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How Shakespeare presents ambition in the play as a whole
The results of selfishness
The results of selfishness
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“Everything I touch dies”: Ambition in “Macbeth” and “Frankenstein”
“Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very
good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which directed them”(Bonaparte,
Napoleon). In Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein” and William Shakespeare's “Macbeth”, the main
characters all exhibit great ambition causing them to lack morality, and desire praise. In
Macbeth and Frankenstein both main characters exhibit ambition in many
different ways that generate different consequences for them later. Therefore, Macbeth and
Victor possess a selfish ambition, and this causes the deaths of others.
Selfishness is demonstrated by Victor Frankenstein when he wanted to create life for the
purpose of cheating
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Victor creates the monster
only as a way for him to be noticed; causing him to disregard the monster's needs and feelings –
leading to the monster killing many people out of confusion and rage. Similarly, in “Macbeth” Lady
Macbeth plays a huge part in the decisions that Macbeth makes; and her motive is her desire for
royalty. “That I may pour my spirits in thine ear- And chastise with the valour of my tongue- all that
impedes thee from the golden round,-Which fate and metaphysical aid both seem - To have thee
crown'd withal” (1.5.25-29). This quotes demonstrates Lady Macbeth influencing Macbeth to kill
Duncan. As a result of becoming king and queen, it sparked a lot of skepticism amongst the people of
Scotland, this lead to paranoia and guilt that consumed the Macbeth family. These feelings caused
Macbeth to go to drastic measures to elude the suspicion – killing Banquo and all of Macduff's family.
In “Frankenstein” Victor is smart, but unwise- he does not think about what happens after the
experiment and the possible implications -by not looking at the monsters face he does not realize
Macbeth had been keen yet conflicted on what to do. To become king, his cousin Duncan, the current king of Scotland, must die.
Through the story guilt motivates Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to a great extent. Macbeth was a kind, fine nobleman of the king Duncan. But one day his benevolence and his patronage to the king changed. He had met the three witches who had revealed the three prophecies. The first prophecy was that Macbeth would become the thane of Cawdor. The second prophecy is that he will become the king in the future. The third was that Banquo’s sons will also become kings in the future (Banquo is a good friend of Macbeth). Macbeth took his future into his own hands. Lady Macbeth was the own who encouraged and persuaded Macbeth into the horrible circumstances. Guilt plays a role to the couple differently at certain occasions.
In the play of “Macbeth”, Shakespeare gradually and effectively deepens our understanding of the themes and most importantly the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The main theme of Macbeth is ambition, and how it compels the main characters to pursue it. The antagonists of the play are the three witches, who symbolise the theme appearance and reality. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relation is an irony throughout the play, as most of their relation is based on greed and power. This is different from most of Shakespeare’s other plays, which are mostly based on romance and trust. There is also guilt that leads Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to the final consequences of the play. As the progresses, the constant changes in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are exposed.
The initial perception of the monster may certainly be one of horror and perfidy, but it is clearly seen that this daemon initially has truly pure intentions. For instance, the monster is confident that he will “win the love” of the gentle family he has been observing and learning from for so long—so much so that the thought of this newfound love makes him euphoric. “’My spirits were elevated by the enchanting appearance of nature; the past was blotted from my memory, the present was tranquil, and the future gilded by bright rays of hope and anticipations of joy,’” (Shelly, Frankenstein, 96). Furthermore, the monster is aware of his deceptive mien. He is mindful that it can and will cloud one’s judgment, but he insures that he is a kind-hearted being with magnanimous intentions. “’I have good dispositions, my life has been hitherto harmless and in some degree beneficial; but a fatal prejudice clouds their eyes, and where they ought to see a feeling and kind friend, they behold only a detestable monster,’” (114). Because of the being’s countenance, the barrier to happiness forever stands. ...
Children’s intelligence is being shaped everyday by experiences with people objects and events. Frankenstein's monster learned all that he knew from the family he watched after he escaped from the confines of Dr. Frankenstein. “Every conversation of the cottagers now opened new wonders to me” (Shelley 117). Here the monster is shown inquiring about his surroundings and wanting to learn from them. The monster explored the world on his own; he learned language and the nature of the world on his own. He watched human interaction and tried to mimic human behavior. “Men appear to me as monsters thirsting for each other’s blood.” (Shelley 156) The author uses the word monsters to describe ordinary people suggesting that their intentions are the same as the monsters.
Where is there a page in William Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth which does not present the selfish virtue of personal ambition. This paper addresses the problem of ambition in the drama.
Fate is an inevitable – seldom disastrous – outcome; regardless of one’s desire to veer it in a different path, fate is adamant. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, there is a steadfast question of whether Macbeth is a victim of fate or that he chooses his own path. By instilling his character, Macbeth, with ambition and ruthlessness, Shakespeare demonstrate that a person – in this case Macbeth – is doomed not by fate, but by flaws in his/her character.
