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Macbeth's Ambition

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Ambition. One of the most controversial topics that critics of Macbeth can talk about. It’s in almost every aspect of the play. Every major character in Macbeth has their own ambitions. The characters that have self-centered ambitions and create violence are some of the more memorable characters in the play. Ordinarily, Macbeth or his wife, Lady Macbeth might come to your mind right away. Although, there is a fair amount of characters that have honorable ambitions as well, such as Macduff. Shakespeare explores all the different angles of ambition through almost a microscopic lens not missing anything. Really showing you what is too much ambition and what the consequences are. There is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the best sources …show more content…

At this point in time Macbeth is ambitious in battle and is confident in himself. Nevertheless, it does not exceed an ambition to be the best at battle. After this battle Macbeth and his comrade Banquo come across the witches. This sets in motion the entire story. One of the witches says “All hail, Macbeth to thee, thane of Cawdor” (Shakespeare, 1/3/60) this of course surprises Macbeth, he is not the Thane of Cawdor. Then one of the other witches says “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” (1/3/61). This is where Macbeth’s ambition to become the king starts to overcome him, he starts to imagine what it would be like to be king of Scotland. Although, he dismisses it as there is no way he could ever become king. When he is awarded with the title of Thane of Cawdor a couple of moments later he then realizes that his children may be in the next spot to crown. Later in the day, Duncan makes it official that Macbeth will become the thane of Cawdor, he proceeds to tell Malcolm that he is to become the next heir to the throne. Obviously, this maddens Macbeth as now his children will not become kings or queens. In the end this pushes Macbeth’s emotions to just about the breaking point. He is quite upset about this fact, but not upset enough to do anything. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth is red faced mad about this atrocity. Eventually, pushing his hand to kill the king through playing with his sense of masculinity. Once he kills the king his vaulting ambition just becomes more intense this causes him to almost become absolutely insane and commit terrible acts to climb to the top, and stay there. Fast forward a couple of days, after Macbeth has already became king his vaulting ambition to become the king has left one vital piece untouched. Banquo. Banquo was there with Macbeth when the witches gave them their prophecies. Banquo has suspicions that Macbeth was involved with the murder of Duncan so

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Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor / All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter!” (1.3.46-49) This quote sets the motion for the rise and tragic fall of Macbeth. Macbeth after hearing these words spoken to him is filled to the brim with mixed feelings that cause him to lose grasp upon himself and his nobleness. Macbeth was ordinarily noble and devoted to his country prior to the incident with the witches which led him to be blinded by his overwhelming sense of cupidity.

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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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However, after he does become the Thane of Cawdor he starts to believe that what they have said may be true after all. Since he became Thane of Cawdor, he awaits for the best to come which is to become king. “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” He begins to trust them and although it may seem that it was his fault when he killed Duncan, had they not implemented the idea of being king into his head, he would not have killed him.

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Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” by using exclamatory sentences and diction to add a sense of foreboding and shows the witches as agents of chaos, this first the prophecy that turns the story into one where we question wether the strory is one of fate or of flaw. By repeating “All hail, Macbeth!” This is when we see him first questioning his actions. Another example of Macbeth being forced to do anothers bidding is when his wife lady Macbeth belitals him by saying, “When you durst

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(2.1.4-5). Banquo, although experiencing the same things as Macbeth and generally possessing the same characteristics of Macbeth has more control and restriction on his mind and actions than Macbeth does. Macbeth, being Banquo’s friend, eventually sees him as a threat to his mission and kills him off.

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His capricious and malicious acts prove how naive and vile he is as a person. Macbeth even attempts to kill Banquo to prevent any trace of his nature from making him, a “fruitless crown.” Macbeth states, “Must lave or honors in the flattering streams, and make our face vizards to our heart, disguising who we are,”(3.2.45). With such desperation, Macbeth is willing to include other people in his premeditated murder. By having Lady Macbeth be part of his plot to kill Banquo, Macbeth reveals two things about himself: That he does not value those around him, even if they are his loved ones, and that he places his personal success over all aspects of his life.

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(I. iii. 69-70).” They leave after they encounter the witches to meet with the king. A few moments later Macbeth discovers that he has become the Thane of Cawdor. Thereby planting ideas in Macbeth’s head of what he can do to ensure his reign.

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Additionally, it also accentuates the unjust nature of Banquo’s murder later on. This is due to the fact that unlike Macbeth, he remained true to his reputation until his death. The night that King Duncan is scheduled to visit Macbeth’s, Lady Macbeth warns him to act normal to avoid suspicion and

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Being that Banquo seemed suspicious of Macbeth subsequently the night of the king 's death. Apprehensive of his throne Macbeth would do anything in his power to prevent even the slightest chance for anyone to take the throne from him.

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After a battle with rebel forces lead by Macdonwald in Act 1, Macbeth and Banquo were on their way to meet Duncan to give him a full report of the battle. However, as they walked, they came upon the witches who greeted only Macbeth until Banquo bade them speak to him. They hailed Macbeth the Thane of Glamis, which he was, Thane of Cawdor, which he did not yet know, and hailed him to be the future King. After the visit from the witches, Ross and Angus ran up to them and hailed him Thane of Cawdor, a title that Duncan gifted him for his part in winning the battle. Once the witches’ prophecy began to come true, Macbeth was smitten by the idea of being King, though he didn’t really want to kill Duncan and his sons for it.

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In August 1606, the play Macbeth – written by the ultimate playwright William Shakespeare- was published. Macbeth discusses how murder and greed can be altered to a point where it becomes a person's way of acting and thinking. Lady Macbeth is the leading character in the play of Shakespeare. Her ambitions and power is the main reason for her corruption. She used her position to gain power and stay strong enough to support her husband and lord, Macbeth, however it drove him to evil, causing him to murder and cause distractions.

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All hail, Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter.” (Shakespeare 17). Macbeth becomes startled and confused for he is the thane of Glamis, but not the thane of Cawdor and certainly not the king. The witches disappear and then Ross and Angus enter the scene also hailing Macbeth. They then state that he is the thane of Cawdor.

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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.

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