Macbeth vs Hamlet

Both Hamlet and Macbeth (the plays) are considered tragedies and both main characters are considered tragic heroes so you might begin there with your comparison. One of Hamlet’s problems in the play is that he takes a long time to seek the revenge he promised his father’s ghost that he would seek. He tends to overthink matters. Macbeth, on the other hand, tends to act very quickly and rashly. Hamlet is a generally likeable character and dies a heroic death having finally fulfilled the promise to his father’s ghost.

Macbeth however, dies a far less noble death as he is considered a murderous tyrant by the end of the play. I suggest that you follow the links below for further help. One way of looking at it is through the lens of honor. Both Macbeth and Hamlet fight and ultimately are killed, but only one is honorable– Hamlet. While Macbeth kills many people in pursuit of becoming King, Hamlet delays killing his Uncle because of philosophical concerns and doubts about what is the right thing to do and how to do it.

Hamlet finally is able to avenge his father’s death, but dies honorably in the process. In contrast, Macbeth also dies, and although he does die in battle on the battlefield it can not be called an honorable death as he has caused the deaths of so many other people purely for his own potential benefit. One thing they have in common is that their journeys, both of which end in blood and death, start with something mystical– Hamlet with the ghost of his father, and Macbeth with the witches.

There are so many ways to contrast the characters! Both Hamlet and Macbeth have characters who appear to have a mental breakdown. However, Hamlet is acting the part to deceive Claudius, while Macbeth has truly gone mad in his lust for power. Macbeth and Hamlet are different in many of their characteristics as people. Macbeth is very war orriented and wants to rule everything that he touches while Hamlet is very calm, artistic and sensitive (you can see this by the way he handles his fathers death and by the way he handles his emotions).

You could say that Macbeth and Hamlet are on opposite ends of the good/evil spectrum. Hamlet is very much on the good side as he is trying to make right what his uncle has spoiled and unveil the wrongdoing he has done. Macbeth on the other hand is the one who has done the wrongdoing and is trying to remain in power as king while McDuff is trying to put it right. Neither of them are able to survive at the end of the play. Hamlet and Macbeth are both murdered because they are trying to, in their minds, put the right king on the thrown.

Macbeth and Hamlet are similar in their halucinations. Both see the ghost of a dead king that brings on important plot movement. Hamlet sees his father who was killed by his uncle and Macbeth sees the king whom he/Lady Macbeth killed. Thesis: Shakespeare used the same definition of tragedy when he wrote Macbeth, and when he wrote Hamlet; Shakespearean tragedies use supernatural incidents to intrigue the reader’s interest, and his plays consist of a hero that has a tragic flaw (sometimes the want for the supernatural) which causes him to make a fatal mistake.