Macbeth Ambition Research Paper

Ambition is the driving force of humankind; the goals and dreams that keep society afloat and moving forward despite neverending setbacks. Without ambition, the world would be drastically different. People would lack the motivation to overcome a life which is full of setbacks, and people who try to tear down dreams before they can even become reality. Ambition is the necessary power required to give a final push towards the fight for life, hopes and aspirations because what is the point of living a life in which one does not strive to be better, improve and achieve goals? The fault lies when one becomes overly ambitious, taking the healthy dose of ambition and multiplying it to the extreme. This excessive ambition, especially when used for

What a person uses their ambition to accomplish is the deciding factor in whether the action is good or bad. Shakespeare's Macbeth illustrates the death and destruction that results from the unholy combination of too much ambition and a lack of morals. After learning of his life prophecy from the three witches that he “shall be king hereafter” (Shakespeare 1.3.53), Macbeth contemplates how to handle the prophecy and toils over murdering Banquo, the current king, however, his morals are still standing. After his wife, Lady Macbeth manipulates him into joining her plan to kill Banquo, Macbeth is filled with guilt and turmoil asking himself, “my thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smother'd in surmise” (Shakespeare 1.3.152-155), as his conscience holds him back, but the temptation of becoming king and his “vaulting ambition” (Shakespeare 1.7.27) overshadow all morals. Macbeth’s guilty conscious follows him everywhere, torturing him with nightmares and visions of the dead, but as he gains more power, his acts as king on become more corrupt. Macbeth begins to spiral into a murderous rampage fully allowing letting his ambition get the best of him and setting all morals aside. Where killing Banquo was a tragic and terrifying act for Macbeth to commit as his morals were still evident, he fully loses all morals after learning the second prophecy of his downfall. With the attempt to maintain his power and his ambition getting the best of him, with confidence he declares he that “the castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line” (Shakespeare 4.1.171-174). Macbeth has no trepidation killing all of Macduff’s family as he did with Banquo