Hamlet and Macbeth are two of William Shakespeare's most famous plays. Each of them, however, shares not only fame, but also format: both feature main characters with tragic flaws that become their demise. In the cases of Hamlet and Macbeth this flaw is madness. Whether their madness is faked or not, it plays a key role in their downfall. These characters have the capacity to be something great, but they let their madness corrupt them and drag them into chaos that only has a fatal end. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In Hamlet, Prince Hamlet seemed to be in a state of madness ever since the death of his father, King Hamlet. Although no one knows the cause of King Hamlet's death at first, but Prince Hamlet soon finds out through a conversation with the ghost of his dead father. In it, the ghost reveals to him that he was poisoned by Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. While Claudius pursued Queen Gertrude and married her soon after King Hamlet's death, the chain of events is all Hamlet needs to hear to convince himself. He promises to take revenge on his stepfather, vowing to "put an antiquated disposition" (2.1.173) so that his revenge may be accomplished. His "wild and whirling words" (1.5.137) evoke empathy from readers because one can understand his anger towards Claudius. He is "born to set things right" (2.1.191), and he will do so, regardless of the consequences. Hamlet's plan for his "antiquated nature" is to deceive all the courtiers, especially Claudius. If his plan goes as he wants, Claudius will not think that Hamlet is capable of killing him and usurping the throne. Claudius has no idea that Hamlet is capable of such a plot, nor that his murderous secret has been revealed. Yet the outside world's perception of Hamlet as mad is the result of his design; Hamlet is deciding what he wants others to think of him. Polonius, a close confidant of the king, is primarily responsible for the public's knowledge of Hamlet's madness. He lets Queen Gertrude know "that he is mad, it is true; it is true, it is a pity, / And pity, it is true, a foolish figure" (2.2.98-9). With this knowledge, the Queen goes to speak to Hamlet and decides that "Alas, he is mad" (3.4.96). While his performance is thorough, his plan begins to unravel. Polonius observes that "though this be madness, yet there is method in it" (2.2.203-04). He sees a reason behind the madness, lending credibility to Hamlet's act, but King Claudius sees nothing but suspicion in his apparent psychosis. After witnessing the meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia, Hamlet's love, he makes the decision to keep an eye on Hamlet. He knows that "madness in the great must not be overlooked" (3.2.188) and that Hamlet's madness could be dangerous to him or his precious kingdom. Everyone believes Hamlet's apparent madness, and he is starting to believe it too. His plans are falling apart and his madness controls his every move. At the end of the play, Hamlet's plan to destroy Claudius comes full circle. His numerous opportunities to kill Claudius come upon learning how Claudius tried to poison him in a planned confrontation between Hamlet and Laertes. With a quick stab of the sword, Claudius is killed and dies, along with Hamlet and Gertrude. From the beginning of the play, the reader is torn between Hamlet's true madness and the idea that he is faking madness. While Hamlet "performs", he also allows the development of a prince of anger and ardor. Whether the psychosis is true or false, Hamlet portrays the role of a madman. Macbeth's madness is different from Hamlet's, because his actions arise from an expression ofguilt. The beginning of this madness comes after the three witches predict that "beautiful is ugly and ugly is beautiful" (1.1.10). Macbeth doesn't know what their words mean for his future, but he loves the idea of ​​becoming king. He starts out as a good-natured man, like Hamlet, but allows Lady Macbeth to control his actions. As the show continues, his evil cannot subside; he finds himself trapped in a web of malice. The Macbeths' greedy plans start small, but end in bloody catastrophe. Lady Macbeth devises a plan to kill Duncan, the king, in his sleep so that her husband, Macbeth, can gain the title of king. Their plan goes through and Macbeth becomes the new king, but he can't shake off the guilt over the murder. He creates chaos in his mind and in Scotland. He tries to put on a straight face to show that his "false face must hide what the false heart knows" (2.1.82), but his guilt is starting to overwhelm him. This struggle between being the good king he could be and the evil he has become illustrates his weakness. This madness that Macbeth portrays makes him dangerous. He can't sleep, his mind becomes brutal, and his rule over Scotland becomes more insidious. He acknowledges that he has become increasingly mad, but believes that "Things that begin badly grow stronger with evil" (3.3.36). From there, his conscience has no boundaries and he kills Banquo, a Thane. He is worried that Banquo's heirs, instead of Macbeth's offspring, will become kings because of the witches' prophecy. Despite his selfish actions, he cannot escape Banquo and is haunted by his ghost. Like Hamlet, it is only he who can see the ghost, which increases his madness. He sees an imaginary dagger floating before him that is a figment of his imagination and knows that "O, full of scorpions is my mind" (3.2.38). He realizes that there is nothing he can do to change his state. He realizes that the witches' prophecies are coming true and decides to resist his fate and "fight until from [his] bones [his] flesh be cut" (5.3.33). Therefore, the play begins and ends with Macbeth's courage, but it is in the middle that the reader is confronted with his moral weakness. When he promises to fight, he does not redeem himself, but contrasts his previous madness with this physical and moral courage. Throughout the play, Macbeth allows his innocence and loyalty to be completely corrupted due to greed and madness. He loses all his friends to murder or betrayal and sinks further into madness and moral decay. Both Hamlet and Macbeth, therefore, focus on the flaw of madness. Although the characters reach their respective ends through different actions, they both let their madness influence their rash decisions. Although Hamlet's madness is feigned and Macbeth's is real, both have equally fatal ends. Hamlet admits that there were many times when "[his] brain, / Had begun the play" (5.2.32-3), but he always tried to find a refuge in his madness. Comparably, both men overcome their madness and seek to correct the damage they have caused. In Macbeth's case, he goes down fighting to show that he has recognized his mistakes and tries to improve them by dying nobly. In Hamlet's case, he recognizes the recklessness of his decision to kill Polonius and reveals this to his son Laertes. Despite everything, he ultimately avenges his father's death and allows Claudius' plan to be revealed. Even if neither of them can fully bring sanctity back into their lives, they make an effort with their final decisions. While Hamlet brings justice to his father's unfortunate death, Macbeth fights to the end so that he can "shave away the written troubles of the brain" (5.3.44). AND,.