Ambition In Macbeth Essay

Having a strong desire to rule, Macbeth is extremely ambitious. His ambition outweighs any other quality, making it undesirable. Nothing would stand in the way of Macbeth’s success once he set his mind towards something. Macbeth doesn’t have any reason why should kill King Duncan. As he is talking with himself trying to get one, the only reason to go through with the plan is because of his ambition getting in the way.

The witches prophecy that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor and later the King of Scotland. Instead of letting fate take its course, Macbeth becomes obsessed with these prophecies and tries to ensure that they come true. He first becomes the Thane of Cawdor through a combination of chance and manipulation, and later kills King Duncan to ascend to the throne.

Macbeth is considered the most evil character in Shakespeare’s play, “Macbeth”, having nefarious traits of over-ambition and selfishness. Following the events of Act 1 Scene 3, the three witch sisters foresee Macbeth’s prophecies; he will become the Thane of Cawdor, and eventually become King of Scotland. Although he finds such statements to be nonsensical, he is then proven wrong as he finds out King Duncan bestows him as Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth states, “Why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth?

Macbeth is pointing out that Duncan is not only his king, but also his houseguest. Macbeth has a responsibility to protect Duncan because he is the king of Scotland, and he also has a duty to protect Duncan because he is a houseguest. Duncan has recently awarded Macbeth the title of Thane of Cawdor, a title that Macbeth has highly coveted. However, instead of recognizing the good motives of his king and being thankful for the title when the king is visiting him, Macbeth begins to covet the king’s own title. He cannot be satisfied with the title he has been given, so he begins to plan the murder of Duncan.

Macbeth is the Shakespearean play that features the triumphant uprise and the inevitable downfall of its main character. In this play, Macbeth’s downfall can be considered to be the loss of his moral integrity and this is achieved by ambition, despite this, Lady Macbeth and the witches work through his ambition, furthering to assist his inevitable ruin. Ambition alone is the most significant factor that led to Macbeth’s downfall. The witches are only able to influence his actions through Macbeth’s pre-existing and the three witches see that Macbeth has ambition and uses it to control his action. Ambition alone is displayed throughout the play to be the most significant cause for Macbeth’s downfall.

Lady Macbeth instead shames Macbeth for feeling such a way. However, her lack of remorse changes at the end of the play when she sleepwalks and attempts to wash her hands of the guilt and cries “Out Here’s the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O!”(5.1.53-55.)

As Duncan takes a royal visit to Macbeth's castle, Macbeth, heavily persuaded by his wife, kills Duncan. Macbeth becomes the new King and begins to eliminate all whom oppose him. Eventually being slain by Macduff, one of Duncan's loyal companions. Symbolism is a key element to Shakespeare's play and holds many truths to his play. Symbolism had many instances such as: ambition portrayed through violence and greed, regret symbolized by sickness, fate symbolized by the witches' prophecy and more.

In act 1, Macbeth meets the witches and they tell him that he will become Thane of Cawdor, and later the King of Scotland. This is explained in this quote; “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail Macbeth! Hail to the, Thane of Cawdor!

While Macbeth is contemplating whether or not to kill Duncan, he thinks about the consequence that will come afterward by stating: “his [Duncan’s] virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnation of his taking-off” (1.7.18-20). This simile compares the the begging of his goodness to the angels’ compelling speech against all the wrongs that have been done to him. Even though Macbeth eventually is going to kill Duncan, he admits that Duncan is a virtuous king. In his head, he is rationalizing Duncan’s death by stating that Duncan’s good deeds will compensate bloody way of dying. Because Macbeth is still sane, he realizes that killing is not justifiable.

In William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, Act 5 serves as the climax where Macbeth and Lady Macbeth grapple with the imminent collapse of Macbeth's power, despite the realization of his once-all-consuming ambition. This act showcases the psychological disintegration of the couple as they face the consequences of their ruthless actions and their desperate attempts to cling to power. Through a series of compelling examples, this essay will delve into the emotional turmoil, moral decay, and eventual downfall experienced by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as they confront the inescapable consequences of their vaulting ambition. At the beginning of Act 5, Macbeth is portrayed as a solitary figure, isolated both physically and emotionally. The once-mighty

This confronting revelation communicates the overpowering nature of ambition and the defeminisation and villainous nature of Lady Macbeth's character. Consequently, the audience can understand how Macbeth is influenced by the power dynamics between his wife and himself. Macbeth later acknowledges his wifes fearlessness, praising her and believing her to only bear

Macbeth is a dark tale of paranoia and confusion set in Scotland in the age of Enlightenment. Macbeth a tragedy play, by Shakespeare, ambition and pride shows his positives and negatives of ambition slowly proving his downfall to the reader until his death. Taking place in Scotland where Macbeth would eventually become king for sometime. Macbeth was told by the Witches that he was soon to be king, interested by this prophecy Macbeth wanted to know more.

Macbeth shows that he is willing to kill King Duncan because he is interested in the witches prophecy, after they tell him that he will become ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and then the King.

Macbeth’s ambition is what is causing him to intervene with his prophecy and pursue his goal (rather than leave it to chance). In a way, it is Macbeth’s own “black and deep desires” that make him kill in the first place as the witches never tell him to do so. Furthermore, apart from ambition, it is Macbeth’s own weak will and moral system that causes him to do the actions that result in his downfall. Macbeth’s weak will is undeniable and is illustrated before killing Duncan. “I have of spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on the other” (I, VII, 25-28).

(I. iii. 69-70).” They leave after they encounter the witches to meet with the king. A few moments later Macbeth discovers that he has become the Thane of Cawdor. Thereby planting ideas in Macbeth’s head of what he can do to ensure his reign.