Macbeth and Oedipus were simply two kings whom had acquired kingship through inheritance. But they both seem to have a lot of trouble staying kings, although they both have very different stories and outcomes, many elements are shared; such as the influence of Supernatural forces, each had a concealed twist to their fate that was related to birth, and they are ultimately released from their position at the fault of their own.
If the supernatural forces had never influenced the two, neither would have tried to become king or in the case of Oedipus, preventing the plague to spread any further. The role of supernatural forces is important for both heroes. The oracle instructs Oedipus to take revenge upon the murderer of the former king, Laios, in order to stop the plague; the three weird sisters tell Macbeth that he will be king. How the two heroes interpret the messages of the supernatural forces is their downfall. Macbeth becomes too confident because of the words of the sisters, goes insane, and is killed by a former ally. Oedipus tries to find the murderer of Laios only to discover that he himself is the killer. Both are very prosperous to begin with and would have lived long and comfortable lives if they had just left well enough alone. But these two teach us a lesson because they both are removed from a place of superiority at the end of the plays. However, there are some big differences between the two and how they fall.
Oedipus is the better person of the two. He becomes king by saving the city of Thebes from the Sphinx, A riddling monster whom has terrorized the townspeople for a while. Macbeth helps to save Scotland but is only one soldier in a huge army that fights off the attackers. Oedipus shows pride by thinking that he alone can save the city from the plague, but he wants to save the city, and he has the citizens first in his mind. Oedipus addresses the citizens:
Poor children! You may be sure I