Macbeth

620 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The role of power and ambition in macbeth

"Macbeth Essay"

In the play Macbeth we see many common themes that do emerge. One of which is the theme of ambition which will at the end eventually lead to the death of the main character. We see this in the eventual death of both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In this essay I hope to show the dominant theme of ambition and how it leads to the downfall of the main characters in the play.
We first start to see Macbeth getting his ambition to become king in his quote when he says "if chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, without my stir"(I.iii.34-37). Here we see that Macbeth is growing impatient and eager to become the king. He just doesn’t want to sit back and wait for himself to be crowned and let destiny run it’s course, he wants to be part of it when it happens, and he wants to be king right now. And this is when it all turns downhill. He is starting to become very ambitious for the thrown. We will also soon see that he will stop at nothing short of killing the current king and he will even go so far as to kill one of his friends, and try to kill his son in order to try and become the new king.
Next we see this theme again when Macbeth says "Me thought I heard a voice cry "Sleep no more, Macbeth does murder sleep," the innocent sleep"(II.ii.64-66). Here again we see Macbeth is starting to hear voices and he is starting to go a little crazy. Here is where things really start to head downhill, and they go down fast. Because of Macbeth’s ambition for king he has killed the current king. Now he thinks he is hearing voices that keep him from getting his sleep. And as we will later see, Macbeth will eventually die due to his over eager ambition to become the new king. The event of killing the king will set into play a whole chain of events that will soon show the downfall of Macbeth from his short lived thrown.
On the other hand we can also see this ambition with Lady Macbeth. She also shows us the signs that she is getting over ambitious to become the new queen when she says "Thou wouldst be great; Art not without Ambition, but without, the illness should attend it"(I.

Show More
Related

  • Mental Deterioration In Macbeth Essay

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    After a long and hard battle, the Sergeant says to King Duncan, “For brave Macbeth,-well he deserves that name,- disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel, which smok’d with bloody execution , like valour’s minion carv’d out his passage till he fac’d the slave;” (1.2.16) . This quote shows that Macbeth is viewed as a valiant soldier and a capable leader. However, it does not take long for the real Macbeth to be revealed- a blindly ambitious man, easily manipulated by the prospect of a higher status. His quest for power is what drives his insanity, and after having been deemed the Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth’s ambition can immediately be seen. In a soliloquy, Macbeth says, “Present fears are less than horrible imaginings; my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastica, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother’d in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.140). Macbeth has just gained more power, and his immediate thought is of how to gain an even higher status as king. He imagines how to kill Duncan, and then is troubled by his thoughts, telling himself it is wrong. This inner struggle between Macbeth’s ambition and his hesitation to kill Duncan is the first sure sign of his mental deterioration. Although Macbeth does kill Duncan, he questions whether or not he should to do so, which is far different from how Macbeth feels about murder later in the play. Macbeth becomes king, and this power leads

    Read More

  • The Emotions of Ambition, Remorse, and Fear in 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare

    387 Words  | 1 Pages

    Macbeth is captured by his wild ambition at the opening of the play when he and Banqou meet the three witches. The witches tell Macbeth that he is the Thane of Cawdor, and later will be king. They tell Banquo that his sons will be kings. Instantly Macbeth started to fantasize how he is going to be king. He understood that in order for him to become king he has to kill Duncan. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical”(Act 1 Sc. 3, p.23). He was pondering about the assassination until the moment that he could no longer control his emotions. “To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on the other-“(Act 1 Sc. 7, p.41). Because of his “vaulting ambition” he killed Duncan.

    Read More

  • Macbeth Comparison Essay

    568 Words  | 2 Pages

    A quote which really defines Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s ambition regarding power is “Power does not corrupt men; fools; however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power” George Bernard Shaw. Lady Macbeth is more ambitious in terms of gaining power then Macbeth is and that Lady Macbeth will do almost anything to gain power, even evil things that she normally wouldn’t do. This is shown when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth learn about the witches’ predictions, then roles in the plans to murder king Duncan in order to gain power and then finally after the murder, Macbeth doesn’t want to finish the plan making Lady Macbeth angry and causing a chance they might get caught and gain no power at all.

