Pride in Macbeth and Death of a Salesman Essay example

Pride in Macbeth and Death of a Salesman Any great accomplishment can make someone feel proud about their work. It makes one feel good; it raises a persons spirits. No question, pride has its good points. (The Toronto Star, Nov 1999) Then again, there are also the bad points of pride one must consider, before being proud. Pride can deceive a person into being ambitious, and make them strive for something that is not rightfully theirs. Both Macbeth and Willy encountered this problem. Pride can also cause a bad relationship with the people one loves most. For Macbeth and Willy, their relationships with their families were burdened as a consequence of this pride. Pride can lead to much worse things; it can put a person in a†¦show more content†¦Ben offered Willy the chance to go to Alaska to run a logging company, but because of that one compliment, and his pride causing him to embellish, he told his brother he could not go because he was building something with this firm. (Death of a Salesman, Pg. 85) Willy s pride exaggerated that one compliment from his boss, Old Man Wagner, ridiculously, making him yearn for the wrong goal. Instead of staying in New York, Willy should have gone to Alaska with his brother. Macbeth, after being crowned Thane of Cawdor, thinks to himself Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor. The greatest is [to come] (Macbeth, Act 1, Sc. 3, ll. 117-118) Even with all he has accomplished, Macbeths pride makes him want more. Both Willys and Macbeths pride caused them to be ambitious. Second, in each play, both characters pride caused undue hardship and stress on their relationships with their families. Willy had big hopes for his son Biff. He dreamed of him becoming a football superstar saying to his friend Charley Theyll be calling him another Red Grange. Twenty-five thousand a year. (Death of a Salesman, Pg. 89) Willy had done this to Biff all his life. Because of these high hopes, when he did not succeed, Biff believed he had failed, which made him feel terrible. He eventually realized [hes] a dime a dozen, and so is [Willy] (Death of a Salesman, Pg. 132) This infuriate Willy, and he exclaimedShow MoreRelatedEssay on Death of a Salesman: Tragic but Not a Tragedy1360 Words   |  6 PagesDeath of a Salesman: Tragic but Not a Tragedy Though a more modern version of tragedy in its’ classical sense, Death of a Salesman in many ways is very much like an ancient Greek play. In his ‘Poetics’ Aristotle tries to set out the common ideas throughout tragedy, attempting to demystify the necessary elements for such plays. One of his main ideas was that of the ‘Three Unities’ - that of Space, that of Time and that of Action. He stated that all the action of a tragedy must occur inRead MoreEssay Death of a Salesman, Tragic Hero. 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