Macbeth vs. SatanHow can two authors write stories almost half a century apart from each other in which the characters have comparable qualities? William Shakespeare and John Milton wrote a play and a poem respectively in which two characters share qualities. These characters are Macbeth from Macbeth and Satan from Paradise Lost. Despite the similarities between the characters of Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth and Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost, which include their strong will, pride, and insatiable greed, they have qualities that set them apart. Their differences concern Macbeth's general righteousness, human characteristics, and control of destiny. Satan, on the other hand, is evil, superhuman, and acts of his own free will. Shakespeare's Macbeth and Milton's Satan share some similar qualities. These include willpower, overconfidence, and ambition, although they show this in different ways. Macbeth's determination is seen in his reluctance to accept defeat from Macduff and Malcolm in Act 5 Scene 8: "I will not surrender...though Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane and you oppose, bei...
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