Macbeth's Unchecked Ambition Analysis

The play Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare about an ambitious nobleman, Macbeth, who is given prophecies from three strange witches. He is motivated to make these prophecies come true regardless of the consequences. In the play, Macbeth has unchecked ambition which eventually leads to his death. For example, one of the prophecies proclaims he will become king. Instead of letting this naturally happen, the ambitious Macbeth thinks he should kill the king and take the throne right away. “If good, why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair” (1:3:136-137). His ambitions are too strong to let things naturally play out. He invites the king over and hosts a grand dinner in name of the king. The king feels

“The moment on ’t; for ’t must be done tonight,” (3:1:131). The murderers are able to kill Banquo, but his son escapes. This does not please Macbeth. but there is nothing he can do now. He has another encounter with the witches and he is given more prophecies. On of them tells him he needs to be aware of Macduff. At this point, his paranoia has grown to new heights and he fears anyone in the Macduff family is a threat. To avoid being overthrown, his ambitions lead him to have Macduff and his family killed without a second thought. “Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword / His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls” (4:1:152-153). Though when the murderers go to kill them, only Macduff’s family is home. When Macduff hears word that Macbeth has murder his family, he seeks revenge in the only way possible: kill Macbeth. “Hail, king! For so thou art. Behold where stands / The usurper’s cursèd head. The time is free” (5:8:54-55). Killing Macduff’s family was Macbeth’s last straw. His ambition to become king and stay king led to his death. As the play suggests, too much ambition can be harmful. Macbeth’s inability to keep it in check proved it to be