William Shakespeare is nothing if not a genius. According to Amanda Mabillard, “Shakespeare has influenced every generation of writers since his death and he continues to have an enormous impact on contemporary plays, films and poems.” He designed several classic literary works, all unique in themselves. They all have characters, plots, etc. different. But if you sit down and think about it, it's not difficult to find similarities between his pieces. In the case of Macbeth and The Tempest, there is hardly a character in one play who does not have a counterpart in the other. But I had to choose two. So for this prompt, I chose Macduff from Macbeth and Prospero from The Tempest. Macduff from Macbeth and Prospero from The Tempest can be compared and contrasted in their motivations, seeking revenge, and what they do once they gain power. Initially, Macduff from Macbeth and Prospero from The Tempest can be compared and contrasted in their motivations. In comparison, they both take steps to reciprocate what was done to them. In Macbeth, Macduff is a neutral character for most of the play. But Kendall Latryce says that "Macduff, also known as the King of Fife, becomes a very important character in the play once his family becomes involved." This is very true; Once Macbeth sees him as a threat, he has Macduff's wife and son killed. The rest of the actions he takes in the play are motivated by this. In The Tempest, Prospero was wronged by his brother Antonio. During a sea voyage, he and his daughter are thrown off a lifeboat and end up on an island. His brother then takes his place as Duke of Milan, providing his motivations. On the other hand, Macduff has reason to act more harshly today in many respects. Its themes, which often encompass more than death, love and power, are always very accessible. This is why we continue to read his work and discover things like the similarities between Macduff and Prospero. Works Cited Blazak, Spence. “The Legacy of William Shakespeare: An Age of Adaptations.” The daily Targum. Np, and Web. January 13, 2014. Curry, Walter C. “Revenge in Shakespeare.” Tobermorey.com. Np, and Web. January 13, 2014. Davidson, Arden. “Chatacter Analysis of Prospero in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.” By Arden Davidson. Np, and Web. January 13, 2014. Latryce, Kendall. “The Tragedy of Macbeth: Character Analysis: Macduff.” The Tragedy of Macbeth: Character Analysis: Macduff. Np, and Web. January 13, 2014. Mabillard, Amanda. "Shakespeare's influence on other writers." Shakespeare's influence on other writers. Np, and Web. January 12. 2014.