Blog Post #7

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.