Power and Failure

Power and failure

“Ambition is an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth and the willingness to strive for its attainment”. That being said, what can one go through if their ambition is too much to handle? Anyone who gains excessive power often loses control of personal goals, morals, ethics, and values. Uncontrollable ambition conquers Macbeth in William Shakespeare's play.

Ambition changes Macbeth from a morally grounded man to a ruthless greedy man. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth stood by Duncan and defeated the rebel thane of Cawdor and showed his loyalty. Although, when Macbeth finds out the he is destined to be king his want for power stood out like royalty.

Macbeth

This supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good, If ill Why hath it given me earnest of success commencing in the truth?

Present fears are less than horrible imaginings. My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in sunrise, and nothing is but what is not. (Page 23)

Macebeth touches upon his human nature when he thinks to himself after speaking with Banquo about the witches prophecies. Although when his ambition wants the power, his kindness and morals are telling him that it is wrong to commit such a crime.

Lady Macbeth

Yet do I fear thy nature;

It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way.

Thou wouldst be great, Art thou without ambition, but without the illness should attend it.(Page 31)

Lady Macbeth spoke those words right after she read the letter he sent her telling her about the prophecies. Lady Macbeth believed that although he has the ambition to do what needs to be done to ...

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...to th' edge o' th' sword His wife, his babies and all the unfortunate souls that trace him in his line,

No boasting like a fool; this dead I'll do before this purpose cool. (Page 131)

Macbeth explains that he wants Macduff's whole family tree to be killed so that will scare Macduff away from Macbeth. Macbeth's ambition has been overfilling and has caused him to become paranoid with people he once trusted. Power and corruption come into play because he wants Macduff to be scared of him so he can feel untouchable.

In the play, Macbeth always had ambition bowling up in his veins. Once he had a taste of power it was in his nature to keep wanting more. He killed his friends, and lied to the town to get what he wanted but in the end died with a bad name. Can uncontrollable ambition be controlled? Once you have a taste of the forbidden fruit, there is no going back,