Hamilton V. Macbeth

In most all of William Shakespeare’s literary works, his characters are acting for a purpose. In Macbeth, Macbeth’s purpose is to become king and ruler of Scotland. In Hamlet, Hamlet believes that his role is to avenge his father’s death and kill his brother Claudius. Even in Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 73”, he makes it clear that the author’s purpose is to live life to the fullest. All of the characters are similar in that they are trying to achieve the goal of their particular purpose, although the means in which they realize this and the results that occur, may differ. While the influence of others drives Macbeth and Hamlet to realize their purpose and act, it is the way in which each of them act that lead to their outcomes and ultimate reputations.

Macbeth, in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, realizes his purpose and is influenced to act by two different factors. First, Macbeth meets the three witches who say to him, “All hail, Macbeth, that thou shalt be King hereafter!” (I.iii.50). At first, Macbeth is not sure whether to believe that his true purpose is to become King. He does not know whether the witches are truthful or just a little crazy. Once Macbeth goes home and tells Lady Macbeth about the witches prophecy, however, Lady Macbeth encourages Macbeth to listen and take matters into his own hands immediately by killing the King, Duncan. Lady Macbeth finally convinces Macbeth to take action and kill the King when she threatens his manhood by saying that “When you [Macbeth] durst do it, then you were a man” (I.iii.50). With both the witches and his wife telling him that he will become King, Macbeth resolves to murder Duncan.

Like Macbeth, Hamlet, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, realizes his role in life through the guide of another. Hamlet sees the ghost of his recently deceased father, King Hamlet, who orders him, “So art thou to revenge when thou shalt hear./…Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I.v.12-31). The ghost tells Hamlet that his purpose must be to kill his uncle, the new King Claudius, for it is Claudius that murders his own brother, Hamlet’s father. Hamlet is enraged to find out that his uncle murders his father to win the crown and accepts his father’s wish for revenge. Hamlet’s father’s ghost has a huge impact on Hamlet because he loves his father dearly. This is made obvious, when after King Hamlet’s death, Claudius asks young Hamlet why “the clouds still hang on you [Hamlet]?” (I.ii.68). While most all of the other characters in the play seem to be over their King’s death, Hamlet is still mourning his beloved father. Hamlet acknowledges that Claudius’ death will be his purpose when he exclaims that “The time is out of joint. O cursÐ"Ёd spite/ That ever I was born to set it right!” (I.v.210-211).

The knowledge of their purpose, drives both Macbeth and Hamlet to take action, however, the action in which they take to achieve their goal, is completely different. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth acts immediately and impulsively to become, and remain, King. The very night that Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecy and is encouraged by Lady Macbeth, he kills Duncan, which is clearly sudden behavior. Once Macbeth is the King of Scotland, it seems as though he will stop at nothing to remain King. He even notices this when he says to himself that “I am in blood/ Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (III.iv.136-138). Macbeth figures that there is no going back once he is King, so now he will do whatever it takes, including violence, to stay in power.

All of the actions that Macbeth takes while staying true to his purpose of being King are clearly impulsive. After murdering Duncan, Macbeth fears that his good friend Banquo is a threat to his crown. Immediately, he realizes that “there is none but he [Banquo]/ Whose being I do fear” and hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his son, another possible threat to the crown, Fleance. Banquo has never done anything to harm Macbeth, and Macbeth’s desire to kill his friend in order to be the King, shows clear devotion to his purpose. Another impulsive act that Macbeth takes while King of Scotland is to invade Macduff’s castle. Macduff has never done anything to Macbeth, but immediately after Macbeth hears that Macduff is in England he assumes Macduff is up to no good. Macbeth decides that “The castle of Macduff I will… Seize… [and] give to the edge o’ the sword/ His wife, [and] his babes” (IV.I.150-152). Even if Macduff is a threat to Macbeth’s rule, there is no reason for Macbeth to kill Macduff’s family except for the fact that Macbeth makes rash, impulsive decisions with little thought.

Hamlet on there other hand, unlike Macbeth’s impulsiveness, is extremely hesitant to actually murder Claudius for his purpose. He acts by plotting against him, but puts a large amount of thought into actually murdering the new King. Hamlet is even frustrated by his hesitancy, wondering why it is so hard for him to act out his revenge. When he sees the players acting so passionately, but having no real passion inside to drive them, he asks himself, “But in fiction, in a dream of passion,/ Could force… Tears in his [the player’s] eyes, …And all for nothing!/ What would he do, Had he the motive and due for passion/ That I have? He would drown the stage with tears” (II.ii.581-589). Hamlet notes that if the players could use this much emotion in their acting without even having real emotion, he, having just causes for revenge, should be able to take action. He thinks the same idea to himself when he realizes that all of Fortinbras’ soldiers are fighting so zealously for a piece of land that is basically meaningless. He asks himself, “How stand I, then,/ That have a father killed, …And let all sleep, while to my shame