Macbeth's Ambition Essay

Ambition is a powerful trait which can drive an individual to greatness; however, one must be careful not to let their ambition drive them so far that they end up falling over an edge. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the protagonist, Macbeth, allows his ambition to control him to such an extent, that he loses sight of what is right and wrong. Macbeth's ambition of becoming king blinds his moral compass, and leads him into a spiral of committing evil after evil. Macbeth's ambition, which is often cited as his hamartia, significantly deteriorates his mental stability, which is evident from his indecisiveness, immoral judgements, and guilty conscience.
Macbeth's inability to make decisions is evident from early on in the play. In

The use of the word "if'' sets the entire soliloquy in conditional tense. It illustrates that Macbeth is full of doubt and indecision, and is unsure whether he wants to execute the plan to kill King Duncan. Although Macbeth is trying to convince himself to commit the murder of King Duncan, his apprehensive state of mind shows that he has strong morals, which he fears to go against. The first 5 lines of the soliloquy consist of Macbeth trying to convince himself to go against his morals; however the rest are reasons arguing against the murder of the king. The use of the alliteration "deep damnation," shows that Macbeth is well aware of the fact that murdering Duncan would be a major sin against the divine order. An Elizabethan audience may view this indecisiveness as unmanly, as

As Lady Macbeth had no input in this decision, the blame for this can be placed entirely on Macbeth. However he later hallucinates seeing Banquo's ghost at the dinner table, and has a mental breakdown in front of all the noblemen at the banquet. Macbeth, as a result of his guilty conscience, sees no point in turning back from evil; "I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er" (III.IV.169-170). Macbeth realizes that his actions cannot be undone, and it makes no difference if he continues to commit evil. Macbeth goes out in search of the witches, seeking their assistance in his plans to keep the throne. Upon hearing that Macduff has gone to England to seek help in overthrowing him, Macbeth plots to kill his entire household as a warning. Although all the other murders committed by Macbeth were depicted offstage, the murder of Macduff's son was done onstage to show that Macbeth has fallen so low, that he would go as far to even kill an innocent child. It is at this point that the audience, both Elizabethan and modern, loses any sympathy that is left for Macbeth. It seems as though Macbeth has become a sociopath that does not care for the feelings of others. Macbeth's internal conflict resurfaces at the end of the play when he has attained everything he had