Many of Shakespeare's greatest plays are tragedies. The tragic genre allows the author to delve into humanity and morality at a deeper level than others. Tragedies have the opposite pattern to comedies. Comedies begin with a problem and have a happy ending, usually a wedding. Tragedies, on the other hand, begin with a character of high status and often great wealth before his life falls apart, and many people end up dead. Ambition and revenge are also typical of Shakespeare's tragedies. Though many stories outside of Shakespeare fit into this pattern as well, the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy is a particularly good example of these similarities.
A key part of tragedies is the setup. The circumstances must be exactly right for everything to fall apart at once, and there are many circumstances hovering on the brink of disaster throughout the Prequel Trilogy. The Phantom Menace does not contain nearly as many tragic elements as the other two movies, but some are still present. The Jedi Order was unprepared for the return of a powerful enemy like the Sith, much as Julius Caesar did not expect hostility from the Roman politicians. In both cases, complacency and a lack of preparation set the stage for tragic events. Another critical circumstance in setting into motion the events of Revenge of the Sith is the romance between Anakin and Padmé. Like Romeo and Juliet, the couple are not allowed to be in love, so they marry in secret. Weddings are usually a symbol of happiness in Shakespeare, but secret weddings foreshadow tragedy. A wedding is a joyful occasion with feasting and fellowship, so to have one without guests is to undermine the happiness of the celebration. In Shakespeare, a wedding without guests leads to tragedy, not joy. The same will ultimately be true of Padmé and Anakin. In addition, Palpatine carefully grooms Anakin's ambition to prepare him for his tragic role. The evil counselor is ubiquitous within the tragedies. Lady Macbeth stokes her husband's desire for the crown. The ghost of Hamlet's father goads him to take revenge on his uncle. Iago convinces Othello to distrust Desdemona and Cassio. This type of character actively works towards the tragic outcome and is often the main contributor to its realization. The combination of unprepared leadership, improper passion, and uninhibited ambition has all the makings of a tragic downfall.
The causes of tragedy, however, are not the only shared element. The motivations and actions of tragic protagonists are also similar. Most tragic protagonists fall into one of two categories: the vengeful hero or the ambitious villain. Hamlet is an example of the vengeful hero archetype. He seeks to kill his uncle for murdering his father and then marrying his mother. He loses sight of almost everything as he contemplates, and eventually succeeds in, killing his uncle. Anakin follows much the same pattern, though Palpatine convinces him to attack the wrong people. By the end of Revenge of the Sith, Anakin views the Jedi Order the same way Hamlet viewed Claudius: as an evil usurper. He feels betrayed, especially by Obi-wan, who, much like Gertrude, has chosen to side with his enemy. In the process of achieving his "justice," Anakin estranges Padmé, leading to her death, just as Hamlet induces Ophelia's insanity and suicide. The obvious difference is that Anakin's usurping Claudius is not truly the Jedi Order, but Palpatine himself. However, he does reconcile his mistake in Return of the Jedi when he finally defeats the Emperor, like Hamlet, at the cost of his own life. The tragedies, and Hamlet in particular, are characterized by soliliquys, when a character expresses his inner thoughts and turmoil to the audience. This is not a common element in film, but one can imagine the battle ensuing in Anakin's head as he waits for Palpatine's arrest in the Council chamber. Often, however, Anakin's struggle is expressed in his conversations with other characters. Hamlet contemplates the nature of death, while Anakin seeks advice from Yoda. Hamlet questions the depth of his own sorrow at his father's death whereas Anakin confides in Padmé about his reaction to his mother's. Much like Hamlet, Anakin is a vengeful hero.
Anakin is not purely a vengeful hero though. He also has many of the characteristics of an ambitious villain like Macbeth. Macbeth was a faithful and honorable thane, even killing MacDonwald, the leader of a rebellion against King Duncan. It was not until three witches gave him a prophecy that he would be king that Macbeth's ambition began to take hold of him. Similarly, Anakin Skywalker was a renowned military genius who killed the supposed leader of the Separatists, Count Dooku, before his own downfall. Both Macbeth and Anakin killed the leaders of rebellious uprisings before becoming one themselves. Unsurprisingly, this foreshadows their own fates. Both are awarded promotions for their victory: Anakin, a seat on the Jedi council, and Macbeth the rule of Cawdor, but each holds a flame of ambition that desires more. In their quest for power, both Anakin and Macbeth become demented and inhuman. Their loss of humanity is demonstrated through killing of the innocent. Macbeth has Macduff's wife and son killed and attempts to kill Banquo's son as well. Anakin shows his remorselessness by killing the younglings in the Jedi Temple. Macbeth's ambition is stoked by his wife and the prophecy that he will be king while Anakin is the subject of a prophecy of his own and a mentor's deceit. One person is skeptical of the prophecy's fulfillment however: Mace Windu. Windu, like Banquo, warns against putting too much faith in prophecies and distrusts Anakin's counselor. In part for this reason, both Windu and Banquo are killed. Though driven by fate, both Macbeth and Anakin also seek to defy fate. Macbeth sees a vision of a line of kings descended from Banquo, and kills him to prevent it. Anakin sees a vision of Padmé's death and does all that he can to prevent it. This selective acceptance of fate leads to each believing himself to be invincible, always a precursor to defeat. Obi-wan is Anakin's Macduff, showing up once disaster is already in motion to end its cause. Like Macduff, he faces the full extent of his enemy's delusion and desperation in a duel before brutally defeating him. Macbeth's descent into madness is not isolated however. He is accompanied by his wife, who eventually commits suicide to escape the world her husband has thrown into chaos. Padmé too loses the will to live due to her husband's insanity and destruction. However, the wife of the ambitious villain is not the only one who is thrown into despair at his struggle for power. Many die both attacking and defending Macbeth's castle of Dunsinane, and the entire kingdom goes dark as a symbol of the usurpation of proper rule. Scotland itself bears the greatest burden of his madness. Anakin's ambition has even graver consequences, subduing entire planets under the opression of the Galactic Empire for nearly thirty years. Macbeth is not the only example of the ambitious villain. Julius Caesar and Coriolanus follow similar patterns. Each time, the protagonist throws aside conventional ideas of what constitutes rightful rule to advance his own position, while ascribing to himself noble ideals. This always brings about chaos and tyranny. Curiously, in almost every instance, the protagonist's wife commits suicide as a result. Though Anakin has the marks of the vengeful hero archetype, he is clearly an ambitious villain as well.
How can Anakin be both hero and villain? He obviously becomes a villain as the trilogy progresses, but the audience remembers the good man he was. Though his actions are unquestionably wrong, the viewer holds on to the hope that there is still good in him somewhere. He becomes a villain, but the memory of the hero remains. Although the Prequel Trilogy has become somewhat of a punchline in popular culture, it is not fitting to forget the potential that lies within it. It has incredibly strong ties to Hamlet, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar, three of the greatest works written by arguably the greatest author who ever lived. The tragedy genre allows the creator to dig into moral and existential issues like no other. Though Anakin's emotion may leave something to be desired, the story of his tragic downfall is highly compelling and the perfect introduction to the redemption of the Original Trilogy.
