Similarities Between Macbeth And A Simple Plan

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy, and as with all tragedies the plot often becomes convoluted or complicated through a ‘snowballing action’. This is a series of unfortunate events whereby things go terribly wrong and therefore leads the plot to a tragic conclusion. The film A Simple Plan, directed by Sam Raimi, follows a similar plotline to Macbeth, and can also be referred to as a tragedy. In both stories the protagonists are faced with consequences one after the other, due to one poor decision. Hank is torn between keeping 4 million dollars he finds in the woods, and Macbeth contemplates the murder of King Duncan. For both of them it’s tunnel vision- they do not see the repercussions, they simply see their success in the end result.

Macbeth is overjoyed when the witches announce “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter”, the same way Hank is thrilled to find an unexpected fortune that was abandoned in the forest. At this point in both stories, both characters are still pure and ethical so they remain safe. The snowballing action begins when these men forget the moral factors of the situation because of their craving for power. Hank and Macbeth are not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds however their deep desire for wealth, power, and advancement prove us otherwise. When Hank creates the “simple plan” and chooses to devise the money it amongst his friends, he believes that he will be able to follow through with it. Unfortunately his plan goes way off course, and he is forced to kill several innocent people simply out of the fear of being caught. Macbeth similarly had to face a lot of guilt following Duncan’s murder, all as a result of a bad decision. Towards the end of both stories we see both men in similar settings to the beginning scenes but their attitudes and emotions are the polar