Macbeth against SatanHow can two authors write stories almost half a century apart where the characters have comparable qualities? William Shakespeare and John Milton wrote a play and a poem respectively where two characters share qualities. These characters are Macbeth from Macbeth and Satan from Paradise Lost. Despite the similarities between the characters of Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth and Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost, which include their strong will, pride, and insatiable greed, they have qualities that set them apart. Their differences lie in Macbeth's overall righteousness, his human characteristics, and the fact that he is controlled by fate. Satan, on the other hand, is evil, superhuman and acts according to his free will. Shakespeare's Macbeth and Milton's Satan share similar qualities. These include their strength of will, overconfidence, and ambition, although they show this in different ways. Macbeth's determination is seen in his refusal to accept defeat at the hands of Macduff and Malcolm in Act 5 Scene 8: "I will not yield...though Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane and you be opposed to it, bei...