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Shakespeare's Macbeth: Ambition And Greed

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Macbeth Macbeth is the story of a couple who are overcome by ambition and greed. Macbeth lets his wife’s strong desire for power get the best of him, and the progression of his emotions throughout the play are very interesting to observe. Lady Macbeth is a very big influence on Macbeth’s actions and is arguably the reason that they both ended up dying sooner than they could have. Lady Macbeth drove Macbeth into a very dark and anxiety filled state of mind, and the progression of his unbecoming is very prominent towards the end of the story. Throughout the story, a new side of Macbeth is revealed through his actions and emotions as he undergoes the anxiety of being put under pressure not only by his wife, but himself. Lady Macbeth is the …show more content…

As time goes on, Macbeth makes a complete character change. Someone who was once content with his life was suddenly bloodthirsty and hungry for power. In a critical essay, literary critic Arthur Kirsch writes, “When Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are together, we see the murderous conjunction of "frozen conscience and hot burning will" that composes Macbeth's "great passion of fear and fury" (Kirsch). Kirsch also goes on to say that Macbeth represents the decomposition of a man, and discriminates the synapses of the hero’s turns of thought and emotion. Macbeth undergoes a complete character change, and the constant state of anxiety he is put under when he accepts the crown is just intensified when he begins to deal with the guilt he feels from killing not only the leader of a nation, but some of his own people …show more content…

The beginning of the play shows the person he used to be, and as time progresses, under the influence of his wife Macbeth begins to slowly unravel. Apparitions and hallucinations begin to take control of his mind, and Macbeth can no longer be called the same man he was at the beginning of the play. Macbeth is truly a tragedy that focuses mainly on the hardships of many people in the play, although Macbeth’s mental breakdown is a constant throughout the play that is a very powerful and unsettling

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When in a relationship, one's quest for power, can result in an endless effort to satisfy this desire, producing a tragic outcome. In the tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare explores how greed and ambition has an influence on one’s actions, leading to the occurrence of a tragedy. In the case of Macbeth, greed and ambition results in Macbeth becoming a highly manipulative, and dangerous individual. The dominant status Lady Macbeth owns, allows her to influence Macbeth into committing harmful acts. When Lady Macbeth’s dominant status begins to deteriorate, Macbeth begins to mature, gradually becoming the more dominant individual within their relationship.

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There is a change in both the mental state and his personality. Macbeth becomes the far more stereotypical villain and asserts his manliness over his wife. We see that Macbeth becomes more overtaken by evil and is constantly losing himself. Because of the witches

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When we are first presented with the character of Macbeth he is pictured as a noble and loyal warrior. However, once his future is presented to him by the witches saying that he, Macbeth, is to become the next great King of Scotland, he begins to lose focus and makes the wrong decisions. Macbeth begins to only make choices that will benefit only himself and to gain power. Becoming almost unrecognizable to the person he once was. After confronting his wife, Lady Macbeth, he isn't the only one with a lust for power.

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Macbeth’s mental condition begins to dwindle as time goes on, starting with the murder of Duncan. At first, Macbeth is seen as a soldier that everyone aspires to be, strong, brave, and compassionate about his duties to the king. In act one scene two, Captain says, “...For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-...” This shows that he is a likeable person who has only the objective of serving his king. After meeting with the witches and hearing his prophecy, Macbeth starts to think about what it would be like to be king of Scotland.

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