ipl-logo

Macbeth's Ambition Research Paper

434 Words2 Pages

“Ambition is but the evil shadow of aspiration” - George MacDonald. In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth gets a prophecy from 3 witches that he will become king. Macbeth, out of his ambition and selfish desires to rule, kills the king with the help of his wife, Lady Macbeth. Macbeth goes on a murder spree, but is eventually bested by his rival, Macduff. Ambition leads people to commit violent acts out of their own selfish needs. Macbeth ultimately decides to murder King Duncan, out of his ambition to become king. Macbeth talks to himself, going back and forth, thinking if he should kill King Duncan, and ultimately decides to kill him and solemnly states “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but …show more content…

Lady Macbeth, in her letter to Macbeth tells him that he has too much kindness, and is not manly enough to kill King Duncan. “Yet do I fear thy nature. It is too full of ‘the’ milk of human kindness”. This quote means that Macbeth is too filled with kindness and compassion to ever think of murdering someone, nor attempting to do it. Although Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have done terrible things, they have expressed emotions such as regret and guilt, showing that they are not heartless. Lady Macbeth mourns over the blood on her hands, and desperately tries to wash it off, but it does not come out. ““Out damned spot!... Yet who would have thought that the old man had so much blood in him? Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.”(Macbeth Act 5, Scene 1).” This quote means that Lady Macbeth is astonished by how much blood is on her hands, and she cannot sweeten or clean her hand off. Macbeth continues to remind readers that ambition can be a good thing, but too much of it will result in violence and mania. It is important that we do not let ambition get to our heads, as has happened before with various leaders, the most infamous being Adolf Hitler. The play “Macbeth” perfectly illustrates the words of George McDonald “Ambition is but the evil shadow of

Show More
Related

Examples Of Guilt In Macbeth

645 Words | 3 Pages

"Here's the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand" (5.1.50-51). Lady Macbeth went on a delirious rant while sleepwalking during the final act; during which she exclaimed how guilty she felt and she won’t be able to escape her past mistakes. Her delirious state would eventually end with her demise, as most iterations of the play have her committing suicide off stage. To conclude, Lady Macbeth in the end fell to her demons, as her guilt led to a declining mental state which would end up in her

Read More

Juxtaposition In Macbeth

1181 Words | 5 Pages

But, as the consequences of their actions begin to come to light, Macbeth becomes more determined while Lady Macbeth loses her forceful spark. Although apathetic for the most part, guilt over her involvement in the murders inevitably riddles Lady Macbeth. This guilt drives her into a state of distress where she believes “[h]ere’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of / Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, Oh, Oh!”

Read More

Macbeth Ambition Research Paper

865 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth; Ambition to Culpable Although ambition can be useful in getting situations taken care of, it can also have a negative impact on decision making if not under control. Ambition can persuade a person to put other people’s needs aside and become selfish by seeking to fulfill their own goals. Consequences of this can lead to a person becoming aware of the dishonorable results of their choices, especially if those choices were harmful. Unfortunately, we watch Macbeth take this misfortunate path multiple times throughout “Macbeth”. From malicious decisions to choices that were forced upon him, ambition is seen ruining the life of Macbeth and anyone who gets in the way of his “destiny”.

Read More

Essay On Macbeth Is Responsible For Duncan's Murder

673 Words | 3 Pages

Lady Macbeth tried and attempted to fasten onto Macbeth’s inner feelings and attacked his level of masculinity. He is a easy person to manipulate once the future queen questioned his manliness. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he cannot go through with killing King Duncan, she proceeds to tell him that he is a coward. To further convince her husband to kill Duncan is the utmost importance she said that she “would, while (her unborn child) was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed his brains out.” (Act 1, Scene 7, Lines

Read More

Examples Of Lady Macbeth's Guilt

1054 Words | 5 Pages

Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, Oh, Oh!” (Act 5, Scene 1) Though she continuously rubs her hands to get rid of the blood, Lady Macbeth can not washed away the guilt that stains her hands.

