The rise and fall of Macbeth very much mirrors the rise and fall of a 20th century dictator, the third president of Uganda, Idi Amin Dada. Macbeth and Amin Dada are reflected in their rise to power, what they did to stay in power, and the psychological changes they went through. At the beginning of the play Macbeth, Macbeth holds a high rank in the army and is considered a war hero. This very clearly reflects Amin Dada before his accession to the presidency. Amin Dada joined the King's African Rifles (KAR), which were the British colonial African troops. Like Macbeth, he was a highly skilled soldier. He eventually achieved the highest possible military rank for a black African in the British Army. Another similarity in the military careers of the two peoples is that they were both quite brutal in killing enemy soldiers. Amin Dada had a reputation for being excessively brutal and Macbeth was very brutal in killing the traitor Macdonwald and "stripping him from the nave to his chops". (1.2.22) Both peoples also took control of their countries by force. However, Macbeth was initially unwilling to kill the king ("We will go no further in this matter" (1.7.31)) and persuaded to do so by Lady Macbeth, he was never discovered and was named to the throne by the lords of Scotland. Amin Dada seized power in a coup and appointed himself president. Amin Dada was also better accepted by his country at the very beginning of his reign than Macbeth. It is shown early in Macbeth's reign that Macduff is wary of him: "Will you go to Scone?, -No, cousin, I am going to Fife" (2.4.35-36), and Banquo: "I fear that you don't play it would be the most despicable for that. (3.1.2-3).Macbeth and Amin Dada employed extremely similar tactics in their two attempts to stay in power...... middle of paper ...... aided by Ugandan rebels. This reflects Macbeth's downfall, as the forces that worked to overthrow him were Malcolm's forces from England, with the help of a group of what might be called Scottish nationalists because of their dedication to their country. (“O Scotland, Scotland!”) (4.3.100). This group of course included Macduff, the Siwards and many others. The main difference between the deaths of the two was that Idi Amin Dada died in exile and Macbeth was killed by Macduff. Macbeth and Idi Amin Dada are similar in their rise and fall from power, mistakes, character and psychological breakdown. . Their strongest parallels are their intense paranoia and their propensity to be very ambitious. Works Cited “Biography: Idi Amin Dada”. About.com African History. Np, and Web. April 7. 2014. .