vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself and falls”
Macbeth is undoubtedly one of Shakespeare's greatest works, a tale of treachery, bloodshed, and the lust for power, containing a single topic that has fascinated literary scholars and readers alike for centuries - the power of Macbeth and its exploration of the hamartia of ambition.
The play is often cited as a prime example of the tragic hero archetype, a character who possesses a fatal flaw that leads to their downfall. In Macbeth's case, his hamartia, or tragic flaw, is his ambition. The play explores the consequences of unchecked ambition and the corrupting influence of power, highlighting the dangers of aspiring to greatness at any cost.
It tells the story of a Scottish general, Macbeth,
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However, his actions soon lead to a downward spiral of guilt, paranoia, and madness that ultimately ends in his downfall.
One of the most striking examples of the power of Macbeth's exploration of ambition can be seen in the character of Macbeth himself. At the beginning of the play, he is a brave and honourable soldier who is respected by his peers and his king as he leads the Scottish troops into victory over an invading force. His captain describes Macbeth's actions on the battlefield as “For brave Macbeth-- well he deserves that name. Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution.” In this extract of the text Macbeths’ Captain uses a number of strong verbs and adjectives to show how brave and honourable Macbeth has been. However despite all of the praises he receives, once he hears the prophecy from the witches, he does the very thing he shouldn’t.
And what is that?
He lets his ambition take over, becoming consumed with the idea of becoming king.
Macbeth goes on to describe his wish to become king as ‘black and deep desires’, which suggests he is struggling with the acts he will need to undertake to fulfill his ambition
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However, a fact upon which many of us can agree, it is his choice to act on that prophecy that leads to his downfall and the ruin of many within his kingdom.
Furthermore, Lady Macbeth only furthers Macbeth’s ambition for the throne and is in fact the one who pushes him to murder Duncan and take the throne for himself.
But in Shakespeare’s time what could possibly drive a woman who was supposed to be soft and sweet to resort to such sinful tactics?
Her infertility.
For in the Shakespearean era a woman’s main role was to marry and produce an heir, and as she was unable to do so she attempts to give him the next best thing. The crown. But in order to achieve such a feat she had to first strip herself of all her femininity “Come, you spirits. That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull. Of direst cruelty!” In this famous quote she uses imperatives to demand the