Kim+and+Surge+-+Macbeth

=  Macbeth and Richard Nixon = ==Macbeth, [|Shakespeare’s] dynamic, power hungry, and ambitious king hereafter can best be compared to America’s 37th president, Richard Nixon. Both men were essentially consumed by their own ambitious morals which in turn destroyed their life goals and made them weaker than they were in the beginning==

of their journey.
==Macbeth, whose power craving increased with every prophecy the witches hailed to him, ended up killing his way to the top supremacy, coached by an incredibly ambitious woman who is desperately searching for position, and desire.==

"All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter" (1.3.53).
==With this respect Macbeth is ideally portrayed through Richard Nixon. Richard Nixon became the president during the[| Vietnam War] and found himself in a crucial period of American history. His ambition to do==

[[image:ambition.jpg width="272" height="250" align="left"]]
==great things with the country his so deeply cherished caused him to take part in covert operations, that would benefit him with information about the opposing Democratic side. President Nixon was incapable of accepting the thought of ever losing power, and his ambition, like that of Macbeth, was the fuel for his decision to take part in [|Watergate]. Eventually, both Macbeth and Nixon are unfortunately exposed to the bitter truth, and their goals are==

collapsed right in front of their eyes.
==Richard Nixon resigned from office of the United States on August 9th, 1974. He was the first president in history to do so. This is what separates Nixon from every other ambitious leader the world has seen and simply narrows the scope over Macbeth. There is a such thing as good ambition, one that leads to a brighter and successful future. However, the reason Macbeth and Nixon blend so well is because their respective situations aroused the same kind of ambition, and this same ambition also lead to the same dark road at the end of the tunnel, for both men.== ==Furthermore, both Macbeth and Nixon share the concept of fighting for top position. Neither Macbeth nor Nixon were at first in any position to inherit power. They both had to shape their ambition to effectively take over what they wanted to achieve. Nixon had a lot riding on his back to a fragile American population who demanded outstanding leadership through strange times. Essentially, Nixon almost wanted to do too much, and made a mistake for the most part by taking part in the Vietnam War. It is believed that because Nixon was the first president to follow [|JFK], he subconsciously felt like he had a greater responsibility, which explains his desire to know everything about everything. This could be because he fought through so much to get where he was, that he just tried too hard and let his ambition take the best of him. Macbeth was also originally in no place to inherit any power. In his case, he killed everything in his path or anything potentially in his path to get to the top. Just like Nixon, his ambition got the best of him, and he created too much attention to himself, and was murdered. Lastly, both Macbeth and Nixon share a military connection that they were part of before their respective periods of power.==

Duncan is noting Macbeth losing his power as Thane of Cawdor.
==Another similarity that can be found between past president Richard Nixon and Shakespeare’s Macbeth is that they both act in secretive manners. Not only did Nixon secretly wire tap and invade the privacy of his opposing party, but he also escalated the conflict in the Vietnam War by overseeing [|secret bombing campaigns](Secret Bombing). Just in this same way, Macbeth killed King Duncan with no one except for his wife, Lady Macbeth, knowing. Then later in the play he also killed Banquo, this time in complete secrecy.== ==When Macbeth was initially introduced to the viewer, he was showed as a loved and renowned man of battle. When he first becomes king, this feeling of respect is still present in his people. When Macbeth is found out for being a murderer and a traitor, his people turn against him. Macduff, one that used to admire Macbeth, goes to the extent of going the whole way to England to organize an army against Macbeth. These feelings of respect and honor were like those present when Nixon became reelected in 1972. He won this election by a landslide, showing his obvious support (Nixon takes second term by landslide). When the people of America found out about his involvement in the Watergate Scandal though, retracted their appreciation for him.== ==In the play, the Thane of Cawdor, Macdonald, turns against King Duncan and Scotland as a whole. Macbeth fights Macdonald and his troops, and being victorious, is considered a hero. Because he opposes a traitor, he is considered patriotic and this is how he gains respect at the beginning of the play. Similarly, Nixon gained attention which he later used to gain support when one of Franklin D. Roosevelt's advisor's by the name of Alger Hiss was suspected to be a Soviet spy. This put Nixon in the spotlight, and like Macbeth, made him seem extremely patriot and loyal to his country. This made Nixon a hero to many Americans, giving him more power and attention, just like Macbeth's opposition of Macdonald gave him.==