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How Does Ambition Affect Macbeth's Character

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Cholko 1 Many people have hopes and goals that they would like to accomplish. They may desire powerful positions or jobs, while others may desire prosperity and riches. This is known as ambition, the spell binding force that leads people towards success. However, ambition may result in harmful acts to get their satisfaction. In William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth, the protagonist, Macbeth, is described as a very loyal and noble soldier. As the play progresses, Macbeth’s character dramatically changes because of several different factors. These factors influence Macbeth greatly and cause him to make numerous bad decisions. The influence of the witches’ prophecies, the influence of Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth’s blind ambitions …show more content…

Macbeth’s state of mind is now centered on possible ways to become king. Macbeth is willing to do anything to gain power. (This is the point) Macbeth begins to slowly transform into a conscienceless man. Being Duncan’s kinsmen, he’s duty is to protect his king from all kinds of danger but instead Macbeths desire for power increases and starts planning the murder of Duncan. Lady Macbeth is a very persuasive and controlling person. After receiving Macbeth’s letter, Lady Macbeth’s immediate response is “That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan/ Under my battlements” (1.5.42-43). Being a loyal soldier, Macbeth becomes uncertain with the murder of Duncan is the wise thing to do. Lady Macbeth knows that Macbeth’s desire is not strong enough and uses his reputation to cause Macbeth shame. Lady Macbeth accuses her husband saying “Art thou afeard/ To be the same in thine own act and valour… And live a coward in thine own esteem” (1.7.40-41, 46) at which Macbeth takes great insult. To prove to Lady Macbeth wrong, Macbeth finally agrees on the murder of Duncan. Macbeth wants to prove to Lady Macbeth that he has the courage to kill Duncan and he is very manly and will not stop until Duncan is dead. Once he kills Duncan Macbeth begins to change mentally and emotionally. Macbeth’s hallucinations are the product of fear and guilt. In Inverness, when Macbeth is left alone, he sees a dagger in the air leading him towards

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Lady Macbeth broaches the idea of murdering Duncan to Macbeth. Appalled and distraught by Lady Macbeth’s plight, Macbeth rejects this idea, expressing his respect for Duncan, by saying “hath borne his [Duncan] faculties so meek” (1.7.17) and that Duncan represents a loyal leader. Macbeth also states that it would be a breach of hospitality to murder Duncan at this particular moment as Duncan holds the status of guest in his home, and he wants his reputation to be as a good host. Responding to his wife, Macbeth then says, “We will proceed no further in this business” (1.7.31). However, Lady Macbeth disregards this message and uses her persuasiveness to her advantage.

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Lady Macbeth even views her husband’s weaknesses as leverage to harass him into killing Duncan. This can be seen when, at one stage, Macbeth repels the idea of killing a good king and believes that the assassination should not be done, his wife demands him to kill by saying abusive words. She questions if Macbeth loves her, she questions Macbeth’s masculinity and she criticizes Macbeth’s aspiration to be king. These three brutal statements hurt Macbeth. Since Macbeth wants to prove his manhood, his love for

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Initially, Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth by planning Duncan's murder and also telling him to stronger then who is. Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth into killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he is not a men, “And live a coward in thine own esteem / letting I dare, not wait upon I would / like the poor cat i’ th’ adage” (1.7.46-49). Lady Macbeth calls him a coward and a pussy cat. Afterwards, she is mocking him by saying, he is afraid to do what it takes.

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She assembles everything that is detestable inside her body to perform the underhanded deed of killing Duncan. In the event that Lady Macbeth is truant from the story, the murder of Duncan would not occur. The fact that amid numerous parts of the story, Macbeth has vulnerability of whether it is noble to take the life of such an extraordinary ruler with a specific goal to nourish his strive after force. Regardless of Macbeth questioning regardless of whether he ought to acknowledge the murder of Duncan, he is constantly persuaded by his wife that killing Duncan is fitting. Lady Macbeth even sees her spouse's weaknesses and uses his weaknesses to bug him into executing Duncan.

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