Macbeth was an older, wiser man who had had years of experience in a range of activities from politics to war. When he planned to murder the king, he knew exactly what type of action he was about to take, and what the consequences would be. Yet in spite of (or maybe due to) this knowledge, Macbeth acted very rashly and foolishly, and did not take the time to use his great wisdom for his benefit. He also wanted to avoid killing the king, and did not have the courage to go through with his plan until his wife scolded and insulted him. Hamlet on the other hand did not really know what he was getting into. He was much younger, and it seemed he had lived more of a protected life (he was a student, not a politician or a soldier.) I believe it was because of this naivety that Hamlet seemed very committed to the actions he was going about to take but still feared the repercussions, because he did not know what they might be. Despite his lack of experience in covert assassinations, Hamlet did not act very foolishly. He feigned insanity, thereby causing everybody in his way to let his or her guard down. However in the end, neither Hamlet nor Macbeth was wise enough to prevent his own demise.
Macbeth's tragic flaw was that he was a seemingly good man who entertained thoughts of grandeur to the point where he decided he deserved such greatness. He allowed his greed to manifest itself in the upper tiers of his mind instead of pushing it back like he had before. When he took this avarice to the point of murder, it snowballed out of control down a hill that ultimately ended with him dead. Hamlet's flaw on the other hand was even more tragic, because it was perhaps "the right thing to do." Hamlet let his lust for vengeance go too far though and it blinded him to the dangers that were lurking around him. By rashly killing Polonius, he showed his hand too soon, and made an enemy of Laertes, the man who ultimately killed him.
Although there are many differences in both plays, Shakespeare used the same elements of tragedy. Most of his tragedies can be easily compared , especially Macbeth and Hamlet. These particular Shakespearean tragedies use supernatural incidents to intrigue the reader's interest. Macbeth immediately started with a supernatural scene. The three witches set the somber and evil tone of the plot by prophesizing that Macbeth would be the Thane of Cawdor, and then later become king. In Hamlet, Shakespeare also presented a supernatural occurrence close to the opening scenes. The ghost of Hamlet's father presented itself to Hamlet with a chilling story about Claudius (the successor of the late King Hamlet) killing him and instructs hamlet to seek revenge for his death. In both situations, the tragic characters were not sure whether the spirits were good or evil.
Hamlet and Macbeth both feature power, gluttony, revenge, death, aspiration, and that appearances can be deceiving. Greed and ambition are both apparent in Macbeth When the protagonist’s prophecies were revealed to him its apparent that he was not satisfied. Macbeth went to great lengths to make sure that his power lasted longer then it should have. In Hamlet, Claudius is the entire reason the story is even told. His ambition to become king was overcome by greed. He wanted everything and he was not willing to let anything stand in his way. Throughout Hamlet, things seem to be true and honest but in reality they are not. King Claudius, Polonius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern are portrayed to be hiding behind masks of falsehood. They all appear to be sincere people but they are tremendously sinister. Throughout the play Polonius tries to keep up the illusion of a loving and caring person; While he repeatedly lies, and eavesdrops on private conversations. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern also exceedingly lie to Hamlet convincing him they were his loyal friends. When in reality they were just spying on him for the sake of the king. Claudius always conceals his true self around Hamlet, Gertrude, and almost anyone who comes within his presence. Macbeth and Claudius both let greed destroy them.
The presence of supernatural beings lead to the final downfall of each of the characters. In Macbeth, the three witches caused him to convey evil thoughts and carry out evil deeds. While in Hamlet on the other hand, if he had not seen the ghost of his father, he would not have known that the reigning king murdered his own brother to gain the throne.
Macbeth, most likely was the last-written of the four great Shakespearian tragedies. In my opinion Shakespeare's final style appears for the first time completely formed, and the transition to this style is much more decidedly visible in Macbeth than in Hamlet. Yet in certain respects Macbeth recalls Hamlet. In both plays the heroes’ transit from thought to critical resolution and action is difficult, and excites the keenest interest. The particular popularity of Hamlet and Macbeth is due in part to some of these common characteristics, especially to the fascination of the supernatural, the absence of the spectacle of extreme undeserved suffering, the absence of characters which horrify and repel and yet are destitute of majesty. The reader who looks reluctantly at Iago gazes at Lady Macbeth in awe, because though she is dreadful she is also morally worthy. The whole tragedy is inspirational. Macbeth makes an impression quite different from that of Hamlet. The dimensions of the principal characters, the rate of movement in the action, the supernatural effects, the style, the versification, are changed; and they are all changed in the same manner. In many parts of Macbeth there is a peculiar compression, significance, energy, even violence in the language; it posses a harmonious grace , often conspicuous in Hamlet as well.
