Macbeth vs. King Henry Viii
Macbeth and King Henry VIII
Megan Groleau
Period 2
English 29
Mr. Donarum
Is there such thing as a perfect human, someone who has no flaws what so ever, they have impeccable physical ability, and great intelligence, can make the right decisions every time, they can restrain themselves from the most tempting situations, and have not one ounce of arrogance, selfishness, or greed in them? No, it is not possible. Everybody who is mortal has at least one poor trait in them, at least one flaw. Nobody is perfect, and we learn that very early in our lives. Sometimes people’s negative characteristics can end up getting the best of them, like King Henry VIII of England and Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in which both of their uttermost ambition resulted with a downfall. As the play opens, we see Macbeth as a strong solider who is loyal to his king and fights with no mercy, but he soon gets corrupted by the witches prophecies that sparked his ruthless ambition. The witches told him that he will be named the Thane of Cawdor and then king, and soon after the first prophecy comes true. Macbeth is made Thane of Cawdor because of his valiant efforts in the war, and when he tells his wife about the weird sisters and what had happened her strong will easily influences him to kill Duncan. Macbeth’s wanting to become King was the first demonstration of his ambition, he even says, “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition,”(41) and ambition in this time period was not looked upon as a good trait. Macbeth is very hesitant about killing the king, and if it wasn’t for Lady Macbeth he probably wouldn’t have gone through with it. Lady Macbeth is the person who is able to persuade Macbeth into killing Duncan, assuring her husband that he will succeed with the murder. Lady Macbeth’s ambition is greater than Macbeth’s, and it shows when she receives the letter from him. Right after she reads it, she goes and talks to “the spirits” to make herself evil. She
Megan Groleau
Period 2
English 29
Mr. Donarum
Is there such thing as a perfect human, someone who has no flaws what so ever, they have impeccable physical ability, and great intelligence, can make the right decisions every time, they can restrain themselves from the most tempting situations, and have not one ounce of arrogance, selfishness, or greed in them? No, it is not possible. Everybody who is mortal has at least one poor trait in them, at least one flaw. Nobody is perfect, and we learn that very early in our lives. Sometimes people’s negative characteristics can end up getting the best of them, like King Henry VIII of England and Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in which both of their uttermost ambition resulted with a downfall. As the play opens, we see Macbeth as a strong solider who is loyal to his king and fights with no mercy, but he soon gets corrupted by the witches prophecies that sparked his ruthless ambition. The witches told him that he will be named the Thane of Cawdor and then king, and soon after the first prophecy comes true. Macbeth is made Thane of Cawdor because of his valiant efforts in the war, and when he tells his wife about the weird sisters and what had happened her strong will easily influences him to kill Duncan. Macbeth’s wanting to become King was the first demonstration of his ambition, he even says, “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition,”(41) and ambition in this time period was not looked upon as a good trait. Macbeth is very hesitant about killing the king, and if it wasn’t for Lady Macbeth he probably wouldn’t have gone through with it. Lady Macbeth is the person who is able to persuade Macbeth into killing Duncan, assuring her husband that he will succeed with the murder. Lady Macbeth’s ambition is greater than Macbeth’s, and it shows when she receives the letter from him. Right after she reads it, she goes and talks to “the spirits” to make herself evil. She
Cited: Dwyer, Frank. Henry VIII New York: Chelsea house publishers, 1988 “Henry VIII.” World Book Encyclopedia. 2001 ed. “Henry VIII of England.” Wikipedia Online Encyclopedia 11 February 2006. Wikipedia. 9 February 2006. Macdonald, Alan. Henry VIII And His Chopping Block. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1999 Morrison, N. Brysson. The Private Life Of Henry VIII. New York:Vanguard Press, 1966 Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992