Someone who is ruthless means that they have no regard for anyone. People can be ruthless from time to time or on a regular basis. This idea can be seen in William Shakespeare's Macbeth and Sophocles' Oedipus the King. In both works, the reader is presented with characters that, at the beginning, are the protagonist and during the course of the plot turn into the antagonist. This happens for various reasons and factors, which change Macbeth and Oedipus forever. Although both Oedipus and Macbeth both achieve kingship, Macbeth is the more ruthless ruler. This can be seen by the differences in how they achieve kingship, the kind of king they are, and their attitude towards their subjects.

Macbeth and Oedipus can be discussed with regard to the differences in how they achieve kingship. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plan out how Macbeth would become king down to the smallest...