The Tragedy of Macbeth was an inevitable story of Macbeth’s unchecked ambition. Ambition is described as a strong desire to do or achieve something. Macbeth’s ambition took him to places where it seems unfitting to a person. Ambition distracts the mind from doing something. When the witch prophesied his future, he took it upon himself to destroy anyone that would interfere with him between the throne. Macbeth was so ambitious on killing anyone that was opposing of him not being king, that he lost track of his moralities and beliefs. Therefore, Macbeth’s unchecked ambition shows that becoming king will lead him on the path of destruction. The aspect of ambition in Macbeth, show the universal human trait that ambition grows from action, words …show more content…
By attacking Macbeth she convinces him to murder Duncan as part of a plan to become king. This becomes one of the first steps to Macbeth’s path to destruction. The prophecies show him the path of where he is headed, but Macbeth carried out bad deeds to achieve that prophecy. Macbeth goes into Duncan's chamber and murdered Duncan. This became the first evil deed that Macbeth committed. Macbeth kills Duncan against his nature and afterward become guilt-ridden and paranoid. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth started to hallucinate, as in floating dagger and people laughing at him. He talks about the blood stain that was on his hand. Macbeth was paranoid that he also killed Duncan’s servant, “Th’ expedition of my violent love/ Outrun the pauser, reason. Here lay Duncan” (II.iii.104-105). Macbeth claims that his emotions overpowered his reasoning, which made him pause to think before he killed Duncan’s servants. Not only did Macbeth kill Duncan, to cover up his track, he also framed the murder of the king to the two servants that guarded Duncan. Macbeth’s evil deed causes him to suffer. Toward the end of the play, Macbeth’s ambition became extreme. After Macbeth became king, he wanted more and more to ensure his …show more content…
Our fears in Banquo/ Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature/ Reigns that which would be feared” (III.i.47-50). What Macbeth is talking about is that it is worthless to become the king unless the position of king is safe. Macbeth fear that Banquo and his descendant will take away his position as king. He is afraid because the prophecy became true for him, so it must become true of Banquo. To be safe as king, Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. From doing this, it shows that Macbeth’s unchecked ambition grows from his evil deeds. After the murder of Banquo, Macbeth saw the ghost of Banquo at his dinner with the other lords. Seeing the ghost of Banquo, Macbeth acted weird in front of the lords. Lady Macbeth pulls him aside and told him that his reaction is because of his fear, which was unmanly. The ghost represented Macbeth’s guilt and fear that he holds. To reassure himself, he visited the three witch to predict his future again. Going to the witch, they showed him three apparitions, “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff!/ Beware the Thane of Fife!...Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn/ The power of man, for none of woman born/ Shall harm Macbeth...Macbeth shall never vanquished be
In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, there is a deep relation to ambition. Macbeth's ambition started after the witches told him that he was going to be king after Duncan died, so then Macbeth and Lady Macbeth just decided to kill Duncan. After this first murder he then decided that he would do anything to keep his crown, since he was so hungry for power. Guilt soon got the best of him which then led to his demise.
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.
Throughout the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the reasoning of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is completely subverted and undermined by their insatiable ambition. Macbeth was at first reasonable enough to keep his ambition in check, however it eventually became to strong for even Macbeth and therefor over powered him. To the contrary, Lady Macbeth was overcome by her ambition from the very beginning. Reasoning was abandoned after the decision to kill Duncan was made. At that point we see no serious questioning of the motives of the three witches when they told their cunning and misleading predictions. Macbeth even went as far as to ask for their advise a second time - this second time would of course lead to his downfall. The decision to kill Duncan also signified the last serious attempt at moral contemplation on the part of Macbeth. Throughout the novel we see that the Macbeth's ambition completely subverted their reasoning abilities and eventually lead to their downfall.
