Macbeth: The Effects Of Selfishness And False Heroism

Beowulf and Macbeth both show effects of selfishness and false heroism. Macbeth shows both in a more obvious manner while Beowulf shows it more realistically when compared to normal human nature. They both show the destruction that selfishness causes as well how it can cause immense guilt.

Macbeth is outwardly selfish. He never pretends to not be ambitious, if anything he doesn't hide it because other characters like Lady Macbeth encourage his selfishness. After the witches prophecy he actually second guessed himself before needing to murder. Lady Macbeth however mocked him for wanting to back out. After this he is committed to becoming king, and he sacrifices too much to back out. He eventually became obsessed with his mission himself and was selfish purely for himself.

Beowulf similarly was also selfish. Beowulf tried to be a hero, however this was not his priority. He looked for glory and fame which gave him a big head

It however is not shown in the same way. Since Beowulf is seen as someone coming to save the town he is obviously seen as a stereotypical hero. He tries to save the not as capable like every other story hero, they kill the dragon to save the town, or fight the villain to get what is theirs. He looks to be doing the right thing. The heroism however is false because of his intentions. He never prioritized the people but instead how they saw him, he cared about their perception. Even when he was warned about pride and fame by Hothgar he did not prioritize not becoming those traits. Later this caused him to be conceited by insisting on fighting the dragon alone by himself even though he was old and had not fought in many years. Macbeth also shows false heroism. At the beginning of the story Macbeth had defeated the Thane of Cowdor. He was seen as a hero with good qualities. This however does not last as he becomes self absorbed and who once was a noble man became a disgusting