Ambition is defined as the strong desire to achieve a specific goal and is often driven by determination. It can guide people to achieve goals and aspirations, and some are willingly to do anything in order to satisfy their ambitious personalities. The French military and political Napoleon Bonaparte successfully defined what ambition truly is by stating, “Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them.”
How the Ambitions of Macbeth and Commodus Leads to their Inevitable Downfalls Ambition, “a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work” (Google). The characters of Macbeth and Commodus within William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth and Ridley Scott’s movie Gladiator, both display ambition in its worst form. Macbeth and Commodus shared a very similar route to power after being swallowed by ambition; both characters gained their seat on the throne through deception, family, and murder. Firstly, One tool used by both characters was their different ways of deceiving their peers to get what they want. Macbeth’s first act of deception was much like Commodus’; they both killed the King of their respective countries to try and take the crown for themselves.
The ambition for satisfaction can consume a person’s entire existence to themselves and others. Although having ambition is considered a good thing, it can be taken too far and hurt others around us. Ambition can get in the way of how people perceive others feelings and might not see how it affects others like how in The Great Gatsby, Gatsby's ambition for Daisy was so strong that he didn’t stop to think about how the situation was affecting her. Gatsby went and told Tom that Daisy never loved him, and that hurt Daisy because she did love Tom at one point.
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.
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.
To conclude, ambition is a powerful force. It can be fueled by visions of power and lead people to change. This is best seen in MacBeth's character dynamic character. He changes from a good person, to someone who will kill anyone in his way to
Ambition and self-fulfilling prophecies two seemingly unrelated things that are actually intertwined with one another. Ambition is the thing that drives many people to do the things they love. Self-fulfilling prophecies are a direct result of ambition by the person subconsciously doing things to get their foreseen future. These things help the advancement of people’s lives. It is part of life to want to succeed and have dreams be fulfilled.
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.
In today’s society many people possess strong ambition when it comes to getting a job, following a passion and being immensely successful in life. Having an abundance of aspirations can have both successful and faulty outcomes depending on the situation and how individuals respond to the circumstance. For example, in the play **Macbeth written by Shakespeare, a prime example of an excessive amount of ambition is displayed through both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s actions. Essentially, Macbeth becomes power hungry and goes on a rampant killing spree that causes Lady Macbeth and Macbeth to be overcome with guilt. They both contain an excessive amount of desires due to their ultimate goal being for Macbeth to be crowned king.
Ambition has a major role in the play Macbeth. One of the main things for a character such as Macbeth. Ambition lead him to commit the murder of Duncan, and losing Everything he had. In the beginning of the play Macbeth celebrated as he was brave soldier as he rewarded. He becomes the thane of Coward, as predicted by the three witches.
It is human nature to want power, to be at the top of the pyramid, to be king/queen, but that comes at a price as shown in Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will do anything to have absolute power and nothing stands in their way. From killing to going completely mad, they will become the next king and queen at all costs. The ambition and the want for power is so high that they kill many, they do whatever they can to be one step closer, and they go completely insane, all because they want that absolute power.
Ambition is a candle; a leading light with a willpower that guides one to the next light. Yet a wind appears in the opposite direction; making its way to the candle. The strength of the flame will not remain as the wind reflects the malicious change. Poet, William Shakespeare, in his play, “Macbeth”, portrays an intrepid man who loses his humanity and rushes his fate of becoming king; turning into the most hated man in his kingdom. Shakespeare’s purpose is to expand the consequences of leading with an egocentric mentality and depicting the limits of one’s ambition.
What is ambition? Ambition is the determination to achieve one’s goals. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the protagonist, Macbeth, possesses ambition, which led to his downfall. In the play Macbeth’s ambition is driven by prophecies from witches and his wife’s aspiration. Ambition caused Macbeth to commit multiple homicides and after those wrongdoings Macbeth is left with nothing.
Ambition is a natural part of human existence, every person has it at least a little. It is when ambition grows too large and takes control of us that it becomes dangerous. It becomes obsessive and soon nothing will stop the person obsessed. Just by looking around at our world today, one can clearly see the results of unchecked ambition. Unchecked ambition can be destructive to a society and cause the society's downfall.
Ambition is when you have the determination or desire to want to achive something no matter how hard you have to work to get it. For example, in Macbeth both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth strive to be powerful, and they are willing do to anything they can to achieve that goal even if that means being dishonorable. This is relevant today, because ambition is a big key to living in the 21st century. If you do not have ambition, you will not be successful. You have to want to get through college, work, school, or even the “social event the could be big for your career,” therefore if you have ambition it will be a breeze getting through all these things.
