Macbeth: The Power Of Ambition

The undeniable power of ambition and its aftermath are portrayed in William Shakespeare’s, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”. In the play, we discover that the main character Macbeth is very ambitious, courageous and a moral coward. All these characteristics lead to his down fall. These characteristics are represented throughout the play with his actions. At the beginning of the play Shakespeare describes Macbeth as a hero. But however, his ambition overcame his good nature when the three witches professed Macbeth a prophecy and it caused Macbeth to believe everything they said. When they told him he would one day be king of Scotland, he decided to take the bloody path, which gradually led him to more power. Macbeth’s power and ambition unfortunately

Later in the play when Macduff was informed of Macbeths actions against his family, Macduff knew Macbeth was no longer suited to be king over Scotland. “Front to front bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself. Within my sword’s length set him. If he scape, Heaven forgive him too.” (Macbeth, IV, iii, 235-238). The other acts of ambition by Macbeth had a very noticeable impact on the main characters. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were equally afflicted because of their ambitious acts. Both were affect by guilt because of their ambition, Lady Macbeth eventually killed herself because of it. "How is’t with me when every noise appalls me? What hands are here? Ha, they pluck out mine eye.” (Macbeth, II, ii, 56-57). Along with this, Malcom knew that Macbeth’s ambition was widespread during his tyranny, and he wanted to prevent it from being present in the future. He ensured it would not happen by testing Macduff. He wanted to see if Macduff is honorable and trustworthy to Scotland. Ambition not only transformed Macbeth into a selfish tyrant, but he continued to murder the innocent in his path without considering what his decisions would have on the wellbeing of

In the beginning of the play we see that Macbeth has done a good deed for Scotland and receives applause from King Duncan. “But all’s too weak; For brave Macbeth…” (Macbeth, I, ii, 15-16). In addition to this, Macbeth was greatly struggling with moral conflicts when he was deciding to kill King Duncan. He had not gained any significant power, but it was clear he had basic morality. After killing King Duncan, he obtained the position of king and did not look back. Although he was suffering from guilt, when he had to decide the ending of someone’s life, he did not have to consult his morals. It should also be said that once he moved into a powerful position, he no longer need Lady Macbeth to make poor choices. As Macbeth’s independence grew, his pride developed turning him into a tyrant. “From whom this tyrant holds the due of birth.” (Macbeth, III, vi, 25). Macbeths most ambitious moment was best summarized in the last act of the play when the Three Witches give him their final prophecy. They say that, “…none of woman born shall harm Macbeth,” and “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood…shall come against him.” (Macbeth, IV, i, 80-81,93-93). After hearing this from the witches, Macbeths believes that he cannot be killed. However, his arrogance serves him a deadly blind spot. Macbeths fails to recognize that Macduff was born from a