The Destruction Of Ambition In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

An evil nature may be perceived as the only cause of a person’s corrupted actions, but ambition is possibly the most fatal reason for becoming evil. Within the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare explores this idea through the changing of Macbeth’s character - from a once good and moral warrior to an evil character by the end of the play corrupted by his lust for power which is fueled by ambition. With the push of external forces, Macbeth is nudged further to the edge of unforgivable malevolence. As Macbeth is ultimately taken over by his ambition, his innocence is wiped away which leaves him indifferent to the chaos he is causing by killing. Through Macbeth’s character, Shakespeare demonstrates that the actions men make as a result of their

The appearance of the witches’ prophecies and Lady Macbeth’s urging causes Macbeth to begin having violent thoughts. Macbeth’s caution of the thoughts plaguing his mind is shown when he says, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function, Is smother’d in surmise.” Our tragic hero’s new discovery of the prophecies makes him wonder if he should take action to complete them, however these murderous thoughts are so foreign to him that he “is smother’d in surmise”. Macbeth finds the thought of killing Duncan fearful and horrid. Through the use of this quote, Shakespeare reveals to us that Macbeth is testing the water of treason, yet he is still unwilling to let go of his humanity. Shakespeare’s illusion

When Macbeth orders the killing of Banquo and Macduffs’s family, it is utterly because of his own ambition for power - the tragic hero has tread onto the road of evil. When Macbeth says, “I am in blood, Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er,” we see that at this point, Macbeth has given up on returning to his previous noble self. Our protagonist describes himself as being in a river of blood, which is a motif symbolising guilt in our play. Macbeth no longer feels guilt because he keeps treading toward the blood. As a result of his obsession with the crown, Macbeth becomes progressively more violent and ruthless with his killing. Through the quote, “Seize upon Fife, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword, His wife, his babes,” Shakespeare shows the audience that Macbeth is no longer the man he was before, and that our hero has become indifferent and callous to the killing that is being carried out. Macbeth orders the murder of Macduff’s entire family without the push of anyone, and he carries out these actions granting selfish ambition to corrupt him. Shakespeare conveys to us through Macbeth’s careless attitude toward the killing of his friend and a family that too strong of an ambition may be the very thing that leads us to our