Macbeth's Ambition Essay

Ambition is an important quality for people to embrace as the actions they take to attain their desires will bring more meaning and worth to their lives; although, sometimes this desire to realize their ambition can be taken too far, leading to the corruption of their noble acts to the corruption of their power, destroying anyone in the path at the cost of their own morality. Individuals may be tempted by their ambition to realize their desires, maybe even with the support of others, yet they may still struggle with the immorality of their actions should they move forward. If this desire is finally acted on, their ambition may become so great that even the people that support them may be considered a burden that needs to be eliminated in order

Despite his reservations, Macbeth’s ambition to attain his desires becomes greater than his moral compass or regard for the after-life, causing him to not only carry out the murder of the king and attain the crown, but destroy any friend or foe that threatens his newly acquired power. Macbeth’s ambition to maintain his powerful role as king clouds his judgement and leads to his disastrous end as his murderous actions to maintain his ambition have irreparable consequences, so powerful, that those opposed to Macbeth overcome and destroy him.Due to Macbeth disregarding his hesitations and acting on his ambition to become king, he has to consolidate his power, ridding himself of powerful forces he believes threaten his reign as king, going to extreme measures to make sure this is achieved, no matter how violent or irreparable the damage. After coming to the decision to murder King Duncan regardless of the consequences, everyone around Macbeth knows there is some kind of foul play, but Macbeth, being the murderer, is not the main suspicion for

Macbeth begins to fear being found out as Banquo has suspicions that it was Macbeth when he accuses that “[Macbeth] playd’st foully for’t,” (3.1.3) in order to make the prophecy come true for Macbeth. This threat to his newfound power becomes a reality even more, causing Macbeth to plan to eliminate Banquo and his future heir, trying to prevent Banquo from threatening his rule and Banquo’s son from inheriting his throne. Macbeth recognizes the gravity of what he has done and that his grip on power is slipping when he fearfully reveals to Lady Macbeth that he has “scorch’d the snake...not kill’d,”(3.2.13) referring to the fact that Duncan is gone, but that their are other people, like Banquo, who threaten his reign and must be dealt with to maintain his power. With rhis fear stated, Macbeth orders his first of many murders to secure his throne, sending murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, while his hands remain clean and free from suspicion. This is the first of many mistakes for Macbeth as he is successful in eliminating Banquo but not Fleance, who escapes when Banquo says to “[f]ly, good Fleance”(3.3.20) to safety. Upon hearing the news of Fleance still living, he feels as if his plan has failed, saying “[he] had else been perfect,”(3.4.21) and feeling frustration that Fleance, who is an heir, is