Similarities Between Macbeth And The Great Gatsby

William Shakespeare's Macbeth and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby both include icons who are deceived by ambition and greed throughout these stories. Macbeth, a kinsman with a substantial endeavour for status and power suffers significant setbacks and a depressing defeat. Similar to Gatsby, who let his desire for money and lust for the affluent in wealth rule his aspirations before losing everything in the most painful manner possible. The authors convey this message by basing the plot on genuine occasions and outcomes. Both these tragic heroes are to blame themselves and their interests for such a treacherous end to their infatuations and for pursuing the inconceivable.

One of the main similarities between Macbeth and Gatsby

Macbeth is driven by his ambition to become king and murders his closest friends such as King Duncan and several others to secure his position. “I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself And falls on th’other” (1.7.25). Similarly, Gatsby’s ambition leads him to implicate illegal liquor businesses which were merely for a wealthy individual, and in doing so, he risked his own life to protect her since his aim was an obsession with wealth as he says “‘Her voice is full of money,’” (Fitzgerlad, 128). He amasses a fortune through illegal means, in order to become a man of wealth and status that he believes will make him worthy of Daisy by throwing lavish parties in hopes that Daisy will attend one of them, and even goes so far as to buy the house next to hers in order to be close to her. Gatsby's ambition to win Daisy back causes him to neglect his own well-being and he ultimately dies in pursuit of this goal. Both characters are willing to go to great lengths to achieve their goals and are willing to sacrifice their morals and integrity in the

The Main differences are in their level of guilt and remorse. Macbeth's ambition ultimately destroys him by causing him to lose sight of his morals and values, and become increasingly isolated, paranoid, delusional and detached from reality. “I pull in resolution and begin To doubt th' equivocation of the fiend That lies like truth” (5.5.45). All these factors lead to his downfall, as he becomes consumed by guilt and paranoia and eventually meets his demise. Gatsby. on the other hand, never truly takes responsibility for his actions and continues to believe that his love for Daisy will save him. "He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him" (Fitzgerald, 193). Gatsby's actions lead to his tragic end, but he dies with a sense of honour and dignity, having sacrificed himself to protect Daisy from the crime she committed so Tom may not hurt or accuse Daisy of such an