Ambition In Macbeth Analysis

Throughout the story of Macbeth, Macbeth’s ambition for power, provoked by his significant other, Lady Macbeth, and the witches’ prophecies consumed his life. At first he committed murder against King Duncan so he could become king himself, but the one murder had a domino affect. Although ambition can be a positive attribute for someone to acquire, Macbeth’s ambition began in Act One and proved dangerous as his death approached in Act Five. In Act One of Macbeth, Macbeth and Banquo meet three witches that tell them three prophecies. One at a time, each witch mentioned a prophecy, “All hail Macbeth, Thane of Glamis! / All hail Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor! / All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1:3 49-51). What the witches said was

She persuades Macbeth into murdering Duncan. Macbeth was reluctant to commit the murder. During Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s conversation he mentioned, “If we should fail?” (1:7 59) and Lady Macbeth replied with a long statement explaining that they will not fail. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth then configured their plan: Lady Macbeth was to make the guards drunk and ring the bell once it is safe for Macbeth to go kill King Duncan. Once Macbeth completed his mission, he went back to Lady Macbeth with the bloody daggers and proudly stated, “I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise?” Lady Macbeth became enraged when she saw he had the daggers and told him he needed to bring them back to the crime scene. Macbeth also says how he heard someone scream, “murder!” (2:2 25-26). This is a sign of Macbeth’s dirty conscious. Although Macbeth’s conscious is in this state, it becomes overridden by his ambition for power. Even while knowing killing someone is sinful, he still murders his beloved king and friend, Duncan. Without Lady Macbeth pressuring him the way she did, Macbeth will not gain the ambition and immense strive for power he does