and Montana Wildhack and so on. He was gently expelled from the studio during a commercial.” In this quote Billy tries to express his opinions and let his voice be heard. However, because he isn’t credible and is now labeled a “madman” no one will believe his crazy