Zadie Harpster Ms, Chesney Eng2DI December 17 Strong Ambition, Gone Wrong “No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks." Mary Wollstonecraft. In other words, although ambition is generally good, it …show more content…
Having just learned that someone else is to be heir to the throne, Macbeth realizes he may have to carry out awful deeds, to take the throne. At the same time, Macbeth wants to be shielded from the brutality of the deeds his hands will carry out, such as killing Duncan. The ambition sparked by the witches starts to fade after spending time with the king and realizing he does not want to harm him. However, when Lady Macbeth finds out that Macbeth changed his mind, she is appalled by the news. She tells Macbeth that he made a promise to her and needs to follow through with it, as "[she] would, [have] plucked my nipple from his boneless gums / And dashed the brains out, had [she] so sworn as you/Have done to this''(1.7.57-58). With these words, Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband by reigniting his ambition to kill the king. After all, he does not want to disappoint his wife. Once Macbeth obtains the throne, his ambition fuels his insecurity and overrides his conscience, making him act in a ruthless, hasty manner. Macbeth's insecurity makes him doubt his valued friend Banquo’s loyalty to him, as he fears he knows his crimes because he was the only one with him when the witches spoke their prophecy. Macbeth also fears he destroyed his conscience for the benefit of only Banquo when he chose to kill …show more content…
He also depicts his fear of having his actions, such as killing Duncan and destroying his peace of mind, done for the benefit of only Banquo's children. Despite their long friendship, Macbeth can’t ignore his fears and decides to act on them by having Banquo killed. The paranoia that drives Macbeth to have his companion killed also makes him go to any means necessary to eliminate obstacles standing in his way. When he revisits the witches, they give him three new prophecies. The first prophecy given to Macbeth warns him to "Beware Macduff, beware the thane of fife" (4.1.71-72), but the second promises that "none of the women born / Shall harm Macbeth" (4.1.80-81). Macbeth decides that he now needs to eliminate Macduff and his potential danger to
He believes that he can rule as a king however he wants and that no one will be able to replace him. Macbeth feels comforted and releases some of the stress and nightmares he was previously having. His newly gained comfort gives Macbeth a false sense of security that leads to Macbeth’s poor preparation to resist the English troops. Thinking that he cannot be harmed, Macbeth does not take the necessary steps to protect Scotland and his life. When he finally encounters Macduff on the battlefield, he believes it will be an easy fight as he deems himself invincible, but he is slaughtered.
But to be safely thus.¨ (III.i.50-51). In Macbeth's soliloquy he knows Banquo knows the prophecies the witches had given Macbeth. Macbeth feels like Banquo knows the king was murdered. Another reason he takes matters into his own hands is because Banquo was given the prophecy that his sons would be king. At the end of Macbeth's soliloquy the reader sees that Macbeth already has a plan to insure
For instance, he commits multiple murders after he gets the title of King. The murder of his own friend Banquo, the attempted murder of Banquo's son Fleance, and the murder of Macduff's family all were committed to fueling his growing obsession with maintaining his status and power. Nearing the end of the play, his determination completely takes over him and leads to his downfall. The witches give Macbeth more insight near the end of the play, communicated through visions and apparitions. The apparitions tell macbeth: “Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, beware Macduff; / Beware the Thane of Fife.
4.1.167-169). Macbeth is planning to ruin everything Macduff has, to ruin Macduff as a person. Macduff is Macbeth’s biggest enemy and suspects he was the one who murdered King Duncan and plans to bring justice for his crime. Those who have committed crimes and know they are guilty will do everything in their power to prevent others from exposing or bringing justice for their
Ambition is defined as “a strong desire to do or to achieve something” (Dictionary.com). To accomplish anything, from a simple task to a daunting feat, one simply needs ambition. In William Shakespeare’s iconic play, Macbeth, the underrated danger of this initiative is introduced. Through Macbeth’s murderous rise to power, Shakespeare demonstrates the destructive force of humanity’s ambition, which remains a relevant notion today.
