The Loss Of Ambition In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Ambition is often regarded as a powerful force that drives us to accomplish our dreams. We are encouraged from birth to have ambition so we can be successful in life, while people without ambition are labeled careless. But what if someone is immensely ambitious? What would that result in? Would it either be achievable or lead to disastrous consequences due to high aspirations? In William Shakespeare's play Macbeth, the lead character Macbeth is a honourable, ambitious, loyal soldier who strives for more. Macbeth gradually loses his self-control and lets his actions affect the citizens of his kingdom. Although Macbeth starts of as a virtuous man, his wife’s instigations and “vaulting ambition” to become king, leads him to lose his humanity resulting in the death of many innocent lives and betraying those who love and care for him. Throughout the play Macbeth demonstrates how ambition turns a loyal soldier into a bloodthirsty murderer with each one of his ruthless murders; Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family.

In this play William Shakespeare shows how uncontrolled ambition can destroy you. At the

He thinks back to the witches prophecies, and remembers the prophecies the witches gave to banquo. Scared that he will lose his throne to Banquo’s son Fleance, he appoints two murderers to kill them. In act three scene three, the murders successfully kills Banquo, but not Fleance. Since whilst in his dying moments Banquo tells Fleance too “Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! / Thou may ’st revenge —O slave!” (3.3.19-20). This act of Macbeth shows how he has become a imbecilic serial killer and has lost mostly all humanity, since he had the courage to even hire the murderers to kill his best friend. This murder made Macbeth more powerful and dishonourable since he now perceives that he can get away with