Theme Of Ambition Is Responsible For Macbeth's Downfall

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In the story “Macbeth”, Macbeth was considered a very well-respected warrior. He was known for being chivalrous as well as ambitious. Although ambition is typically a good thing, Macbeth turns it into the complete opposite. He lets his ambition get the best of him and it ruins Macbeth entirely. He was given the title Thane of Cawdor and, due to greed, he continued to push for more. There were numerous factors that led to the selfish acts that Macbeth portrayed, but, in the end, he only had himself to blame. One of the most prominent themes throughout the story is that ambition can lead to greed which can be problematic. After being awarded Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth is told, by witches, that it his fate to be king one day. Instead of Macbeth allowing fate happen as it should, he took matters into his own …show more content…

“The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step; On which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be; Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see”(Shakespeare 10). Macbeth says this once he finds out that Malcolm is heir to the throne of Scotland. At this moment, he feels as if he has to take action to guarantee his position as the potential king. This very moment is the turning point of the story; it is where the greed and excessive ambition start to kick in. From the moment that Macbeth is told he will be the king of Scotland, he becomes impatient and greedy. Not only him but his wife as well, learn almost immediately how poisonous greed can be. The two made terrible decisions simply because they wanted power. This lust for a title earned them tragic deaths in the end. The most common theme within Macbeth is that ambition has the potential to turn into greed. This greed that is formed is dangerous and will never result in a positive

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