Macbeth Connection (Troy)

By: In many ways, William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth compares to George Orwell's novel, Animal Farm.  One of the main ways they connect is how both Macbeth and Napoleon the pig gain power, which is through violence.  Macbeth kills Duncan in order to become the next King of Cawdor; furthermore, Napoleon uses dogs as his "minions" to drive the other pig, Snowball, off the farm so that he is the sole ruler.  Also, both rulers have people close to them to help make their actions seem reasonable.  For example, in the banquet scene of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth calmly tells the guests that Macbeth's mental breakdown is a result of an illness and thus, the people at the banquet sympathize for him.  In Animal Farm, Squealer, a representative of Napoleon who talks to the other animals, justifies Napoleon's selfish actions by saying that his actions benefit all animals on the farm.  If questioned anymore, Squealer reminds whoever it is that Napoleon led the revolt against the farmer.  Finally, both Macbeth and Napoleon completely change in personality when their power is cemented.  Macbeth, whom previously felt remorse for killing Duncan, eventually does not hold back in killing innocent people who question him or his actions.  Napoleon changes his personality and symbolically turns into a human after he pampers himself by sleeping in the farmer's bed and drinking whiskey.  Napoleon's human identity is clear at the end of the novel when he declares himself an ally with the other human farmers.  Ultimately though, we can see Macbeth's downfall by the end of the play; however, in Animal Farm, Napoleon continues to stay in power.

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 25, 2018 at 1:26 PM

    Napoleon does have a very close connection to Macbeth, especially with being innocent before power, and becoming corrupt afterwards. You could also talk about how the other animals on the farm were dissatisfied with Napoleon's "rule," just as the people were dissatisfied with Macbeth's rule.

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  2. AnonymousFebruary 25, 2018 at 6:05 PM

    I like how you also acknowledge the difference in the endings of the book. The comparison between Lady Macbeth and Squealer drives the point of loyalty. The connection of power that you make is strong. This was a really good post; it would be even better if you just went into more detail about how power changes both characters personalities.

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