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Comparing Macbeth By William Shakespeare And The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

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There are many similarities between the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare and the short story ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ written by Edgar Allan Poe. In the play Macbeth, the protagonist makes many bad choices by killing a lot of people. Those choices end up destroying him. Likewise, in ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ a madman, who thinks he is not mad, kills the old man he is working for. He tries to cover it up but the guilt is too much for him, much like Macbeth. Both pieces of literature portray the power of guilt by showing how the characters deteriorate from the actions that have committed. For example how Macbeth starts to see the ghost of Banquo, his loyal friend whom he orders to be killed. ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ and Macbeth show how evil

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