It is human nature for one to strive for more than what he has until that which he desires is unattainable. At that point, if he continues to be controlled by his ambition, his extremism will destroy himself. In modern society, people focus on advancing past others. The race for money, prestige, and merit often blind individuals from reality. This competitive mindset consumes a person. Thus, his obsession inclines him to make radical decisions that result in a complete alteration of one’s moral compass, the loss of one’s most cherished treasures, and constant fear and guilt. Authors and creative practitioners incorporate these principles frequently into literature and film. To note, William Shakespeare has written Macbeth, which denotes the …show more content…
His greed for power eradicates his moral compass; only then is he able to kill someone who he has previously sworn loyalty to. Additionally, once Macbeth becomes king, he does not have qualms about murdering Banquo, his closest friend. During the conversation between Macbeth and two of the murderers, he mentions that “so is [Banquo my enemy]” (Shakespeare III.i.116). Macbeth’s ambition quickly and effectively eradicates his attachment to Banquo and his conscience as Macbeth is blinded by the desire to seize more power. His ambition alters his moral compass, which allows him to make radical decisions that are innately forbidden. As a result, Macbeth eventually loses his allies, success, and humanity. Similarly, Anakin succumbs to his ambition, which alters his moral compass. The characterization of Anakin throughout the film and the dishonourable crimes he commits indicate that his avarice controls him. During the beginning of the film, Lucas portrays Anakin as a magnanimous and noble character. Akin to Macbeth, Anakin suppresses his ambition. However, it is agitated by evil and consumes Anakin’s morality. This is especially clear when Anakin converts to the dark side as Palpatine’s apprentice, the …show more content…
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, fear and ambition are inherently intertwined, culminating in the unravelling of Macbeth’s mind. Macbeth becomes mentally unhinged due to the fear of usurpers threatening his throne. During the night of Banquo’s death and the lords’ dinner party, Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost sitting at his seat. The witches' prophecy that Macbeth's kin shall not be king, but rather Banquo's descendants through posterity, makes Banquo the most pertinent threat to Macbeth's power. Macbeth experiences profuse fear, and the lords notice his abnormal behaviour by commenting, “his highness is not well” (III.iv.52). Although Macbeth successfully kills Banquo, his son, Fleance, escapes. Thus, his fear intensifies as he realizes Fleance’s evasion of death must be fate. Banquo’s ghost is an illustration of his fear and the deterioration of his mental stability. This fear sprouts from ambition and avarice. Macbeth will take radical measures to ensure he maintains power. Nonetheless, the fear of losing it will always be present as long as he pursues his ambition. Hence, this chain of events demonstrates that with ambition comes the fear of losing control. As well as that, Macbeth is aware that he must take all measures to secure his power. In the meantime, he shall not be able to sleep from fear and guilt. Upon a reflection of his next
Proceeding with the crime, Macbeth later receives the news that only Banquo has been killed. Macbeth’s paranoia, guilt, and shame manifest into an envisionment of Banquo’s ghost at Inverness. Upon Macbeth seeing the ghost, Lady Macbeth attempts to calm him down, to which he
In the story, Macbeth becomes nervous that Banquo will over power him. “But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared. ' Tis much he dares, And to that dauntless temper of his mind To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear.”
Macbeth at this time is blinded by greed as he kills his best friend in order to keep his political status. Macbeth and Banquo are connected spiritually because Banquo was with Macbeth as the three witches told him his prophecy. “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! / All hail Macbeth!
The presence of Banquo's ghost is a clear representation of Macbeth's superego, reminding him of the ethical norms he has violated in his pursuit of power. When Banquo’s ghost returns Macbeth states “Avaunt! and quit my sight! Let the earth hide/thee!” (Shakespeare 3.4 94) As soon as he saw Banquo again he screams out of anger deflecting his guilt with madness.
Sean Smith Mrs. Anthony Senior English 8 March 2018 The Danger of Ambition In Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth”, the author proposes a perpetual loop of struggle through his use of fate and imagery of the character’s deaths in order to express the consequences for one’s actions if they are foolish enough to make these decisions. “The Tragedy of Macbeth” is a uniquely portrayed concept of fate, internal struggle, and paradox; the story depicts a human with intentions to receive power.
