There are a number of significant differences between W. W. Jacobs’s story and William Shakespeare’s play. Some of the major differences have to do with the intentions of the protagonists, the composition of the families, and the way the plots turn out. The main character of “The Monkey’s Paw,” Mr. White, makes several wishes that he thinks are modest in scope. Macbeth, in contrast, is motivated by “vaulting ambition.”

Additionally, Mr. White and his wife have an adult son named Herbert. Macbeth and his wife have no children. The plots are resolved differently as well. At the end of Jacobs’s story, the older Whites remain alive, but their son is dead. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, both Macbeths—as well as many other people—are dead.

Some underlying similarities between the works concern the consequences of tempting fate. Although Mr. White does not believe that he is being greedy, he is asking for magical intervention to bring him things he has not earned. Macbeth allows himself to be convinced that he deserves to be king, and once he starts down that road, his ambition gets the better of him. However, “The Monkey’s Paw” is primarily a family story, in which White’s inappropriate actions destroy his family. Macbeth is concerned with the broader ramifications of one couple’s lust for power, which has devastating consequences for an entire country.