Theme Of Ambition In Act 1 Of Macbeth

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In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, written around 1606, Macbeth encountered three witches who told him he would one day be king. After having heard the news, Macbeth considered the actions he could take to own the crown. Lady Macbeth, his wife, influenced the decision he chose to make, and Macbeth’s choices deteriorated from there. The character of Macbeth progressively becomes more ambitious, easily persuaded, and increasingly paranoid.
Once Macbeth heard of the witch’s prophecy, he became more ambitious to become king. He realized that fulfilling the prophecy could involve unlawfulness or even murder. In Act I of Macbeth, Macbeth thought to himself, “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion/Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/And
He heard voices in his head, which led to more mental deterioration. In act 1 of Macbeth, Macbeth heard a voice in his head that said, “Still it cried, “Sleep no more!” to all the house:/Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor/Shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more.” (II. ii. 40-2) Every noise startled him, and he ruminated over anyone who could get in the way of the crown. Rickford Foo says, “Paranoid, due to King Duncan’s murder, Macbeth let’s his delusional state of mind get to him. Therefore, from his original guilt of murder causes Macbeth to become paranoid and kill some more” (Foo). Paranoia took control over Macbeth, causing him to murder others such as Banquo and Macduff’s family. After murdering Duncan, Macbeth progressively became more paranoid and continued to have an unlawful behavior. The mental deterioration of Macbeth resulted from selfish ambitions, falling into his wife’s persuasions, and paranoia. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth felt guilt for murdering King Duncan and wished that he hadn’t committed the crime, but from there he had only become worse. By the end of the play, Macbeth had not only murdered King Duncan, but also others who were a threat to the crown. His character became more ambitious, easily persuaded, and increasingly paranoid throughout

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