Similarities And Similarities Between Okonkwo And Macbeth

The stories of Okonkwo in Chinua Achebe’s Things fall Apart and Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Macbeth may seem to have no relations with one another. However, there are a multitude of similarities and parallels between these two men. The tragic flaws of the two cause their demise. Okonkwo as well as Macbeth can be identified as tragic heroes due to both men suffering from tragic flaws; however, their similarity of being tragic heroes diverge due to both men having different motivational factors that were instilled by their experiences.

In both instances the external environment along with the personalities of the characters formed their tragic flaws. Okonkwo’s tragic flaw was created because he did not want to become anything similar to his father. Okonkwo longed to become the

His father was the exact opposite of what the Igbo people stand for. Unoka, Okonkwo’s father, is a “coward [who] could not bear the sight of blood” (Achebe 6). In turn, Okonkwo became a ruthless warrior who was known across the different tribes. The worst aspect of Unoka is that he was considered to be a failure. This caused Okonkwo “even as a little boy [to resent] his father’s failure” (13). By wanting to represent the polar opposite of his father, Okonkwo’s drive to become the ideal man caused him to create his tragic flaw. Meanwhile Macbeth is a fearless warrior known for violence, much like Okonkwo. Macbeth’s tragedy came when he heard the witches prophecy. The witches told Macbeth that he would become “thane of Cawdor” (Shakespeare I.III.49) and praised to him “hail Macbeth, that shalt become king hereafter”