Comparison of Temptation in Macbeth and A Simple Plan

William Shakespeare once stated, â€Å"Temptation is the fire that brings up the scum of the heart.†(William Shakespeare) Although slightly bleak, many works of art have this similar idea. Through this, similarities are found concerning aspects of each work. Differences occur in the protagonist’s own personal journey on the path of temptation. Undeniably, this parallel is found within William Shakespeare’s own infamous play, Macbeth and the two-time Oscar- winning film, A Simple Plan. Macbeth is fighting for the honor of kingship even though he is not liable to inherit the crown and only becomes acquainted with the idea through a prophecy of three witches. Hank Mitchell, the protagonist of the movie, is presented with 4.4 million dollars in an†¦show more content†¦Heedless and slightly more arrogant Macbeth uses the three witches’ prophetic statements that he cannot be harmed proved to be his disadvantage. Perhaps ignorance is why in the end Macdu ff detects Macbeth’s scheme. According to the witches’ statement, Macbeth cannot be harmed by any man born of a woman. Macduff defies this statement by being born of c-section and not traditional birth. Hank also demonstrates to be ignorant. For some reason, he is coaxed into thinking that if he moves away with the money, no one can ever find out. When the â€Å"F.B.I† agent shows up about a missing plane, Hank finds out he is the brother of the pilot and the plane was delivering ransom money. The money was marked and therefore, unusable. The ending scene is Hank burning the money. Despite the temptation, Hank and Macbeth could have still lived average lives but decided to let greed overcome them and ended up losing it all in the end anyway. Although Macbeth and A Simple Plan contain similarities in their stories, they each have differences in various aspects. Hank and Macbeth experienced a change of character for different reasons. Macbeth is thinking of his own self more than anyone else. With him receiving crown will give him majority of all power. Although his wife will serve as queen and have joint rule, Macbeth’s reign would always succeed. He ignores his wife when she advises him to just to glorify in his new crown and stop all the murdering. Yet Macbeth appears to beShow MoreRelatedEssay A Comparison of Macbeth and Hamlet2672 Words   |  11 PagesA Comparison of Macbeth and Hamlet MACBETH stands in contrast throughout with Hamlet; in the manner of opening more especially. In the latter, there is a gradual ascent from the simplest forms of conversation to the language of impassioned intellect,—yet