Macbeth Ambition Analysis

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EPIDEMIC: Power-hungry Consumed by the Disease that is Ambition Unbridled ambition coupled with a thirst for power is known to have adverse affects for both the host and society. Amy Quinn explores the effect of this sickness on major characters within Shakespeare’s play Macbeth and how two film adaptations strived to elucidate the intended message to modern audiences. Ambition can be likened to a disease. A disease that is beneficial in the early stages of its development but becomes insatiable once it takes hold of the host. The disease preys on any slumbering desire for power, growing in size until it claims the body and mind. Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in the 17th century, is set in Elizabethan times and focuses on a prominent Thane called Macbeth who receives a prophecy predicting he will one day be King. Consumed by ambition Macbeth and his wife (Lady Macbeth) kill the King but are soon devoured by guilt that ultimately leads to the pair’s demise. In comparison to Geoffrey Wright’s film Macbeth (2006), Roman Polanski’s transformation (1971) better conveys Shakespeare’s underlying message that when a desire for this power is combined with unchecked ambition destruction is inevitable. This invited reading is palpable through the characters of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and Macduff who all possess ambition of varying degrees. The relevance of power and ambition was clearly communicated to modern audiences through the character of Macbeth. The disease of

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