Macbeth Ambition Research Paper

Ambition is a strong desire to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Generally, ambition pushes people to go out to fulfill their aspirations in life. On the other hand, too much ambition may lead to terrible consequences. In the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, a war hero named Macbeth is given a prophecy from three witches, predicting that he will one day become king. After hearing this prophecy, he decides to take his fate into his own hands and murders anyone who threatens his position of becoming king. The guilt and paranoia from these killings led him to commit more murders to cover up for the previous ones, which eventually leads Macbeth into his downfall. In Macbeth, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as mentally unstable, merciless, and overconfident.

Burdened from the guilt of the murders he has committed, Macbeth begins to have strange hallucinations, which displays his loss of touch with reality. One night, Macbeth approaches Duncan’s chamber to murder him. On the way to Duncan’s chamber, Macbeth sees a floating dagger towards Duncan’s door. Macbeth questions if it is “a dagger of the mind, a false creation / Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain? / I see thee yet, in form as palpable / As this which now I draw” (Shakespeare 2.1.37-40). Macbeth questions whether the dagger is real or is it is an illusion of his mind, which demonstrates that his touch with reality is declining. His “dagger of the mind” symbolizes his thoughts about murdering King Duncan. Overwhelmed with the thought of commiting this murderous act causes him to have a “heat-oppressed brain,” which is a result of his strange hallucination. Witnessing the imaginary dagger demonstrates how Macbeth’s ambition has a negative impact on his mental