A character's downfall is likely to result from weakness and circumstances. This is clearly seen in the character of Macbeth in Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Hank in the movie A simple plan directed by Sam Raimi. The downfall of Macbeth is more due to weakness whereas circumstance is the major reason for Hank's. Internal reasons such as ambition, guilt, weakness, and external reasons like pressure from others or circumstances make both Macbeth and Hank unable to avoid the downfall.
The guilt from knowing that his college fee came from selling the family farm, Hank tries to compensate and protect Jacob. When Hank and Jacob go in the woods to find the crashed plane, Jacob sees Dwight Stevenson passing by. To avoid him seeing Hank with the plane, Jacob hits him. Finding out that he is still alive and can be saved, Hank still kills Stevenson by suffocating him in order to prevent Jacob from suspicion and going to jail. This illustrates that Hank has no intention of killing Stevenson in the first place. Only through the need to protect his brother, did Hank do so. This proves that Jacob is one of Hank's weaknesses. Because of the guilty feeling for losing the family's land, Hank tends to be willing to do anything to protect Jacob. Similarly, feeling guilty for the murder of Duncan, Macbeth tries to get rid of the guilt by going on and killing more people. "I am in blood/ Stepped in so far that , should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o'er"(3.4.136-138). Moreover, pressure from their wives is plays an important part in both Hank's and Macbeth's downfall. . In A simple plan, Sarah pressures Hank regarding their life standard and her wanting a better life for them and their child. This is a prominent element leading to Hank's inability to resist the money. When Hank wants to give the money back and return to their normal life, Sarah stops him from doing that. She pressures him using the family's