Power Of Ambition In Macbeth And Lord Of The Flies

The Power of Ambition
Throughout history, human beings have always felt the drive to achieve some form of success. One driving force behind our actions is our ambition, the strong desire to do or to achieve something. Ambition is an extremely powerful force and it controls the minds of billions of people by influencing them on every decision they make. On the other hand, human conscience, although it distinguishes right versus wrong, simply does not have the power to impact our actions or decisions. William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies display examples that prove the overwhelming power of ambition compared to the weak conscience. The main characters from these two pieces of literature, Macbeth, Lady

Jack is driven by his ambition to gain authority and power by becoming the chief. To gain the boys’ support, Jack satisfies their current needs and uses the boys’ fear to his advantage. In order to obtain his goal of becoming chief, Jack makes statements that will allow him to be admired and liked by the other characters. For instance, Jack agrees with Ralph saying, "Ralph's right of course. There isn't a snake-thing. But if there was a snake we'd hunt it and kill it. We're going to hunt pigs to get meat for everybody. And we'll look for the snake too--" (Golding, 35) Jack agrees with Ralph that there is no beast, however his attempt to keep the other boys happy plays into his strategy of becoming chief. Once Jack has obtained his power, he becomes blinded by his ambition and allows the murders of other boys, thus turning into a savage. While committing such horrid actions, his conscience is rendered useless. Instead, his ambition becomes his driving force that impacts all his

Ralph from Lord of the Flies is a prime example of an individual who remains true to his morals and ethics, while being driven by ambition. From the beginning of the novel, readers realize that Ralph’s only ambition is to survive on the island. Becoming the chief is only a step which would help him and the other boys survive on the island. For instance, Ralph claims the importance of starting a fire when he says, “The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don't keep a fire going?” (Golding, 86) With the intention of helping himself and the others, Ralph believes that a fire will help keep them warm and provide a possible signal to their location. Even without the support of the other boys, Ralph’s ambition powers him to continue acting in a manner that will help everyone. For instance, Ralph displays his commitment when he says, "Been working for days now. And look!... And they keep running off. You remember the meeting? How everyone was going to work hard until the shelters were finished?" (Golding, 51) With shelters increasing their chance of survival, Ralph works day and night to make it possible. Unlike other boys, Ralph does not overlook his conscience. However, his ambition is what gives him a reason to fight, wake up each morning and is the powerful force that helps him