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Ambition In Act 1 Scene 7 In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

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My creative piece will be a painting showing the vital theme of ambition in Macbeth. This theme is best represented at the start of Act 1 Scene 7 in Macbeth’s monologue on whether he should kill Duncan. Additionally, it reflects his actions in Act 2 Scene 2 when Macbeth kills Duncan. The painting will show Macbeth’s hands, the left hand grasping a crown and the right wielding a knife covered in blood. The right hand will have Lady Macbeth’s hand supporting it to show her influence. The knife shows Macbeth’s paranoia once he becomes King, so paranoid that his crown will be taken away that he will kill to keep his crown. Ambition is important in Macbeth because it was Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s strong ambition which made them murder Duncan for the crown. The witches used Macbeth’s ambition as a weapon knowing that it would get the best of him. Consequently, it caused the deaths of both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth and had a huge impact on the storyline. …show more content…

This is shown by the quote ‘Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself And falls on th' other.’ The quote personifies ambition and is saying Macbeth needs to leap/vault over obstacles (killing Duncan) to achieve his ambitions. The adjective ‘Vaulting’ symbolises his desire for power which is so strong that it leaps high over normal desires. Moreover, the connotations of ‘falls’ are failing and disaster. Macbeth is aware that he may fail because of his ambitions but he still does the horrible deed. Dramatic irony is employed to inform the audience of Macbeth’s emotions and foreshadows the possible murder of

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Macbeth doubts his plan to murder Duncan and is unable to motivate himself to take action. There is tension between Macbeth's unwillingness to move ahead with his plan and his acknowledgment that his ambition is leading him down a dangerous path. Macbeth notes, “I have no spur to prick the sides for the intent, but the only vaulting notes ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’ other” (1. 7. 25-29). Macbeth knows that he has lacked motivation and ambition, and he knows that it’s the only thing preempting disasters to come his way as he makes mistakes.

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In the tragic play of Macbeth written by William Shakespeare in the Jacobean era during the reign of King James I. Throughout the play, Shakespeare presents the theme of ambition through the character of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, McDuff and appearance vs reality. shakespeare presents the theme of ambition through the character of macbeth. This is shown in the quote ‘’ vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself’’ this quote suggests to the audience that ambition is to overpower and can lead macbeth to commit a sin of regicide. The adjective ‘’vaulting’’ shows how powerful ambition is and can cause macbeth to go out of his limits to kill the king. This would be seen as sinful in the jacobean era because the king was chosen by god and was part of the

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