Effects Of Ambition In Macbeth

In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, it is shown that ambition can be beneficial and harmful at the same exact time. When a person has ambition, they would do almost anything to get what they want. In the case of Macbeth, he wanted to do anything in his power to become the King of Scotland and retain that rule. With ambition, you should never have too much or even too little. Let life play out the way it should be, fighting fate will never end well. Macbeth shows that he his ambition the second he thinks about murdering Duncan. Even though he does, he isn’t very confident in his thoughts. He says to himself, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical / Shakes so my single state of man.” (1.3.152-153) Macbeth realizes that some of what the witches foretold had come true.

While talking to Macbeth on the realness of the prophecies he says, “But ’tis strange. / And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s / In deepest consequence.” Banquo believes that the witches are trying to trick both of them into their own destruction and he is absolutely correct. For all he knows, these “witches” could be anyone. Banquo doesn’t trust the witches but goes along with what Macbeth says. After seeing Macbeth takes the place as Thane of Cawdor, his thoughts about the situation had changed. “I dreamt last night of the three weird sisters: / To you they have show'd some truth.” (2.1.25-26) Banquo thinks that he might have a shot of fulfilling his side of the prophecy. Macbeth pretends as though he completely forgotten about them. At this point in time Macbeth realizes that Banquo has got to go the same way Duncan does. If Banquo were to be more ambitious, he could have already did things to make his son’s kings. Instead of Macbeth killing Duncan, Banquo would and then he would convince the lords about his son