    Read More

  • Macbeth’s Deteriorating Mental State

    1648 Words  | 4 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy in which the main characters are obsessed by the desire for power. Macbeth’s aspiration for power blinds him to the ethical implications of his dreadful acts. The more that Shakespeare’s Macbeth represses his murderous feelings, the more he is haunted by them. By analyzing his hallucinations it is possible to trace his deteriorating mental state and the trajectory of his ultimate fall. Throughout the play Macbeth is never satisfied with himself. He feels the need to keep committing crime in order to keep what he wants most: his kingship. The harder Macbeth tries to change his fate the more he tends to run into his fate. His ambition and struggle for power was Macbeth’s tragic flaw in the play. Macbeth’s rise to the throne was brought about by the same external forces that ensure his downfall.

    Read More

  • Ambitions Self-Destruction In Shakespeare's Macbeth And Adolf Hitler

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    This ambition was planted and nursed in his mind when he was told the prophecy from three witches that he will one day be king. Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth, was the spark that ignited the drive in Macbeth to begin his evil ways and kill King Duncan for his power. “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other”(Shakespeare, 337). Although Macbeth originally knows that what he is doing is wrong, Lady Macbeth continues to push him in the dark void that his ambition has created and his feelings of remorse or wrongdoing will soon enough fade away. Although ambition has plagued Lady Macbeth as well and “has laid its stealthy fingers upon her conscience” (Gerwig, Vol.69). Lady Macbeth is the main reason that Macbeth so easily went to the dark side and she has become blinded by her own desires and that for her husband that she no longer cares for what is right and wrong. Macbeths killing will not stop with just king Duncan though and “by releasing his ambition, Macbeth is successful in destroying his conscience…” (McGrail, 19-46). Everyone is now a threat to his newfound power as king and Macbeth will kill whatever innocents he sees as necessary. Morals do not exist for him now, the only thing that matters is power and sustaining it and this ultimately is what leads him to being killed. Eventually

    Read More

  • Ambiguous Character In Oedipus The King

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oedipus demonstrates that he is not a purely evil character by fleeing his home town for safety of others, taking care of his city and accepting responsibility for his actions. Once Oedipus has grown to be a young man he is told that he is to kill his father and sleep with his mother because it is his fate. As a result “I [Oedipus] herd and fled” to Thebes so he can prevent those actions from occurring (822). Oedipus runs away from his fate to help himself out as well as his family. He does not want to kill his father; therefore, he runs away from his fate for the safety of his father. This shows that he is not a purely evil character because he is saving a life and looking after others besides himself. However, running from what he believes is his fate causes him to run into his real fate which leads to his downfall as a leader. On the other hand, it causes Oedipus to take the position as king of Thebes. Being leader of the city, he is forced into

    Read More

  • Illusion vs. Reality in Macbeth

    1741 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...rn day society, illusive ambitions can be incredibly detrimental, just as they are demonstrated to be in Macbeth. Ambitions, if they are untamed, can be an impediment to free will; they can overpower your good conscience, possibly leading you into causing death and destruction. They can also corrupt one’s mental health, while practically morphing that person’s perception of reality into something demonstrably wrong and twisted. Finally, they can boost ones ego to a point where that person is engulfed and imprisoned in the vehemence of their own denial, which can ultimately bear fatal consequences. If one’s hopes and desires are innately destructive, then it logically follows that that one’s ambition is also innately destructive; be wary of one with an immense ambition.

