Macbeth Ambition Essay

Ambition can be like a tool, useful for building the person we want to be and what life we want to live. Just like a tool, however, ambition can be misused; left unchecked the consequences can be dire. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the nobleman Macbeth betrays several of his closest allies in a reach for power, slowly distorting his worldview and humanity. Throughout, Shakespeare perfectly demonstrates this corruption of mind and soul through Macbeth’s interactions with other characters, his personal experiences, and his attitude towards life as a whole. Upon first meeting Macbeth, he comes across as a run of the mill noble who’s well mannered and long-winded in speech. He serves his king righteously, and maintains his current

Enter Lady Macbeth, the first character that manipulates Macbeth. Not only is she the first who exploits Macbeth, but she is also the catalyst for his transformation from an optimistic, ambitious man into an apathetic psychopath. She encourages Macbeth to murder the king and take his place, realizing that Macbeth would be the next heir with Duncan and his sons, Donalbain and Malcolm, out of the way. He chooses to go through with it due to his “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself/ And falls on th’ other—” (I.vii.27-28) and his desire to satisfy his wife’s demands. In the hours before the plan unfolds it appears that Macbeth is deeply disturbed, despite not having done the deed. Not yet. He speaks and thinks in a panicked manner, and even has hallucinations. In one such hallucination, he sees a dagger “...in form as palpable/ As this which now I draw” (II.i.52-53), “I see thee still,/ And, on thy blade and dudgeon, gouts of blood,/ Which was not so before. There’s no such thing./ It is the bloody business which informs/ Thus to mine eyes.” (II.i.57-61) Beyond this point, there is pure chaos for Macbeth, a time of treason and murder, of apathy and

He murders King Duncan in his sleep, then proceeds to kill anyone who poses a threat to his reign. His once-honorable character is replaced with someone ruthless and power-hungry. Despite his newfound power, Macbeth is plagued by guilt and paranoia. He becomes increasingly isolated from his friends and family and his mental state continues to deteriorate. The role of Lady Macbeth seems to reverse as Macbeth becomes more controlling and manipulative; while Lady Macbeth is struck ill with guilt, the tyrant continues his rampage. He is hated by all those whom he rules, even former friends like the noble Macduff say that, “Not in the legions/ Of horrid hell can come a devil more damned/ In evils to top Macbeth.”(IV.iii.67-69) The crimes that Macbeth committed are no longer a secret, but he chooses to be blind to this as he continues his war against his own people. The most profound example of his transformation is his reaction to his wife’s suicide due to her guilt over Duncan’s murder and the monster she had created. “She should have died hereafter./ There would have been a time for such a word./ Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow/ Creeps in this petty pace from day to day/ To the last syllable of recorded time,/And all our yesterdays have lighted fools/ The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!”