As she says this, Lady Macbeth puts her husband on the spot, leading him to doubt himself and lose confidence in his character. It is as if he has been called out for not being honest and putting on an act. Macbeth now feels self-conscious about not being as bold as he was when he brought up the plan, and as a result, Macbeth begins to reconsider his final decision to save
This quote illustrates how Macbeth's desire was affected by the witches' predictions and how it eventually overcame him. Later, Lady Macbeth persuades her husband, Macbeth, to kill King Duncan. By using his desire for power, she is able to manipulate and persuade him to commit the murder of King Duncan. Additionally, when she convinces Macbeth to consider the murderous deed, and he hesitates, she uses
This means that Macduff could harm Macbeth or potentially take his position as king. Macbeth believed that the only way to get rid of this threat was to have Macduff’s wife and children murdered. He later realizes that his actions are far more violent than what the witches imply. The second apparition describes Macbeth’s belief that he is immortal, the witches explain "none of women born Shall harm Macbeth. " (Shakespeare 4:1)
In the first meeting with the witches; where Macbeth is prophesied to become the Thane of Cawdor and finally king. Banquo, whom had also been prophesized to become the father of many kings, comes to a realisation that “the instruments of darkness tell us truths; win us with honest trifles, to betray in deepest consequence”. By saying this, Banquo believes that the witches will earn Banquo and Macbeth’s trust by telling them truth about little things, but if the witches decide to betray the two men, it may leave a devastating effect. Nevertheless, in contrast to Banquo’s skepticism regarding the witches, Macbeth desires to know more, “stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more”, and the idea of becoming king now occurs to him as a possibility. This suggests that Macbeth already has a deep desire for power and status; although, at this point, Macbeth is “too full o’th’milk of human kindness”, to commit himself to this immoral act of murdering the innocent
Ambition is a strong source of hope and strive for many people, and this ambition can lead to both good and bad results. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare shows how the main character, Macbeth, and his strong ambitions can be led astray by outside forces as well as his own feelings for greatness. In the play, Macbeth is a strong warrior that is respected by all, but throughout the play, he is influenced by the evil around him and ultimately turns into an ambitious monster that craves power as well as the throne. Through his ambitions, Macbeth turns corrupt and slowly becomes so evil that even his guilt feeds his ambitions. Ambition can be a good sense of strive, but when influenced and supported by the wrong people, it can also be used as a
Lady Macbeth tells him what to do, but this time, he arranges the plan with no guidance from her. Such as when Macbeth tells his wife to not worry because soon she will praise his achievement (Shakespeare 3.2 45-46). When Macbeth suggests killing Banquo to quicken the witches’ prophecies, he decides to not include Lady Macbeth in the plan yet she urges him to. He hopes that she is proud of his courage and individuality since this
Then, once Macbeth becomes King, he allows Lady Macbeth to hide any evidence of his actions, and allows her to convince him to carry on when he is doubtful. When Macbeth is plotting to kill Banquo and Fleance, he tells Lady Macbeth that he is worried and feels like his mind is full of scorpions. Lady Macbeth answers, "You must leave this," (3.2.36) and "But in them nature's copy's not externe. " Once again, Macbeth capitulates and carries out with the plan. He is constantly exhibiting his cowardice by surcoming to all of Lady Macbeth's arguments.
After achieving the title of the King of Scotland, Macbeth wants to secure his position as the king and desires to inherit the Scottish throne to his ancestors. His aim was showed in “To be thus is nothing, /But to be safely thus” (III, i, 52-3). This quote reveals that Macbeth not only wanted to become the king but also wants to secure his position as the King of Scotland for the welfare of his upcoming generation. This reveals Macbeth’s is implying the witches’ prophecies; as long Banquo’s sons live, Macbeth’s throne would not be able to inherit down to his ancestors. As the play progresses, Macbeth’s hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, as represented through, “Banquo, thy soul’s flight, /If
The road to a fatal outcome can be observed through many different qualities but excessive ambition is one of the main downfalls for most of us in society. Evil motivation due to uncontrollable and unnecessarily high ambition produces difficult obstacles in our lives. We could also become blind to making the right and moral decisions when our ambition is unrestrained. Additionally, all of the paths and routes for immoderate ambition leads to destruction and disorder. Another important note to keep in mind is that chaos and complications will be rooted from not only extravagant ambition but also poor decision making.
They told Macbeth that he was going to be king, and told Banquo that his children were going to be king. With the knowledge that there is a possibility to become king, along with the selfish human nature, noble Macbeth was easily swayed by this prophecy. At first, Macbeth’s conscience took care of his ambitions, he was afraid he would betray the king, because he knew that he was “his kinsman and his subject” (1.7.13). However as the three witches continue to encourage Macbeth with carefully chosen words, he eventually pushes his conscience away and committed crimes that were dishonourable. Macbeth, easily controlled by his ambitions, loses his noble and heroic title in fear of losing his power.