Examples Of Ambition In Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde

In the play ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare expresses the idea that ambition can have a negative effect on others, resulting in their downfall too. In Macbeth, ambition is presented as a dangerous quality. It causes the downfall of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and triggers a series of deaths in the eponymous play. Ambition is therefore the driving force of the play. His wife is the driving force that encourages Macbeth to overcome his strong sense of guilt and take action on the prophecies. They are tempted by the idea that Macbeth will become king - Macbeth is not sure what to do but his wife is ruthless in getting what she wants - she views her husband as a coward and appears ready to do anything. Ambition leads to evil - it makes Macbeth stronger

and more determined, but then destroys his wife - she goes mad. ‘To know my deed, ‘twere best not to know myself... wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!’ In this quote, Macbeth is showing how he is not really all that happy with his decision to kill King Duncan. The line is expressing how he wishes that he were asleep or unconscious so he wouldn’t have to deal with the knowledge of having killed the king with his bare hands. The second line is saying that he wishes the knocking could wake Duncan so Macbeth would be free of his sin. By saying these things, it shows that he is coming to the realisation of how serious his wrongdoings were. His ambition is shown as a human weakness as he is unable to process the severity of his crime, the reader is aware of this because guilt continues to be seen in the rest of the play, though Macbeth never does give in to his conscience -- he just keeps doing bad things in pursuit of power, which eventually leads to his destruction.
The idea that ambition can lead to the downfall of others is presented in a different way in the novelette ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’.

In chapter 10 where Dr Jekyll’s letter is being read out, it is noticeable that Jekyll highlights one of the main themes of the novel, the dual nature of man. It is this concept that caused him to act upon his despicable experiments that led to his downfall. Hyde, the personification of Jekyll’s purely evil characteristics, celebrates the freedom of having an anonymous existence. Although Jekyll successfully draws out his evil side, Jekyll still remains a combination of good and evil. Thus, when transforming between the two, his evil side grows stronger and more powerful, and is able to take over completely at times. It is clearly stated in Jekyll’s letter that he feels no guilt towards any of the crimes Hyde has committed, as "Henry Jekyll stood at times aghast before the acts of Edward Hyde, but the situation was apart from ordinary laws, and insidiously relaxed the grasp of conscience. It was Hyde, after all, and Hyde alone, that was guilty." This explanation seems absolutely ridiculous to the reader, because as we already know Hyde is a part of Jekyll, and a creation of Jekyll. Therefore, it is clear that the responsibility for the man’s actions should be held on

Jekyll.
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Shakespeare demonstrates in his tragic play, that murder can be a natural consequence of excessive, unnatural ambition. We are given this idea as we can see that Macbeth, the protagonist and tragic hero in Shakespeare's eponymous play, possesses hamartia. Hamartia is a tragic flaw possessed by any tragic hero and Macbeth's hamartia is his ambition. As his ambition multiplies over the course of the play, it mainly exists due to his hearing of the prophecy of the witches. Given that he is a renowned soldier, Macbeth is praised by others. Throughout the play, Macbeth's ambition grows which allows him to succeed in murdering Duncan, being named the new king, and ruling the kingdom. As his success grows, so does his ambitious nature. Fearing that the rest of the witches' prophecy will come true (that Banquo's sons will be kings), Macbeth decides to murder both him and his sons (namely Fleance). Still feeling threatened Macbeth murders Macduff's family (to send a message of his power to Macduff). Given Macbeth's ambition has brought about the death of many; it is of no surprise that it will bring death to him as well. Essentially, if Macbeth would have allowed "chance to crown him," his ambition would not have grown and lead to his own demise.