Ambition is a powerful trait which can drive an individual to greatness; however, one must be careful not to let their ambition drive them so far that they end up falling over an edge. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the protagonist, Macbeth, allows his ambition to control him to such an extent, that he loses sight of what is right and wrong. Macbeth's ambition of becoming king blinds his moral compass, and leads him into a spiral of committing evil after evil. Macbeth's ambition, which is often cited as his hamartia, significantly deteriorates his mental stability, which is evident from his indecisiveness, immoral judgements, and guilty conscience. Macbeth's inability to make decisions is evident from early on in the play. In …show more content…
The use of the word "if'' sets the entire soliloquy in conditional tense. It illustrates that Macbeth is full of doubt and indecision, and is unsure whether he wants to execute the plan to kill King Duncan. Although Macbeth is trying to convince himself to commit the murder of King Duncan, his apprehensive state of mind shows that he has strong morals, which he fears to go against. The first 5 lines of the soliloquy consist of Macbeth trying to convince himself to go against his morals; however the rest are reasons arguing against the murder of the king. The use of the alliteration "deep damnation," shows that Macbeth is well aware of the fact that murdering Duncan would be a major sin against the divine order. An Elizabethan audience may view this indecisiveness as unmanly, as …show more content…
As Lady Macbeth had no input in this decision, the blame for this can be placed entirely on Macbeth. However he later hallucinates seeing Banquo's ghost at the dinner table, and has a mental breakdown in front of all the noblemen at the banquet. Macbeth, as a result of his guilty conscience, sees no point in turning back from evil; "I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er" (III.IV.169-170). Macbeth realizes that his actions cannot be undone, and it makes no difference if he continues to commit evil. Macbeth goes out in search of the witches, seeking their assistance in his plans to keep the throne. Upon hearing that Macduff has gone to England to seek help in overthrowing him, Macbeth plots to kill his entire household as a warning. Although all the other murders committed by Macbeth were depicted offstage, the murder of Macduff's son was done onstage to show that Macbeth has fallen so low, that he would go as far to even kill an innocent child. It is at this point that the audience, both Elizabethan and modern, loses any sympathy that is left for Macbeth. It seems as though Macbeth has become a sociopath that does not care for the feelings of others. Macbeth's internal conflict resurfaces at the end of the play when he has attained everything he had
He states, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise Seize upon Fife; give to the edge o' the sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls” (4.1.150-152). At this point Macbeth is out of control and is killing anybody he suspects, showing that he is clearly paranoid and delusional. Once Macduff finds out his family is killed he decides to finally kill
Macbeth’s actions demonstrate that after committing betrayal, he repeatedly executes evil doings without hesitation. He becomes dependent on betrayal and murder which leads to Macbeth’s destruction at the end of the
Macbeth being conscious of his actions show the qualities of a tragic hero as he acknowledges the fact that he brought his downfall upon
When Macbeth has “fully matured” he is able to make his own decisions, without the persuasion
Because of Banquo’s knowledge of the king’s death, Macbeth sets a hit man out to scavenge Banquo and Banquo’s father, after the hit man would kill the two. Fortunately Banquo’s death was successful, however his father managed to escape and flee the execution. Macbeth was okay that Banquo had been murdered. However his plans had a turn on him when at the guest dinner, Macbeth sees the ghost of his once best friend.
Due to Macbeth's lowered risk of safety, he continues to plot multiple murders to secure the throne, he feels moments of guilt when he sees Banquos ghost. His conscience and determination don't allow to stop him from murdering and dedicated to being happy with himself as a murderer. Due to Macbeth's ambition and paying no attention to natural order and justice, Scotland keeps falling apart. Later in the story, Macbeth gets challenged by Macduff driven by revenge and a desire to return justice to Scotland. Macbeth ends up getting beheaded by Macduff.
Macbeth makes a decision: “ From this moment/ The very firstlings of my heart shall be/ The firstlings of my hand” (IV. i. 146-48). Macbeth admits that
In William Shakespeare 's play 'Macbeth ', Macbeth changes dramatically from Act 1 to Act 5. While in Act 1 Macbeth is seen as a noble and loyal warrior which contrasts to Act 5 where he is described as a "coward" and a "tyrant". While Macbeth 's actions are promoted by the witches, Lady Macbeth and his own desire lead them to choosing the actions they undertake which drives Macbeth 's undoing. If it wasn’t for the manipulative behaviour of Lady Macbeth and the impatient ambition Macbeth displays, Macbeth may have never engaged in the actions which led to his own demise.
“He has kill'd me, mother: Run away, I pray you!” This drives Macduff to take revenge by killing Macbeth fulfilling the prophecy and ending Macbeth’s life. If Macbeth did not have so much ambition, he would not have visited the witches or even try to kill Macduff’s family. These two events demonstrate how Macbeth’s great ambition resulted in his downfall.
Killing his family was not a wise move because this just makes Macduff want to kill Macbeth even
The corrupting influence of ambition when left unchecked can contribute to the downfall of one's true self - drastically hurting their sanity and lowering their morals. William Shakespeare represents this theme of ambition as a crown in his tragedy play Macbeth. Throughout the play - the ruler, Macbeth, has to confront the repercussions of the ambitions that blinded him. From this Macbeth loses his morals, and his footing, on his sanity leading to his demise. To a degree Macbeth played a significant role in his own downfall, his ambition blinded him and caused him to commit acts of betrayal and murder Thanes and kings.
Shakespeare engineered a most impressionable character in Macbeth who easily succumbs to the extensive magnitude of opposing constraints. This character is Macbeth, who is the protagonist in the play and husband to a conniving wife, who in the end is the sole cause for Macbeth 's undoing. Conflicting forces in the play compel internal conflicts within Macbeth to thrive on his contentment and sanity as he his torn asunder between devotion, aspiration, morality and his very own being. He has developed a great sense of loyalty from being a brave soldier; however, his ambition soon challenges this allegiance. As his sincerity begins to deteriorate, his own sanity starts to disintegrate until the point where he cannot differentiate between reality
There are many people in the world that experience mental problems and therefore affecting their personality. Not everyone though is as bad as Macbeth when it comes to mental deterioration. Macbeth is a very self-centered man and it leads him to change the person he once was. Although it is not seen much in the beginning of Shakespeare's play “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, Macbeth’s mental state deteriorates as the play progresses, which can be seen when he is guilty of murdering King Duncan, being taunted by the ghost of Banquo, and his speech to the witches.
Macbeth began to go crazy and this goes to show Macbeth does not understand what it takes to be a successful leader who cares for others and is willing to be
This doesn’t stop Macbeth from continuing to commit murder for his own selfish gains and to become king but in the regrets the path he has chosen.