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Macbeth as a tragedy of ambition and imagination
Literature review destructive ambition in macbeth
Literature review destructive ambition in macbeth
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The Destruction of Ambition without Morality in Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Macbeth, the story of a Scottish general who receives a prophecy that
he will one day become king, uses many different images to complete the
function that Shakespeare was trying to convey. The function of imagery in
this play expresses ideas, creates character, and adds atmospheric effects.
There is an immeasurable power of evil in one man, and Macbeth fits this line
perfectly. After his murder of Duncan, his tyrannical reign begins and
Macbeth is forced to continue on with more and more murders to protect
himself from suspicion. This killing spree that results propels Macbeth and
his wife to a fate of madness and death.
The first function of imagery is to express ideas throughout the play
and to help bring different points together. Macbeth, who creates an image of
himself as an almighty and all-powerful ruler, discards all moral boundaries in
his quest for power. The effects of Macbeth's actions show the
overwhelming effects of evil and the power it can have on one man. These
images in Macbeth express the picture of himself. After all the murders are
over, they are worth very little to him in the end. As said by a quote from
Lady Macbeth, "look like the innocence flower, but be the serpent under't",
people are not always what they appear to be. This image is a perfect match
for how people see Macbeth. This honest and good king, which was what the
people believed in the beginning, was actually the cause of all the turmoil and
destruction going on in their country. However, Macbeth's greatest fear in
the play is that he has the image that he has murdered sleep, and by doing this
intensifies the witches incomplete predictions that he is so fearful of bringing
into a reality.
Another main function of imagery in Macbeth is that it creates
character. All of the disturbing situations that Macbeth and his wife go
through throughout the entire work, play a huge role in deciding how their
futures would turn out and what kind of people that they would become. The
other characters in the play also help determine Macbeth's fate. Lady
Macbeth pushed Macbeth so hard in the beginning to kill Duncan, that after
that, the killing became so trivial and easy to him, that he did not even have to
think about them. Lady Macbeth also manipulates Macbeth by questioning
his manhood. The images she creates, such as wishing she herself was a
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.
to the earthly at the base of the chain; everyone had a place, and a
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare illustrates how greed for power and wealth can result in the destruction of oneself as well as others. The play's central character, Macbeth is not happy as a high-ranking thane - leading him to assassinate Duncan to become King, while unknowingly dooming himself. Throughout the play many examples are evident of Macbeth's unquenchable thirst for power.
The Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition 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.
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.
...s his evil actions continue, increasingly violent. His conscience, on the other hand, before and after the murder of Duncan, is unstable. A further exhibition of conscience can be seen in his nightmares, the immediate realisation that he has 'murdered Sleep'.
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.
There is only one other person to blame for the bad things. Macbeth starts out seeming not like a person that could kill his ...
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.
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.
Macbeth is a play about the corruptive force of ambition. Discuss this statement with particular reference to the characters in the play.
..., Macbeth becomes everyone’s enemy, he in convinced he is invincible which leads to his inevitable downfall and demise. Macbeth was a perfect example of how correct society is when it is said, "Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it". It means not everyone does the right thing to get to where they are, people use and abuse one another for what they want. Although it may be deceiving no one cares as long as they get what they want. Power is literally what rules the world, corruption is what happens to the ones who gain to much power. In other words there is no getting around the statement power leads to corruption.
Evil is a destructive force; it causes harm to those who embrace it and their victims. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the protagonist Macbeth and Lady Macbeth fall into the hands of evil. Evil is what drives people to commit unnatural actions of destruction. Macbeth succumbs to evil through his fatal flaw, greed, and it causes him to disrupt the chain of being. When Macbeth willingly murders, massacres, lies and deceives, he loses his heath and sanity. Evil corrupts everything it touches, and Macbeth decides to be evil's servant. But, when Macbeth embraces evil, it corrupts him, and it ultimately destroys him as well. Lady Macbeth is a victim of Macbeth's fatal flaw, since she is drawn in, and becomes greedy for power herself. She pushes Macbeth into destruction when she adds the small touch that plunges Macbeth into a chain of murder, destruction, and lying followed by the loss of their sanity and health. After Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are well into the depths of corruption and greed, it is clearly seen that their guilt will haunt them for the rest of their lives. The harm they have caused others will be returned to them as revenge and they have lost their sanity in order to gain power. The fate of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth clearly illustrates that to embrace evil is to negate our own need for order and well being.
Macbeth's destiny and his lust for power, confirmed by the Three Witches and Lady Macbeth, leads to destruction. Every act that Macbeth commits effects the kingdom as a whole. Macbeth's indecisiveness and his understanding of success cause this destruction. This lust for power leads Macbeth, as it would all men, to an evil that exist in everyone. It is his destiny to fail.
where others may not. Macbeth is weak. He gave in to his evil side by even