Macbeth vs Jay Gatsby – Who had it worse? When it comes to tragedies they all have something in common, the tragic hero. The main protagonists in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare and novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, share personal aspects that develop the plot in their tragedies. Firstly, Macbeth and Gatsby are both driven by their desires, they are blinded by their ambitions. Secondly, the two titular characters end in misery even after beginning with happiness and joy. Lastly, both Macbeth and Gatsby are above everyone else. Macbeth is a Scottish general and the Thane of Glamis and Gatsby is a really wealthy man who holds parties that almost everyone in West Egg and East Egg attend. Both plots end in complete devastation
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Macbeth in the beginning of the play is presented as the Thane of Glamis who is a brave and noble fighter. He is given praise by the king’s sergeant for his performance in the fight. He says “For brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel which smok’d with bloody execution.” (1.2.16) Macbeth deserves to be called brave as he is protection fortune with his steel sword that has been used to execute many people. Macbeth is living with pure joy and happiness at this moment but it is not until the end of the play where he is given the prophecy that he will die soon. Macbeth is suffering from hallucinations of the late Banquo and is being targeted by Malcolm and Macduff. As soon as Macbeth gets executed, his title of king is now gone and is passed down to Malcolm, King Duncan’s son. This is a prime example of the tragic hero starting off with happiness and ends with misery. Similarly, Gatsby experiences both happiness and misery in his respective novel as well. In the beginning of The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is introduced as a wealthy, popular man who loves to hold parties for everyone at his oversized mansion in West Egg. Gatsby is enjoying his life and the only thing that could possibly make it even better is to win Daisy back into his life after leaving her when he had to report for the war. …show more content…
They are not any ordinary character who is a victim of tragedy but they are as a matter of fact, relevant to society. Macbeth starts off his play as the Thane of Glamis and soon to be Thane of Cawdor. He is not any random peasant that lives in Scotland. Because of his noble and brave actions during the war with the help from former Thane of Cawdor for committing treason, Macbeth is dubbed as the new Thane of Cawdor. Gatsby is not a regular person either. He starts off his novel as one of the richest people in New York and most likely the richest man in West Egg. Although nobody actually knows Gatsby personally, everyone attends his parties and respect him for his
Macbeth in the beginning of the play is presented as the Thane of Glamis who is a brave and noble fighter. He is given praise by the king’s sergeant for his performance in the fight. He says “For brave Macbeth- well he deserves that name- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel which smok’d with bloody execution.” (1.2.16) Macbeth deserves to be called brave as he is protection fortune with his steel sword that has been used to execute many people. Macbeth is living with pure joy and happiness at this moment but it is not until the end of the play where he is given the prophecy that he will die soon. Macbeth is suffering from hallucinations of the late Banquo and is being targeted by Malcolm and Macduff. As soon as Macbeth gets executed, his title of king is now gone and is passed down to Malcolm, King Duncan’s son. This is a prime example of the tragic hero starting off with happiness and ends with misery. Similarly, Gatsby experiences both happiness and misery in his respective novel as well. In the beginning of The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is introduced as a wealthy, popular man who loves to hold parties for everyone at his oversized mansion in West Egg. Gatsby is enjoying his life and the only thing that could possibly make it even better is to win Daisy back into his life after leaving her when he had to report for the war. …show more content…
They are not any ordinary character who is a victim of tragedy but they are as a matter of fact, relevant to society. Macbeth starts off his play as the Thane of Glamis and soon to be Thane of Cawdor. He is not any random peasant that lives in Scotland. Because of his noble and brave actions during the war with the help from former Thane of Cawdor for committing treason, Macbeth is dubbed as the new Thane of Cawdor. Gatsby is not a regular person either. He starts off his novel as one of the richest people in New York and most likely the richest man in West Egg. Although nobody actually knows Gatsby personally, everyone attends his parties and respect him for his