When Macbeth kills Banquo he sees his ghost and starts freaking out. Macbeth had his king's meeting. He saw Banquo's ghost and got scared and Lady Macbeth told everyone he had this condition that makes him see things. Macbeth felt guilty when he killed Banquo and
In Macbeth’s third soliloquy, Banquo is vital as he is both mentally strong and wise. The soliloquy takes place after Macbeth has killed Duncan and become King, and although nobody has acted on any suspicions that Macbeth committed the crime yet, his own guilt begins to manifest into paranoia. Macbeth believes that there will be an endless amount of people who will try to strip him of his position, and his anxiety begins in Banquo. In the first third of his soliloquy, Macbeth repeats the word “fear” several times; in the same way his mind is surrounded “full of scorpions,” his speech is surrounded by panic. Having fought alongside him, Macbeth fully recognises Banquo’s “dauntless temper,” so his dread can only be amplified through going against a courageous
After the initial combat, Macbeth juxtaposes the ominous weather and military success, ‘So fair and foul a day I have not seen’, eliciting an image of an absurd, inverted world that conveys supernatural power as a tumultuous, profound force that alters and pollute the natural state of the world and will influence individuals. Following Macbeth’s enchanted reaction to the witches, Banquo cynically expresses the nature of the witches using the metaphor, ‘The instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles, to betrays’s in deepest consequences’, convoluting Banquo’s fear of manipulation due to the witches prophecy which communicates the apprehensive fear attached to supernatural power. Following Macbeth’s contradicting exclaim, Macbeth uses visceral imagery in, ‘Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair / And make my seated heart knock at my ribs’, fosters an image of fear and doubt, presented within Macbeth, engraved by the previous words of the witches intensifying the corrupting and profound force of supernatural power with its overpowering drive to influence susceptible individuals.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth uses the themes of ambition and guilt to convey the depth of human nature. Shakespeare shows that when ambition is left unchecked, it will lead to an inevitably tragic fate. Furthermore, guilt is used to teach the audience that we are unable to escape our wrong doings. Shakespeare being a Christian humanist his views are apparent throughout the play as they promote free will and christian beliefs, these beliefs along with Macbeth's ambition and guilt teach the audience much about human nature.
During a banquet, Macbeth is haunted by the ghost of Banquo, visible only to him. He exclaims, “Thou canst not say i did it: never shake thy gory locks at me”(3.4.51-52). Macbeth's guilt-ridden conscience conjured the ghost, a haunting reminder of his treacherous deeds. This hallucination exposes his inner turmoil and guilt, making him appear unhinged and paranoid in front of his guest. His guilt-fueled hallucinations and subsequent erratic behavior contribute to his downfall, as they undermine his authority and the stability of his
By seeing Banquo as a ghost, Macbeth believes that his acts have come to haunt him for revenge. The guests at the dinner party are confused by
Macbeth’s thought process is that he refuses to believe he may not have an heir to inherit the throne and it may land on Banquo’s descendants. So he determines to kill Banquo and Fleance. Eventually, Banquo dies but Fleance manages to escape. Later that day, at the banquet, Macbeth hallucinates Banquo’s ghost. In front of all the guests, he says, “never shake / Thy gory locks at me” (Shakespeare 3.4.50).
Furthermore, the murder of Banquo led Macbeth to destruction. Later in the play, Macbeth was troubled by the Banquo’s ghost. Macbeth acts out of desperation to get rid of Banquo’s ghost (III, iv, 82-7). Here, it shows Macbeth’s destruction of mind, which is fuelled by his fear and guilt. Eventually, Macbeth’s
But soon his actions came back to haunt him in the form of Banquo’s ghost. During a great feast hosted by Macbeth, the ghost emerged to terrorize him. The ghost said nothing, but was merely there to remind Macbeth that he could not escape the shame of his crimes. In doing so, the ghost caused Macbeth to slowly drown in his guilt, and it eventually drove him mad because the ghost was an unending reminder of what he had done. This caused Macbeth to spiral down into complete insanity as his guilt overtook him and all rational thought that he once had.
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.