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Ambition In Macbeth Essay

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The corrupting influence of ambition when left unchecked can contribute to the downfall of one's true self - drastically hurting their sanity and lowering their morals. William Shakespeare represents this theme of ambition as a crown in his tragedy play Macbeth. Throughout the play - the ruler, Macbeth, has to confront the repercussions of the ambitions that blinded him. From this Macbeth loses his morals, and his footing, on his sanity leading to his demise. To a degree Macbeth played a significant role in his own downfall, his ambition blinded him and caused him to commit acts of betrayal and murder Thanes and kings. Nevertheless his downfall was not without external influence: Lady Macbeth encouraged her husband to murder Duncan and threatened …show more content…

Upon hearing the witches' prophecy of his kingship, Macbeth's fixation on wearing the crown takes hold of his thoughts and desires. The impact of the crown troubles Macbeth, clouding his judgement and driving him to commit atrocious acts. In his soliloquies, Macbeth engages in an internal struggle between his conscience and his ambitions, but ultimately succumbs to the overwhelming temptation, revealing his dark desires by uttering. "Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires" (Act 1, Scene 4). This device evokes a sense of dramatic intensity and highlights his desperation for secrecy. Additionally, the crown itself serves as a potent symbol of Macbeth's ambition, overshadowing his moral values and acting as a metaphor, blinding him to the consequences of his actions. The allure of the crown entices him to sacrifice anything and anyone, regardless of the moral implications, in his ruthless pursuit of power. Macbeth's surrender to this temptation propels him further into a downward spiral of moral degradation, marking a profound shift in his character as he becomes willing to forsake his integrity for the sake of wearing the

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The play entitled Macbeth by William Shakespeare portrays Macbeth, a loyal and brave thane to the king. When a prophecy reveals he will become king, Macbeth is overcome with ambition and greed. Convinced of this prophecy and the encouragement from his wife, he is able to kill the king and take the throne. Although Macbeth was able to obtain the throne, he was was overwhelmed by power and guilt leading to internal conflict, which suggests that success is not desirable through cheating and corruption and ultimately cost more than its actually worth, Macbeth`s reckless pursuit of killing and becoming the king is representative of the power he has and what he is able to do with the power he's gained; therefore. His relentless ambition for king reveals the guilt behind power.

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As the play continues, Macbeth's desire for the throne amplifies, ultimately leading him to murder the king and manipulate those around him to secure his maintained his crown. The prophecy becomes self-fulfilling as Macbeth's ambition drives him to carry out terrible acts, which in turn causes his descent into tyranny and, eventually, his tragic downfall. Through this clever foreshadowing, Shakespeare illustrates the corrupting nature of ambition and

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In the play you are able to see that Macbeth has low moral standards. He chooses power and fame over honesty. This portrays how he has allowed his ambition to control him while ignoring the quality of being virtuous and ignoring his immense guilt in committing a murder. He attempted to hide his darkness from the world so that other people would continue to see him as a man that is worthy of honour.

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In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Macbeth begins as a man of integrity and is a noble man. Infact he was one of the king’s favorite fighters and subjects. But over time Macbeth becomes corrupt once the power and the crown are his. Macbeth first becomes power thirsty when he and Banquo were given a prophecy by the three weird sisters. The theme ambition shows up frequently in the character Macbeth, especially when it has some relation to murder and the throne, to get the throne to begin with, some examples are when he killed King Duncan, Macduff’s family and Banquo, to keep the throne.

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