Furthermore, Victor had a vision to create life out of death but didn’t fully comprehend his outcome then when the results came in then it was too late to destroy the atrocity he has made, he ran away from his creation and hid under his blanket as a victim instead of the criminal. In fact, Victor should’ve made it his main duty to take the responsibility as the creator of a benevolent being, but he ostracized his own creation and ran away like he had done to many of his problems throughout the story. Instead, Victor claimed himself a victim and personified the creature as a manipulative, murderous monster that was in evil entity and had a soul black as the vast night. For example, Victor mentioned to Captain Walton near the end of the story that the monster needed to be stopped and his actions will cause chaos in the world of man if Walton were to step down from Victor’s request to eliminate the monster before he were to murder again. Yet, the monster was in a constant circle of injustice from his own creator, Victor Frankenstein, from being abandoned to being characterized as a villain without being given the voice and care he needed to in order to change his path of violence into the generosity of a cordial
The Monster’s confusion about the world and his inability to understand why he cannot simply be accepted in society drives his actions. Dutoit elaborates on the not so apparent truth that The Monster goes to great lengths to assimilate by acquiring language, understanding mannerisms and participating in customs. The Monster grows fond of a family, at first he watches them carefully, paying close attention to the details of their life and even steals food, unaware of their poverty. Supporting evidence which allows for the conclusion that he is innately good and simply longing for domesticity is shown by The Monsters willingness to help the family with chores, in secret of course. Nevertheless, he is universally shunned by everyone he encounters, except for the old blind man who was willing to have a social connection with him, until his family returned home and in fear rebelled against The Monster. This constant exile only leads to a greater alienation from the social world he deeply longs to be a part of. Unfortunately, due to his outward appearance, his good intentions are ill received by the people he
Napoleon Bonaparte once said, “Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.” The main character of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth, is filled with ambition. Macbeth is a Shakespearean play in which Macbeth is given a prophecy by three witches which tells that he will eventually become king of Scotland. Macbeth, filled with ambition to fulfill these predictions, let’s nothing get in his way. The principles within Macbeth direct him and his ambition to perform very bad acts. Between Macbeth and his wife, the theme of ambition without morales leads to absolute destruction is abundantly present, especially as the play progresses.
This proves his vaulting ambition and how it had taken over Macbeth. Macbeth continues to murder Banquo and does so out of fear of losing the throne. This is evident in (III, i, 47 – 50) where Macbeth says “…To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus. – Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be fear’d…” this demonstrates Macbeths fear and the threat he faces. Macbeth says that Banquo’s royalty of nature should be feared, through this we are able to understand that Macbeth is evidently lost his grasp on his moral conscience and begins to take down any threat he sees, even if that threat is his best friend. Macbeth goes on to refer to Banquo as his enemy and although he could kill him himself, he fears to offend mutual friend they may have (III, i, 115 – 120). Macbeth then orchestrates the murder of Banquo and Fleance showing no remorse. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that she should appear innocent and act nicely as to not draw any suspicion to themselves. “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed…” (III, ii, 46 – 47). Although Macbeth still refers to Lady Macbeth as his dearest chuck he has planned the murder by himself and without any help, demonstrating his inherent evil nature. Macbeth’s quest for power not only ends his life, but he continues the murders due to malice. When Macbeth plans to murder the
Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth contributes to the story’s conflict with her hunger for power, her un-lady likeness, and her manipulative ways. Macbeth shows that ambition will drive a person crazy and may bring the ones they love to fall down along with them. It teaches us that our greed and selfishness can easily take over and control the things we do if we give it the chance, and may even lead us to our
Words are the basic elements of the English written language. With words, one can say precisely what one wants to say, a skill that Shakespeare has mastered. In Macbeth, he carefully chooses each word so as to say exactly what he wants to say, and often leaves these words open to the reader’s interpretation. One such carefully chosen word is the word “slave,” a simple word meaning “someone entirely under the dominion of a person or an influence” (Random House, 674). Although this word appears only four times within the play, it’s importance should not be underestimated. Every time that Shakespeare chooses to use the word “slave” he is using it to show a “slave of ambition,” an important symbol within the play.
The main theme of Macbeth-the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraints-finds its most powerful expression in the play's two main characters. Macbeth is a courageous Scottish general who is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply desires power and advancement. He kills Duncan against his better judgment and afterward stews in guilt and paranoia. Toward the end of the play he descends into a kind of frantic, boastful madness. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, pursues her goals with greater determination, yet she is less capable of withstanding the repercussions of her immoral acts. One of Shakespeare's most forcefully drawn female characters, she spurs her husband mercilessly to kill Duncan and urges him to be strong in the murder's aftermath, but she is eventually driven to distraction by the effect of Macbeth's repeated bloodshed on her conscience. In each case, ambition helped, of course, by the malign prophecies of the witches is what drives the couple to ever more terrible atrocities. The problem, the play suggests, is that once one decides to use violence to further one?s quest for power, it is difficult to stop. There are always potential threats to the throne?Banquo, Fleance, Macduff?and it is always tempting to use violent means to dispose of them.
witches and lady Macbeth did to Macbeth. They wanted change to happen for security and a