The Ambition of Hitler and Macbeth

When one is ambitious in gaining power by the force of evil or by the used of violence, there is no stopping this one from what he or she is going to do. This is one of the moral ethical of humanity, something that every human being must suffer during their time of existence. It is also what William Shakespeare tried to show humanity that being ambitious will never bring any good to one person nor will it give happiness to one person. During the time of Shakespeare, the time of the Renaissance, many dukes, lords, thanes, monarch, and commoners were ambitious in gaining power. They all slew each other, even their own bloodline to gain power over the other. Shakespeare then wrote a play know as Macbeth, to show everyone of every class and society of how ambition can led one person from good to evil. Even in today world that there are still people that are ambitious in gaining power. Adolf Hitler, the tyrant of Germany, is very much similar to Shakespeare’s character, Macbeth. If one ever compares the two tyrants, one would thinks that they are twin brothers or that Hitler based his character off of Shakespeare’s work. Both Hitler and Macbeth are similar in many ways, their ambition for gaining power, their liking for killing people, and their triumphant and hatred amongst the people.

One of the strongest similarities of both Hitler and Macbeth are their ambition of gaining power. Both of them never had any intention of being ambition at their young ages nor when they are serving for their country. At first, Hitler was just an ordinary son of Alois Hitler and an orphan after the death of his mother. In his early years, Hitler had no intention of overruling the government or any intention of killing people; all he want to do is just to be an artist but was not successful in his career. Before becoming a tyrant, Hitler was a soldier serving for Germany. On the other hand, Macbeth is also really similar to Hitler. Macbeth, along with Banquo, his best friends, were the “captains” (I,i,37) for Scotland, under the ruler Duncan. Both Hitler and Macbeth had served for their country before becoming the ruler of their country, they both had learned and cherished the system of their country before trying to make a change to their country. While serving for his country, Hitler was known for his bravery in World War I, doing dangerous duties and sacrificing himself for the country.

Macbeth, under Duncan, was also praised by his comrades. Thanks to his devotion in defeating the Norway, Macbeth was praised as the “brave Macbeth” (I,ii,8). The only difference between Hitler and Macbeth was their reason of trying to be ambitious in gaining power. In Hitler’s view, when he was serving for Germany, he does not like the system of the German’s government and also believed that the Jews were the caused of the triumph of Germany in WWI. Because of that, Hitler wanted to rule Germany to make Germany a better country for their kind. But in Macbeth’s view, he wanted to become king because of the witches’ prediction. However, his main reason of trying to kill Duncan and rule Scotland was because of his “only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other” (I,vi,28-29). Both Hitler and Macbeth intention of trying to be dominance and a tyrant was because of their ambition for power.

After Hitler and Macbeth were able to rule their own country, their ambition was pretty much gone, except for getting rid of all the clues or anything that will stop them from being a ruler. Throughout Hitler’s time in the German’s government, Hitler believed that the Jews were the cause of the triumph of Germany. As Hitler gained popularity and fame through his organization of the Nazi, Hitler overthrew President Hindenburg and took over Germany. During his time of ruling Germany, Hitler created a holocaust which killed millions of Jews and were not yet satisfied, he even killed all those that were helping the Jews or were not of German race. It seems as if Hitler really enjoyed killing the people that were not German. Macbeth is also similar to Hitler in this concept of the liking of killing people. But unlike Hitler, Macbeth did not killed as many as Hitler and only kill those that he believed will keep him from being a successful ruler. The first one that Macbeth killed to become a successful king was Duncan but as before he killed Duncan, he said “I go, and it is done.

The bell invites me. Hear it not, Duncan, for it is knell that summons thee to heaven, or to hell” (II,i,71-73). After Macbeth had killed Duncan to get the throne of Scotland, Macbeth was still not satisfied as he went on to kill Banquo as well. But this time he did not kill Banquo himself but he said to the murderers “to leave no rubs nor botches in the work, Fleance his son, that keeps him company, whose absence is no less material to me than is his father’s, must embrace the fate of that dark hour” (III,i,149-153), as if he’s hiring the murderers to kill both Banquo and his son. As times evolved, Macbeth became more wicked as he bears himself with a mind “full of scorpions” (III,ii,37). Macbeth had become more evil and his liking to kill people had become more developed as his ambition for power became more powerful. Both Hitler and Macbeth had become the tyrants that like to kill people because of their ambition for power.

But as Shakespeare is trying to show everyone, ambition will never lead any good nor happiness to the person possessing such concept. Everyone that has a will of being ambitious will sooner or later became triumphed by another with a heart of good deed. Hitler, because of his belief in the caused of the destruction of Germany, the world all turned against him and tried to get rid of him. In the end, most of his comrades betrayed him and helped the Allies to defeat him. Instead of capturing him and execute him, Hitler committed a suicidal along with his wife because he knew that his ambition for power had went too far beyond his limit. Macbeth is somewhat similar to Hitler’s point of view. Because of his misdeed toward his comrades, they all betrayed him and his response to it was to “let them fly all” (V,iii,1) as if he wants no more news of thanes who have gone to Malcolm’s side. Also because of his ambition, Macbeth was killed by Macduff, also one of his comrade, as Macduff walked in “with Macbeth’s head” (v,viii,63-64) to see the new king of Scotland. The people were all led to the hatred of Hitler and Macbeth because of their ambition for power and also because of their misdeed.

Hitler, as a real figure, and Macbeth, as a fictional figure, were some of the best examples of tyranny, lesson of ambition, and the teaching of right and wrong. They both were really similar when it comes to ambition or evil, but when it comes to the causes or the goods of both, it is a whole different story. Macbeth and Hitler both wanted to make a change in their country and also to hold on to the power that they are having. As a matter of fact, because of these reasons, the ambition became much powerful and much more difficult to get rid of. Their ambition also led them into the liking of killing people and also to their triumphant in life as well as the hatred of people toward him.