Read More

Lady Macbeth And Daisy Buchanan Analysis

1304 Words | 6 Pages

Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.” (V.i.l 25, 33-34). The blood symbolizes the guilt that Lady Macbeth has after being involved in the murder of Duncan. The Macbeths believe that cleaning their hands with water would make the sin of the murder not be in connection with them.

Read More

How Is Ambition Dangerous In Macbeth

164 Words | 1 Pages

• In the play ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare, ambition is characterised as dangerous and irrational. To have an ambition is to have a strong desire to achieve something, in the play Macbeth himself has a strong desire to become king, causing him to act irrationally and certifiably insane. Macbeths ambition is dangerous as he believes the only way to become king (after hearing the witches prophecy) is to murder King Duncan. Macbeth believes that Duncan’s death will bring him success he believes it to the point of being willing to risk his life, ‘we’d jump the life to come’ (I.VII.7). Lady Macbeth’s ambition is for Macbeth to become king and for them as a couple to have more power.

Read More

Macbeth's Ambition Research Paper

531 Words | 3 Pages

In the beginning Macbeth already has an excess of ambition. WIth his humanity, his morals, and his values to keep him in check Macbeth is aware of the dangers of his ambition. “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition.” (Macbeth 1.7.25-27) Macbeth says this before the murder of King Duncan.

Read More

Macbeth's Ambition Research Paper

1064 Words | 5 Pages

Ambition can have either a positive or negative affect on a person’s decisions. In most cases, an ambitious person is viewed as someone who is very determined towards achieving their goals. However, the other type of ambitious people are those who have a strong desire to be powerful, usually in a negative and controlling way. These ambitious people tend to have unrealistic and immoral goals, usually in a way for them to gain competence. In Macbeth, written by the famous playwright William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth is seen to portray these traits.

Read More

Who Is To Blame In Macbeth

622 Words | 3 Pages

That is not entirely accurate. Macbeth didn’t want to kill Duncan. Before he killed him, he said “I have no spur to prick with the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other” (1.2.25-28). This is Macbeth being honest with himself and realizing that there isn’t really a good reason to kill Duncan. He just wants the power of king to himself.

Read More

Macbeth Guilt Essay

1059 Words | 5 Pages

Despite her efforts to cleanse herself, she cannot escape the reminder of the blood on her hands. The mention of Arabia, known for its strong scents, emphasizes the overwhelming sorrow she feels. This quote highlights the intense guilt she battles against. In the end, she is unable to bear the weight of her guilt and it consumes her. Lady Macbeth struggles to get over the fact that knowing what she has done can't be reversed.

Read More

Macbeth Guilt Essay

663 Words | 3 Pages

During her delusion, she says, “What, will these hands ne’er be clean?” (5.1.39) and then later says, “Here’s the smell of blood still. All the / perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little / hand” (5.145-47). Lady Macbeth is unable to let go of her guilt and take responsibility for her actions. She decides she is unable to continue living as such and decides to take her own life.

Read More

Blood Motif In Macbeth

882 Words | 4 Pages

Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o ' th ' milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great,Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it.” (1.5.15-20). After Lady Macbeth reads the letter from Macbeth, her thoughts immediately turn to murder. The problem is that Macbeth has the ambition to kill King Duncan but doesn 't want to act on it.

Read More

Macbeth Blood Analysis

1291 Words | 6 Pages

Lady Macbeth has failed to escape the grasps of fear, she has failed to escape the mental consequences of bloodshed. Although no human authority has brought her to justice her ever grown fear and paranoia sentenced her to death. During Lady Macbeth's consultation with her doctor she Says, “Here’s the smell of blood still. All/ the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O!”

Read More

Examples Of Ambition In Macbeth

934 Words | 4 Pages

The road to a fatal outcome can be observed through many different qualities but excessive ambition is one of the main downfalls for most of us in society. Evil motivation due to uncontrollable and unnecessarily high ambition produces difficult obstacles in our lives. We could also become blind to making the right and moral decisions when our ambition is unrestrained. Additionally, all of the paths and routes for immoderate ambition leads to destruction and disorder. Another important note to keep in mind is that chaos and complications will be rooted from not only extravagant ambition but also poor decision making.

Read More

More about Macbeth's Ambition Research Paper

Open Document