The King and Macbeth

The plays "Oedipus the King" and "Macbeth" have surprisingly similar events that happen in each Act. The two main characters from each play face many obstacles in order to get what they most desire, yet in the end, they pay a heavy toll.

One theme that Macbeth and Oedipus both seem to take seriously is the prophecies that had been told to them from both the oracle and the three witches. The witches told Macbeth that he would become thane of Cawdor, King of Scotland and Banquo's children would become heir to the throne. Macbeth is intrigued by the possibility that he might be crowned king. Yet in order to fulfill his prophecy, he had to kill King Duncan. At first he was nervous and wasn't able to stomach the idea of killing the king whom he served, but with his wife by his side, pressuring him, he finally committed the murder. He was finally announced King of Scotland. Conversely, Oedipus heard his prophecy from an oracle, but was terrified when he heard what he was destined to do. He thought he could never kill his own father and marry his mother. So in order to escape his fate, he left Corinth. The two characters both come upon similar events, but had completely different thoughts and reactions towards them.

Later on in the play, Oedipus becomes king of Thebes after solving the riddle of the sphinx and freeing the kingdom from the curse that was bestowed upon them. He was adored by the people for his deed. Unlike Oedipus, Macbeth killed Duncan in order to become king. Duncan's children had fled Scotland, making Macbeth the monarch of the country. They both become rulers, but they had achieved this in different ways.

After the two characters became monarchs of their lands, they felt as if nothing bad were to happen to them. Macbeth had control over the people and this authority gave him the feeling of absolute power. He enjoyed his life of luxury until he saw the ghost of Banquo; a friend that he intentionally killed in order to keep his throne. After Banquo visits him, he becomes paranoid and in some sense feels threatened. Oedipus was also in the same predicament after Tiresias, the prophet, told him that he had committed the act he was trying to avoid. When Oedipus heard this, he was furious. He couldn't believe what he had been told and chose to ignore it. Tiresias told him that he was blind to the truth and couldn't accept the fact that he killed his father and married his mother. Later on Oedipus became more paranoid with each passing day and feared that everyone was out to get him.

In the very last act of each play, both Macbeth and Oedipus suffer the consequences of their actions. When Macbeth first meets the three witches, they tell him "What's foul is fair and what's