Guzán Loer Character Analysis

Thesis:
Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera can be considered a modern day Shakespearean tragic character. Macbeth and Guzmán were both overly ambitious, the difference is that Guzmán started off with nothing and that was his motivation to become powerful whereas Macbeth started off as a Thane and progressively acquired power from there. After the rise of both Guzmán and Macbeth, their ambition was the cause of their downfall.

Body Paragraph 1: Guzmán’s life started off rough, as a child, he lived in poverty and with an abusive father, by the time he was a teen he was kicked out of his house and expected to fend for himself. This forced him to be self reliant and hard working. To get off the streets, he got into the drug trafficking business(Aldrich). It is understandable that he wanted to get off the streets and make money to survive and the easiest thing he found to do at a young age was grow marijuana and sell it. Living in poverty since childhood and then being kicked out of his house, pushed him to work for money, no matter what he had to do. This demonstrated ambition to be his best quality. Similar to Guzmán,
Macbeth’s great characteristics were ambition. A soldier who fought alongside of Macbeth told King Duncan of his bravery to win for Scotland against the opposition:

“For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage (Shakespeare, 1.1.18-21).”

Macbeth was courageous and valiant and was considered a great fighter. In the beginning of the play his ambition to bravely serve for Scotland in the war made him a hero in the eyes of the King. He was considered a loyal Thane. The reason why Guzmán can be considered as a modern day tragic character is because he displays similar characteristics as Macbeth. In the beginning, both could be deemed as “good” people with “good” intentions, but as their lives progress they start to get more and more fond of the power they feel with doing what they do.

Body Paragraph 2: Guzmán’s ambition later became the cause of his downfall.
When he realized that by getting into the drug business could make him fast money and a lot of money, it made him feel powerful. He realized that he could make more than just enough money to provide for himself. He became powerful enough to run the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico (Encyclopedia Britannica). He then brought himself down by getting heavily involved with drug trafficking. His desire to provide just enough for himself and stop living in poverty was intensified and he became power hungry. He was willing to kill anyone in his way to gain power just as Macbeth was. He did kill many people who tried to come in his way and he was arrested several times but managed to escape (Encyclopedia Britannica). Macbeth was also willing to kill people in his way to become the king as he said to
himself:

The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step
On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap,
For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.
The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. (1.4.55-60)

This quote demonstrates that Macbeth pondered on his future plans, contemplating if he was ambitious enough to kill people who were in his way to get what he wanted. Guzmán and Macbeth both had in common their will to eliminate obstacles to achieve their goals. This further proves that Guzmán could be deemed a Shakespearean tragic character because of their similar actions. They both became blinded by their acquired power and did anything they could to stay in control even if it meant being the most wanted people. Instead of settling with just enough to sustain themselves, they decided to exceed the limit which ultimately lead to both of their downfalls and everyone against them.