Two Characters Destroyed by Ambition: 'Macbeth' and 'La hija del aire'

Abstract

This article compares two tragic characters destroyed by power: William Shakespeare's famous Macbeth and Pedro Calderón de la Barca's little-known Semíramis (La hija del aire). The process of ascent and fall of these two usurpers, allows us to verify the numerous connections between the two brilliant playwrights: the opposition fate/freedom, the conception of the world as theatre and the creation of masks – which makes essence and appearance indistinguishable –, the criticism of the game of politics and, especially, the ironic scepticism with which, both Shakespeare and Calderón, contemplate life.