Macbeth's Excessive Ambition Analysis

The biggest hurdles one must overcome in order to achieve one’s aspirations are often their own imperfections. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the flaws in Macbeth’s personality act as an obstacle in his aspiration of being the most powerful individual. The imperfections in Macbeth’s character have a negative impact on his actions. Macbeth’s excessive ambition, his constant insecurity, and his gullible nature are the major imperfections that prevent him from achieving his ambitions and subsequently lead to his downfall.

Macbeth’s excessive ambition is one of his greatest imperfections. His excessive ambition is fueled by his greed for power. This causes him to commit many murders in order to procure a position of power or to protect his

He refuses to let anyone other than himself become the king of Scotland. He says that “They hail’d him father to a line of kings: / Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, / And put a barren sceptre in my gripe / Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand” (III, i, 64-67). Macbeth seems to have an unsatisfiable thirst for power. Macbeth know feels jealous of Banquo as he will have a line of king, while he will not. His ambition is not fulfilled after being crowned as the king, instead, it increases on the thought of having more power. His ambition had gone unchecked for a long time and he is willing to get his close friend Banquo killed by in order to maintain the position of king within his own bloodline. Macbeth is so obsessed with his own ambition that he does not take anything else into consideration. Before committing Duncan’s murder, he says “I go, and it is done, the bell invites me. / Hear it not, Duncan, for it is a knell / That summons thee to heaven, or to hell” (II, i, 69-71). Macbeth does not consider the consequences his actions will have. Scotland has attained peace recently after the end of the Civil War, and Macbeth threatens this peace by killing the Duncan, who is a virtuous and loyal leader. His murder of Duncan takes Scotland into a dark period. His unchecked ambition triggers a series of murders. Ultimately, Macbeth becomes the victim of his own blind ambition and is defeated in battle. Macbeth’s insecure nature is another one of his imperfections, which plays a major role in his downfall and failure to reach his ambitions. He constantly sees everyone as