Dramatic irony in Macbeth occurs when the audience has more information than the characters. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony in his book to amuse the audience and to show the level of deception developed by the main character.
Macbeth has many characteristics that relate to Kanye West. Macbeth ignored society’s laws values and betrayed people to fulfill his ambition and Kanye did the same. Some of Kanye’s songs can be related to the way Macbeth felt or what he was going through at a part of the play, ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare.
In the play, Macbeth wanted to become king and have power by killing King Duncan. Though he was supposed to be loyal to the king and be respectful. Macbeth decided to betray the king. He was told that he would become king by the three witched and that he had to be patient. However, Macbeth was able to gain power sooner. He did this by killing the king and his family, Macbeth also ended up killing his friend Banquo because he was scared of being caught after killing the king.
Kanye West has betrayed quite a few of his friends and celebrities to gain more fame. One person he recently betrayed was Drake. Drake mentioned on a show The Shop, he and Kanye met in the studio before they were going to release their albums. They played parts of their songs for each other and Kanye wanted to take Drake to Wyoming, so Drake went.
Drake went on saying that most of the time he was helping Kanye with his music instead of working on his own music. They also talked about personal things and what some of their songs on the album mean a few days later the news about Drake’s son, which he told Drake about, was out along with Kanye’s release date for his album, which was close to Drake’s album Scorpion. Kanye also humiliated Taylor Swift during the Video Music Awards in 2009. Kanye interrupted her while she was giving her speech after receiving an award by going on the stage. Kanye said that Beyonce deserved the award more than her, embarrassing her.
A song by Kanye that relates to Macbeth is ‘Power’. Macbeth chose the unforgiving route to attain his authority. “Reality is catchin’ up with me, takin’ my inner child, I’m fighting for it, custody, with these responsibilities that they entrusted me, as I look down at my diamond encrusted piece, thinkin’, no one man should have all that power, the clock’s tickin’, I just count the hours, stop trippin’, I’m trippin’ off the power ‘Til then, f*ck that, the world’s ours.” In the song, Kanye talks about the burden of power, expressing the glory and its danger. Both Kanye and Macbeth represent how power is desirable but consuming, they also show how power has its desructive side-effects.
Dramatic irony occurs when Macbeth and the lords await the arrival of Banquo. Macbeth already has information about his murder. The audience is aware of Macbeth’s actions, but the characters are deceived. Macbeth says, “I drink to the general joy o’ the whole table, and to our friend Banquo, whom we miss, would he were here, I to all, and him, we thirst” (Shakespeare 39). He expresses how he anticipates the arrival of Banquo when he has been told by the first murderer about his death.
In Act IV scene 1, when Macbeth visits the witches and asks them about the prophecy. The witches plan to trick Macbeth into a fabricated sense of security, this scene convinces Macbeth that he is actually unbeatable. The song ‘Power’ by Kanye is a fitting song for Act IV. In Act IV Macbeth learns from the witches that he is unstoppable, or so he thinks.
He is told “…for none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth,” (IV.i.80-81). From this Macbeth feels less vulnerable, because he thinks no man can exist that isn’t born of a woman. The way Macbeth feels in this part of Act IV is how Kanye wants his listeners to feel when they listen to his song.
One more instance of dramatic irony is when Macbeth speaks to Banquo’s ghost, and the guests consider him a disturbed man. They claim he needs to be left alone. The characters are not aware, as much as the audience, that Banquo’s ghost is in their midst (Shakespeare 38).
Macbeth has many characteristics that relate to Kanye West. They both ignored society and betrayed many people to gain more fame. They both want power and want to feel unstoppable and will do what it takes to get it. Macbeth did this by killing the king and his family, he also ended up killing his friend Banquo because he was scared of being caught after killing the king. Kanye humiliated Taylor Swift by interrupting her while she was receiving an award at an award show.