    Read More

  • Social Work Personal Statement Essay

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    The MSW degree along with my bachelors in psychology gives me a great opportunity to build my career as a social worker who will strive to act as a leader and empower others to help those in need. When I have gained efficient experience and expertise in my role as a social worker, I want to educate others on child welfare and family violence. Sharing knowledge and educating is a boundless way to make an impact and promote resilience within the

    Read More

  • Macbeth

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macbeth’s ambition is made obvious from the start. It is the thing the witches use get him under their spell,’All hail thee Thane of Glamis….Thane of Cawdor…..king’. Macbeth is intrigued by this greeting. When he finds out from Duncan that he has become the thane of Cawdor he whispers to the audience,’Glamis, and the thane of Cawdor, the greatest is behind.’ Macbeth is sure that he will become king. However at this stage he thinks that he will acquire it legally as he sees murder as,’fantastical’(I,iii,139).

    Read More

  • Macbeth

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    Within the pages of the play Macbeth, one can find the five distinct literary devices of symbolism, allusion, alliteration, personification, and repetition used throughout. These three devices aid the story along and help develop the plot and characters each in a different way.

    Read More

  • Macbeth's Desire For Power

    1584 Words  | 4 Pages

    Macbeth is a brave general who fights for his country Scotland, defeating the King of Norway. He is loyal to his king Duncan, but Macbeth has ambition to take over the kingdom for himself. He has lots of doubts of if he is doing the right thing, but still murders Duncan and then Banquo who is another general who fought with Macbeth. These murders and guilt about his treason are leading Macbeth to become insane. This essay shows that although Macbeth’s strong desire for power is influenced by the three witches in the play and also the planning and ambition of his wife Lady Macbeth, in the end he is responsible for his self-destruction.

    Read More

  • Blind Ambition in Macbeth

    855 Words  | 2 Pages

    Among the greatest gifts that the renaissance produced was the eloquent and incredible Shakespearean plays. Written mostly in the 1590s these plays have been performed and admired countless times; entertaining mass audiences by providing interesting tales that explore the depth of human insights and the different universal themes. Among the many Shakespearean plays Macbeth, written in 1606, stands out with its short composition but multiple themes. This tragedy narrates the tale of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s quest to grasp ultimate power by ignoring their morals and succumbing to their dark desires, which ultimately leads to their downfall. This tragic play portrays the desires, needs, and temptations that accompany ambition in men and women. However the ambition in Macbeth is blind, it does not abide to the morals, but it allows space for dark actions as means necessary for accomplishment. Blind ambition serves as the main driving force that drives Macbeth to subdue to his dark desires, defy his noble behavior, and ultimately his downfall.

    Read More

  • Stock Tragic Hero: Oedipus: The Stock Tragic Hero

    1427 Words  | 3 Pages

    Instead of blaming the gods or the fates or even the oracle, Oedipus instead does something which defines him as a tragic hero, he takes all of the blame and puts it on himself. Oedipus fully realizes that he murdered his father and slept with his mother after his long conversation with the blind prophet and shepherds (Sophocles, 465-479 1271-1310) However, it is when he sees his wife’s body hanging from the rope that he realizes fully what has happened, and that realization shakes Oedipus so much that he gouges his own eyes out in an attempt to both torture himself and accept his punishment as well as to no longer be able to see his once beautiful children, now turned into monstrosities in his eyes (Sophocles, 1395-1414) Oedipus accepts his fate completely near the end of the play, telling Creon to cast him out of Thebes with the words: “As for me, never condemn the city of my fathers to house my body, not while I’m alive, no, let me live on the mountains, on Cithaeron… let me die there, where they [Oedipus’s parents] tried to kill me” (Sophocles 1587-1594). It is with the accepting of his fate that Oedipus takes full responsibility for his own actions, despite the fact that he was unable to control his actions and he was ignorant of any crimes he was capable of. This is just another thing that makes him the epitome of a tragic hero, and it is the characteristic

    Read More

  • Social Benefits Of Social Work

    109 Words  | 1 Pages

    A social worker works with individuals and their families, their aim is to help improve and empower the service user to improve outcomes in their lives. Social work is a profession that is based around people, from babies through to the older people.

    Read More

  • Christianity and Wealth

    1025 Words  | 3 Pages

    Christianity and Wealth 'Jesus said to the rich young man, "Go, sell all that you have and

    Read More

More about Macbeth

Open Document