Just like any of us, Macbeth’s ambition caused him to be easily influenced. Based on the text, the witches say to Macbeth and Banquo, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis!” “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee Thane of Cawdor!” “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, that shalt be king hereafter!” After the witches speak his prophecy, Macbeth with great interest and desire then asks to here more about what the witches have to say. Soon after Macbeth was given the name Thane of Cawdor, he believed what the witches said had some truth to it causing his ambition to be influenced by the wicked weird sisters. When Macbeth tells his wife, Lady Macbeth about the prophecy, Macbeth’s ambition then faces Lady Macbeth’s influence. According to the
For every occurrence there must be a motivation; this ideal is exemplified in Macbeth by Shakespeare. As this story progresses many ghastly murders unfold, furthering the ideal of how a simple drive for ambition can turn dark very quickly. Throughout this illustrious play, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth develop, and then suffer the consequences of their cold-blooded corruption of ambition.
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.
Macbeth's Murder of Duncan in William Shakespeare's Macbeth Various different influences act upon Macbeth causing him to murder Duncan. The main ones are his ambition, his wife and the witches. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a brave warrior, described as noble and valiant, who knows his place and is a loyal servant to the king.
Following the meeting with the witches, Macbeth begins to think about killing Duncan and taking the throne by force. Macbeth becomes concerned with the witches prophesies and wants to learn more, as we can see from what he says after they leave, "Would they have stayed!" (1.3.82). After this, he begins thinking about his desire to be king. We can see that he is thinking about murdering Duncan from his soliloquy, "Stars, hide your fires, /Let not light see my black and deep desires;" (1.5.50-51). Macbeth has begun his path to corruption.
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.
Macbeth shows how greed and ambition can bring down a person as well as others and how the changes of power occur because of loyalty and betrayal. Macbeth is the play’s main unhappy character. The play tells of Macbeth's greedy thirst for power is a dangerous trait.
Macbeth is depicted throughout the play as a brave, righteous individual; a natural leader. However, like any human being, Macbeth has a major flaw in his character, his ambition. Ambition is the strong desire to achieve something, the desire and determination to achieve success. In the play, Macbeth’s ambition is highly influenced by his gullibility; his willingness to place his trust in characters of the play. A key example of his misplaced judgement was his decision to trust the three witches in the third scene of the opening act.
The vigorous desire to achieve and willingly attain something holds the capability to greatly affect one's life. William Shakespeare's play Macbeth establishes the immense effect and influence of ambition. After gaining power over his country Scotland, the protagonist, Macbeth, experiences an internal downfall as he battles between his wants and moral judgement. He struggles to maintain stable relationships with others as his selfish desires and goals hurt those around him when achieved. In addition to clashing with himself and others, he is seen as a tyrant leader and is slowly turned against by Scotland's nation as well as England. Shakespeare's play Macbeth provides the reader with a clear understanding of ambition's corrupting power in Shakespeare's tragic character Macbeth, through his inner conflicts, struggle to maintain stable relationships with those surrounding him, and clash with society.
Macbeth was “the innocent flower, but [was] the serpent under it” (1.5.72-73). He was a good-natured man turned evil at the hands of his desire for something greater. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, he uses the repetition of “nature” and Macbeth’s ultimate demise to express how unmonitored ambition can lead to the corruption of a good person. In the beginning, it seemed like Macbeth was just ambitious.
Ambition and desire are double-edged notions present in all who crave success and power. While ambition is most often associated with unfavorable greed and overwhelming need, people who express this desire are simultaneously praised for being goal-oriented and steadfast in achieving their goals. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, this duality of ambition is explored through the character of Lady Macbeth. In the play, Lady Macbeth’s husband, Macbeth, is prophesied to be king, and in order to expedite his path to the throne and their combined rise to power, Lady Macbeth plots to murder the current King Duncan. Throughout her Act I soliloquy, Lady Macbeth reveals not only her malevolent and scheming nature, but also profound determination
Lady Macbeth and the witches have both planted the seed of ambition inside of Macbeth Because of Lady Macbeth’s wicked behavior, which resulted in Macbeth’s evil transition; he was led to become a murderer. Macbeth should not be held accountable for his actions completely since she is the one who lead him towards committing both crimes. The major theme ambition and greed for power have played a key part in Macbeth’s fall from a great Scottish general to a murderer. People should be content on what they have and not strive for things which destroy a person even if we are influenced. In this case Shakespeare’s thought proving play of Macbeth.