The Destruction Of Ambition In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Macbeth’s ambition allows him to move to a higher position in society, but because of his ambition, he is transformed into a new person filled with anxiety and hallucinations. The witches’ prophecy enables Macbeth to visualize himself as king, which instills his ambition. This ambition is strong enough to cause Macbeth to ignore others’ feelings and proceed in murdering the innocent Duncan. Macbeth says to himself “I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition, which o’erlaps itself/ And falls on th’ other-” (1.7.25-28). Macbeth realizes the extent of his ambition, and sees it is the only reason for him to kill Duncan. Consequently, he finally arrives to killing Duncan for this sole reason, which authorizes him

Before Macbeth kills Duncan, he realizes that he might not be next in line to be king, and he needs to find a way to surpass the Prince of Cumberland. Additionally, he knows that he must hide his ambition from others. Macbeth notes “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step/ On which I must fall down or else o’erleap,/ For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;/ Let not light see my black and deep desires” (1.4.55-58). Macbeth’s ambition is advantageous here because it contributes to his awareness. In order for Macbeth to become king, he must be aware of people that stand in his way, like Malcolm. He must also be aware that he must not reveal his ambition to others. Keeping his desires secret is the key to getting away with killing Duncan. Without these awarenesses, Macbeth’s murder could have resulted in two different detrimental ways. First of all, if he would have unknowingly displayed motivation to kill Duncan, he would have easily been caught. Else, he could have just killed Duncan for Malcolm to become king. Because of Macbeth’s awareness and ambition, he successfully kills Duncan and becomes

After Macbeth kills Duncan, he feels an overwhelming amount of guilt. He begins to comprehend the horror of what he has done while talking with Lady Macbeth. He reveals “For mine own good,/ All causes shall give way. I am in blood/ Stepped so far that, should I wade no more,/ Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.167-170). Macbeth indicates that he killed Duncan to better himself, so Duncan’s death is unquestionably a result of Macbeth’s ambition. More importantly, Macbeth starts to feel that he has crossed the point of no return. He feels he cannot return to his original personality, and cannot recoup the honor and values he once had. Understandably, this proves to be depressing to Macbeth. He is clearly disturbed by the guilt that he feels because he begins to hallucinate. When Macbeth is at his banquet, he sees a ghost of Duncan that symbolizes the amount of guilt Macbeth has. He says to the ghost “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake/ Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.62-63). The way that Macbeth talks to the ghost, we can assume Macbeth envisions the ghost accusing him of murder. Macbeth denies that he killed Duncan, despite his knowledge of his ambition to commit the crime. Ultimately, Macbeth’s ambition has a negative impact on his fate because it causes him to lose important attributes he will not be able to repossess, his honor and his