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Analysis Of Macbeth: A Motive That Murders Sleep

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A Motive that Murders Sleep
Ambition can either be a good driver or a reckless one. In act one, scene seven Macbeth states, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other." Macbeth, is trying to rationalize his impending murder of King Duncan. Unfortunately, as Macbeth has just explained to himself, there's no real justification for the crime—Duncan is his relative, a good king, and, furthermore, a guest at his castle. All this argues against his intent of murder, which will appear unjustifiable to mortal and divine eyes alike. Therefore, Macbeth has no "spur" to prick on his intent, which is likened to a wild steed—no motivation to inspire the murder. Continuing …show more content…

In other words, Macbeth really doesn’t have a valid reason for killing Duncan, but his desire for power is good enough to motivate him. I relate the quote as having ambition being the #1 motive for a specific goal we have. On a personal level however, I take this quote when I refer to my desire to succeed. As for me, I believe the desire for ambition is my greatest motive for studying so hard and always trying to accomplish my best possible outcome in school. I have the same aspiration as the majority of society has which is desire of being wealthy. This drive of ambitioning wealth guides my everyday school choices. Due to this ambition my school performance is great. As a society however ambition drives us to commit good or bad choices. In todays society, most people ambition wealth and this often leads to braking the law. They find themselves placed in a difficult situation in which they let there ambition guide them, selling drugs is a common and easy way people try to achieve this wealth. On the other hand, this ambition also leads them in focusing in their studies like me. The ambition which drives the majority of our society in wealth can either be good or bad depending on the method we use to achieve it. In Macbeth, the decision was obviously bad, killing king Duncan became his greatest torment leading him to doom. It all depends on what kind of ambition we let ourselves be

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Shakespeare presents the theme of ambition in Macbeth. Ambition is a strong desire to do or achieve something, ambition can also be presented in a positive and negative way. Shakespeare presents ambition in a negative way through some characters who are Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and King Duncan. The reason these characters present ambition in a negative way is because they end up dying. Ambition is also present in a positive way through some characters who are Macduff, Witches and Malcolm these are the characters who survive in the play showing that you can be ambitious but not too ambitious.

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Both greed and power, if not controlled, can lead to destruction. Throughout William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses both characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to demonstrate how ambition can change one’s personal relationships. As in the beginning of Act 1, Scene 7 Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do not share the same ambition, and it is because of this that their relationship lacks love and affection however through the use of persuasion and other means, Lady Macbeth is able to get Macbeth to pursue her ambition. This not only changes their relationship drastically but it also changes Macbeth’s attitude towards ambition. Throughout the play, Shakespeare shows us through Macbeth, the possibility for ambition to eventually turn into greed and how the lust for power may corrupt us.

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What Macbeth essentially says here is that his only motivation for killing King Duncan is his ambition. Many would argue that it was not Macbeth’s ambition that caused him to kill King Duncan but instead was his wife using her femininity in order to charm Macbeth into doing as she says . However, Macbeth’s hunger for power was already seen when King Duncan gives Malcolm the title of Prince of Cumberland. Macbeth tells himself that he must not reveal his true intentions: “Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires.”

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MacBeth is the main character in Shakespeare's MacBeth and rightfully so. He is the character that changes the most and has the greatest impact on the story. MacBeth is the one whom the tragedy is placed on, and because of this it is his story. MacBeth's dynamic character changes throughout the play driving the story forward and showing the theme of visions of power create ambition in individuals. The first point that has to be explained is MacBeth's dynamic character.

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(Shakespeare 1.3.52-55). Macbeth is influenced by his greed for power to use ruthless actions, in this case to kill Duncan to receive the crown he thinks he needs to earn that power. Overwhelmed by his greed, he is already thinking about the “murder” as he

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In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, Shakespeare portrays that motivation allows individuals to thrive for their goals, but on the other hand side, it might lead to destruction. Many times, individuals perceive motivation to remove obstacles that prevent them from achieving their goals. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, the character of Macbeth uses motivation to achieve his ambition to become the King of Scotland, after considering witches prophecies. Macbeth’s strong motivation and desire to become the king allows him to deceive King of Scotland, Duncan, because the King was the main hurdle that was preventing him from reaching his ambition.

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Ambition is defined as a strong desire to achieve something. Ambition is normally a really good thing to have, because it motivates you to reach a goal that you have set. But in this case, Macbeth had way too much ambition and so he was willing to go to any length to reach his goal, which was to become king. Another reason why Macbeth’s ambition is bad is because he wants to be king for the wrong reasons. The reason he wants to be king is not to make Scotland better, or change some things he feels are not right.

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The word “sleep” is used throughout Macbeth with various connotations. One of the ways to interpret Shakespeare's use of “sleep,” is as a symbol of innocence. This symbolism is used repeatedly in concerns to Duncan and his murder. When Lady Macbeth is unable to kill Duncan, she explains, “Had he not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done’t”

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Macbeth’s ambition is what is causing him to intervene with his prophecy and pursue his goal (rather than leave it to chance). In a way, it is Macbeth’s own “black and deep desires” that make him kill in the first place as the witches never tell him to do so. Furthermore, apart from ambition, it is Macbeth’s own weak will and moral system that causes him to do the actions that result in his downfall. Macbeth’s weak will is undeniable and is illustrated before killing Duncan. “I have of spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on the other” (I, VII, 25-28).

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