For this blog post, the
character from Macbeth that I will be
choosing recommendations for is Macbeth.
#1: House of Cards:
This is perhaps the
most obvious show choice for Macbeth. In fact, I would not be surprised if the
writers of this show directly modeled a majority of their plotline after Macbeth. In House of Cards, Kevin Spacey plays Frank Underwood, a southern
congressman from South Carolina who is willing to do whatever it takes to gain
power for himself. At the beginning of the show, Frank holds the position of
House Whip, which grants him an important, but lowly level of power within
government. After being passed up by the presidential administration to be
Secretary of State, Frank goes on a path of diabolical political maneuvering in
order to achieve the level of power he so desperately longed for. This political
maneuvering ends with him in the greatest position of power available: the
President of the United States.
House of Cards would
be a must-watch for Macbeth because Frank Underwood is the embodiment of him.
Frank wants nothing more than to reach the highest level of power possible, the
presidency, just as Macbeth wants to become king. Another parallel between the
two characters is their wives, which both play an important role within their
lives by being strong, assertive women and largely influential factors. Also,
both Frank and Macbeth are not above committing the act of murder in order to
achieve what they want. Since the two men are so similar to one another,
Macbeth could not resist watching House
of Cards.
#2: J. Edgar:
J. Edgar is
the story of J. Edgar Hoover and his rise to director of the FBI. In J. Edgar, Hoover’s career, which is
depicted by Leonardo DiCaprio, is shown from his days as a lowly agent and
transitions throughout time as he grows to become the direction of the FBI. In
the movie, Hoover is shown to be a man who is largely haunted by personal
demons. He is shown to be a narcissist, as he takes credit for acts of heroism
that he did not do, and also lies to himself about being homosexual, a combination
of which causes him to be emotionally unstable at times. In his reign as the
longest serving FBI Director, Hoover accumulates a “black book” in order to
blackmail political opponents and remain in power. Most famously, the film
accuses that he illegally recorded the affair of President Kennedy and Marilyn
Monroe, but also had files on the transgressions of all U.S. presidents.
Macbeth would enjoy
watching J. Edgar because it would be
reflective on his own personality. Hoover’s emotionally instability, caused by
his narcissism and inability to come to terms with his homosexuality, would be
matched by Macbeth’s distress over murdering King Duncan and Banquo. Also,
Macbeth would enjoy Hoover’s political maneuverings, as the dishonesty of them
would match his own actions of murdering King Duncan.
#3: Wolf of Wall
Street:
In Wolf of Wall Street, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jordan Belford, an
alpha male who only cares about one thing: gaining money and the power that is
associated with it. In the movie, Belford starts off as an honest man who only
cares about providing for him and his wife. However, as the movie progresses, a
series of bad decision lead to Belford’s corruption. While for a time he has
everything he wants, his destructive personality leads to him losing everything
that he holds dear.
This film is a recommendation
for Macbeth because Belford’s life is similar to Macbeth’s own. Both started
off with humble beginnings, but due to their love of power and bad decisions
end up with nothing. Macbeth would also enjoy viewing Belford’s alpha-male
personality, as it would be similar to his own.
#4: Narcos:
The show Narcos, follows the rise to and fall
from power of Colombian drug dealer Pablo Escobar. The series starts with
Escobar’s formation of the Medellin Cartel, and shows how the drug dealer
became one of the most powerful men in Colombia. In the show, Escobar has to
deal with rival drug cartels and the nuisance of the Colombian and American governments.
His personality can be summed up in his famous saying “plato o pomo”, which
means silver or lead. This means that people could either accept his money or
die.
Macbeth would like
watching this show because it closely mirrors his own life. Escobar caused his
own downfall through a series of bad decision, mostly surrounding killing many
innocent people. Macbeth was similar to this in the way that he brought his
downfall upon himself through killing Duncan, Macduff’s family, and Banquo.
Also, both men are obsessed with power, as Escobar dreamed of controlling
Colombia, and Macbeth with Scottland.
