Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
The role of power and ambition in macbeth
Power in macbeth
The role of power and ambition in macbeth
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The role of power and ambition in macbeth
Power in macbeth
The role of power and ambition in macbeth
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.” – (Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 4 Line 51-52). Macbeth is the main character of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. He shows some of the most prominent and dramatic versions of character traits throughout the story. Courage, ambition, and paranoia is the most prominent ones throughout the story, and the ones covered in this essay.
Macbeth’s personality as a dynamic character changes throughout the play as opposed to a static character like Lady Macbeth, whose fixed goal is to kill King Duncan. A dynamic character allows Shakespeare to create a tragic hero, since Macbeth is of noble birth, goodwilled and transitions to evil natured and faces his downfall. The alterations Shakespeare makes for King Duncan and the events that surround his demise, reveals Shakespeare’s feelings regarding the monarchy, which serves dramatic and thematic purposes. These changes exemplify Duncan’s kingly virtues and underlines the calamitous ramifications for slaying the monarch. Shakespeare’s
He changes his personality from being a brave and loyal soldier, to a man who is almost insane, driven by an unhealthy ambition and desire to rule the country as King, above all others. The pivotal moment is when Macbeth kills Duncan. After this he goes on a downward spiral of regret and yet does not stop there. He continues to kill and destroy. Eventually Macbeth feels he has gone so far over the line that he may as well continue.
Nobility of Birth, is the first requirement for a tragic hero: the hero has to start off as a hero, respected and often of royal descent. Macbeth, starts off the play in this state. Macbeth has just won a major battle, already is a Thane of Glamis and is about to become Thane of Cawdor, which are positions of nobility. Macbeth is described in the beginning as, “Brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel” (Shakespeare Act I, Scene II). The moral character of Macbeth, at this moment is clear.
When we are first presented with the character of Macbeth he is pictured as a noble and loyal warrior. However, once his future is presented to him by the witches saying that he, Macbeth, is to become the next great King of Scotland, he begins to lose focus and makes the wrong decisions. Macbeth begins to only make choices that will benefit only himself and to gain power. Becoming almost unrecognizable to the person he once was. After confronting his wife, Lady Macbeth, he isn't the only one with a lust for power.
Macbeth’s character traits and self shifts significantly as a result of both internal and external factors. An individual’s identity can alter and evolve throughout a sequence of events as a result of other’s opinions and inner doubts. This is well shown in Shakespeare's play Macbeth, Macbeth is initially a well respected, honoured good man. He is most well known for his accomplishment on the battlefield and is admired by many people especially the Captain and King Duncan. He shows great appreciation for all that he possesses at this point.
Macbeth’s mental condition begins to dwindle as time goes on, starting with the murder of Duncan. At first, Macbeth is seen as a soldier that everyone aspires to be, strong, brave, and compassionate about his duties to the king. In act one scene two, Captain says, “...For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-...” This shows that he is a likeable person who has only the objective of serving his king. After meeting with the witches and hearing his prophecy, Macbeth starts to think about what it would be like to be king of Scotland.
Throughout this whole semester it seemed as if the all the novels that were assigned to read were, in some way, related to the nature of man. People would have thought about this topic before this prompt was issued because of the content, theme, and the morals each book offered their audience. They can give you enough examples in each book that they have read this semester to support the their claim, but they are only going to focus on the three most powerful examples. They would be most likely start with Macbeth. It is well aware that Macbeth was not meant to be read, so much as seen, but it could still be understood the lesson that it was meant to teach.
Macbeth is one of Shakesphere’s most well known plays, and for a good reason. It is also one of the most relatable plays due to its many displayed universal character traits.. Macbeth’s main character, Macbeth, shows off a wide range of complex character traits. These traits range from being very relatable to not being relatable at all. However, there are three of Macbeth’s character traits that almost everyone should be able to relate to.
Macbeth shows his downfall when the English army comes to his castle and an English soldier starts to call him a “tyrant”(5.2.12). This demonstrates Macbeth's downfall because everyone used to think that he was a good strong leader and that he could do anything. When everyone realized that it was Macbeth who killed king Duncan and the others, they were disappointed in him. His downfall ended up leading to his punishment. In the play everyone finds out that that Macbeth killed Duncan and the others, Macduff brings an army to attack Macbeth at his castle.
Macbeth from The Tragedy of Macbeth was a Scottish general and thane of Glamis. Three witches approached him and his friend, Banquo, and prophesied their future, calling Macbeth the thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland. He was then given the title of thane of Cawdor after the previous thane was executed for treason. Upon realizing the witches’ words were true, Macbeth contemplates murdering King Duncan and finally kills him, thus gaining the throne. Throughout the story, his various traits are shown through his actions, words, and thoughts.
From being a respected soldier, to killing King Duncan, Banquo and Mcduff’s family, Macbeth has turned from a noble man into a tyrant. His once noble heart and kind soul has transformed into a cold and bitter one. You can say that Macbeth was a victim, but we must also consider the horrors of his actions, and his downfall as a tragedy. At every turn of the book, he was fighting inner enemies, falling to ambition and the misanthropic spiritual world. There was no stopping after killing Duncan, and he will do anything to protect his throne, battling against the suggestion of fate, and manipulations of his wife the whole time.
As people read literature, it can pose many benefits to them by offering help in their lives. One of these benefits is that it warns people about hubris and teaches them to happy with what they have in life and not sad about what they don’t. There are some classic writings, such as Harrison Bergeron, by Kurt Vonnegut, and Macbeth, by Shakespeare, which are prime examples of pieces of literature which have subliminal messages warning us to not be over ambitious. There are also contemporary writings, specifically an article about Trump, by Callum Borchers, which give us examples of present day people who are being affected by their own ego. When people read others writing, whether it is contemporary or classic literature, they are taught about how it is human nature to always want more than they currently have and the dangers that can arise from not being humble, which helps shape their identity and can be used as a guide throughout life.
Whereas in Macbeth many of the character’s were once a great people until the play started to come to an end. Macbeth subsists to be a very noble leader to King Duncan. The witches prophecies drove him into becoming
Macbeth’s impatience for power leads to drastic actions. He murders the king in the belief that “this blow might be the be-all and end-all” (1.7.5). This assassination could never “trammel up the consequence” (1.7.2-3), as Macbeth believes, but only leads to more trouble. Although Macbeth seizes the throne, Macbeth had to betray his loyalty to the king whose “virtues will plead like angels” (1.7.18-19), and his morality has paid the price. Macbeth has now lost all sense of what honor is by using such dishonest ways to become king.