Look Like the Innocent Flower, but be the Serpent under't.": The Imbroglio of Betrayal in George R. R Martin's Storm of Swords and William Shakespeare's Macbeth. A Comparative Study

Abstract

The present enquiry assimilates the conceit of betrayal and the search for identity in Shakespeare's Macbeth and George R.R. Martin's Song of ice and fire, season three Storm of swords. This study delves into the perplexing sequences for betrayal and how itsaddens character’s metamorphosis in the story, by dint of the American comparative school and psychoanalytic perspectives.The dissertation hones in on the ways characters in Macbeth and Storm of swords interact vianoxious political environments,droning on abouttribulations of faithfulness, aspirations, and self-emancipation. The research probes how betrayal impacts theendowment of individual’s identity leaning on psychoanalytical literary theory, knuckling down to Freud's ideas about the unconscious mind and Lacan's theories of desire.By comparing how betrayal and the pursuit of self-development are portrayed, we can gain perspectives into common human reminiscences in various literary and cultural settings. This work adds to the wide study in comparative literature by foregrounding the ongoingpreponderance of these leitmotifs in narratives and how they affect our understanding of human behaviour and motivations. To resume, this research aims to enhance our cognizance of betrayal as a trigger for self-development and permutations, providing exegeses of the inextricable parallels between power, ambition, and identity in both traditional and modern literature.