Heart of Darkness versus MacBeth Essay - 1677 Words

Heart of Darkness and MacBeth Joseph Conrad and William Shakespeare are not traditionally paired up for a critical analysis. However, the characters MacBeth and Kurtz in MacBeth and Heart of Darkness, respectively, prove to be worthy of comparison. MacBeth and Kurtz share many common characteristics: both have vaulting ambition that leads both to their success and their demise, a superiority complex, and both make similar sacrifices to achieve their goal. Despite their many similarities, MacBeth and Kurtz differ in many respects. The way the authors present each character varies greatly, and the way each interacts with his surroundings contrast a great deal. The circumstances that follow their actions also†¦show more content†¦He puts such confidence in the three Weird Sisters that he can’t even see that their evilness is leading him down the wrong path. His appointment to Thane of Cawdor makes him believe that he is better than anyone else, even Duncan. Why should he be more qualified for th e position of king that any one of Duncan’s other trusted comrades? The truth is that he isn’t; He only believes himself to be. This superiority complex cannot be illustrated better than through Kurtz. Not only does he believe himself to be higher than God, he actually thinks of himself as a god. The way the natives worship him and how the chiefs . . . would crawl (Conrad, 133) to him are examples of the way he tricked the ignorant natives into thinking of him as a god. They carried him around on a stretcher and just adored him even though he forced them to get ivory and punished them harshly. Because of his powerful position and because he truly believed that he was in many ways better than everyone else, Kurtz was able to convince everyone he came in contact with of this theory of his god-like stature. Both men thought of themselves as superior because of the titles and duties earned from their evil and cheated ambition. MacBeth and Kurtz’s evil ambition and f eelings of superiority lead to their downfall. Both men followShow MoreRelatedFalse Appearances in Macbeth 895 Words   |  4 PagesDarkness, fear, mayhem, guilt and hypocrisy are all important themes which are carried throughout the play. The use of imagery in reference to blood, light versus dark, false appearance and disease reinforce these themes. The imagery appears to tiptoe through every scene to create a malevolent atmosphere of shame and false pretence. One of the key themes in the play that was reinforced and highlighted by the use of imagery was false appearance. The use of imagery to portray false appearance canRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Macbeth - The Age Old Battle Of Good Versus Evil992 Words   |  4 Pagesbattle of good versus evil. It is both day and night; light and darkness. Blood is shown throughout William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and plays a key role in the building of the story’s conflicts. 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