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Analysis macbeth
Images and symbolism in macbeth
What idea(s) does Shakespeare develop in the play about the impact of ambition on the lives of individuals
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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.
This shows ambition because Macbeth chooses to kill Banquo so that his descendants will not become king. He kills Banquo, and attempts to kill Banquo's son Fleance so Macbeth can secure his future kingsmanship. This shows how unchecked ambition is dangerous because Macbeth was willing to sacrifice his best friend who was like a brother to him because of his ambition. He doesn’t care how he stays king or who he has to kill to stay king and that’s dangerous. Another example would be in Act 3, 4, 138-140.
In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare demonstrates what can happen to someone who is given a place in power through the character Macbeth. Shakespeare uses the first scene to create an example of what one should feel and do when given power. But later, in the second scene, Shakespeare portrays how this power can change someone's way of thinking for the worse. In these two scenes, Shakespeare reveals that someone's moral compass might be tampered with when they are given a place in power. Shakespeare utilizes soliloquy and dialogue to further explain the issue of people's desire for power and ambition blocking their view of right and wrong.
Greed and Power Leads to Violence Macbeth, a tragic play by the author William Shakespeare, tells a story of a man who becomes greedy, hungry for power, and desires to take control of Scotland’s throne. Shakespeare employs many themes into his work such as greed, power, control, fate, and loyalty; however, one theme that is prevalent to Shakespeare's audience is violence. Bloodshed is rampant and acts of violence dominate the play’s storyline. Illustrating how greed for power leads to violence.
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).
The speech Macbeth gives about the death of his wife, shows the lack of humanity that gets shown throughout the play. Macbeth has become insensitive towards the tragic news that he has just received, all because of his thirst for power. He has separated the person he once was into the treacherous traitor that he is now. “Life is nothing more than an illusion,” is what Macbeth says, it shows that his ideology has been warped due to taking the future for granted. He has been told by the three witches, what going to happen, but not how, so he has become jaded about certain events that will transpire.
Right from the beginning his desires took him over which led to his quick decision of his killing spree and the everlasting effects that coincided with it. Overall, this quote portrays the amount of ambition that he contains and also foreshadows the many deaths in the plot that will eventually lead to his downfall. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth was not just an innocent stand byer during these murders, she was a key pawn in all the action. In fact, she urged Macbeth to kill King Duncan which portrayed her utmost amount of power she held over Macbeth, “O, proper stuff! This is the very painting of your fear.
Macbeth feels his destiny is to murder King Duncan and become the King of Scotland, which is why Macbeth promises Lady Macbeth achieve his destiny. Therefore, Macbeth’s ambition for power leads to the death of King Duncan. Moreover, Macbeth’s ambition for power triggers the massacre the ones who impede him from his pathway to the Scottish Throne. First, Macbeth has murderers kill Banquo to avoid obstructions in his plan to become the King of Scotland. Macbeth tells the three murderers hired: “…
Ambition is among the most creative and the strongest driven forces in the state of human psychology, and the reason how or why things get done. It is also one of the most dangerous drive -- the drive to get the last slice of pizza, or the entire box to yourself. If one has no pride, no ambition, no sense of self-importance, he/ she is relatively immune to it. On the other hand, if a person has significant pride, a serious sense of self-importance, and is driving hard towards a set goal, he/she is then very vulnerable.
Once Macbeth is king, the audience is able to recognize through monologues and supernatural influences how Macbeth's ambitions and greed cause him to feel anxious about his position as king. As the play goes forward, Macbeth becomes more and more paranoid of someone taking the throne away from him. His greed to keep the throne as long as he lives causes him to believe some are against him and his leadership. In the witches prophecy, Banquo, a nobleman of Scotland, is told that his sons will eventually become king. Macbeth knowing that it is likely this prophecy will also come true sets his sights on making Banquo and his son Fleance his next victims.
What drives apparently good men to become ruthless, ambitious, jealous and greedy? We see an example of this in the play “Macbeth” performed at Pop Up Globe, directed by Tom Mallaburn, was written originally by the well-known author, William Shakespeare. Macbeth is based upon a big tragedy, where the two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, inevitably were forced to do evil things due to their ambition; taste the sweetness of victory and then downfall again. Although the play was written by an English author, Shakespeare smartly sets his story based upon the idea of ambition, a concept that relates to all of us, no matter where we are from. We have to admit that in our minds, the concept of power and ambition is linked to men.
What is ambition? Ambition is the determination to achieve one’s goals. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the protagonist, Macbeth, possesses ambition, which led to his downfall. In the play Macbeth’s ambition is driven by prophecies from witches and his wife’s aspiration. Ambition caused Macbeth to commit multiple homicides and after those wrongdoings Macbeth is left with nothing.
Blind Ambition and Greed The play “Macbeth”, by William Shakespeare illustrates many themes through the characters from the beginning to the end of the story. But the main central theme introduced is Ambition and Greed. As the play goes on we read how Macbeth permits his Ambition and Greed to dictate the outcomes and tragedy’s that occur to himself and others.
Macbeth’s ambition is what is causing him to intervene with his prophecy and pursue his goal (rather than leave it to chance). In a way, it is Macbeth’s own “black and deep desires” that make him kill in the first place as the witches never tell him to do so. Furthermore, apart from ambition, it is Macbeth’s own weak will and moral system that causes him to do the actions that result in his downfall. Macbeth’s weak will is undeniable and is illustrated before killing Duncan. “I have of spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on the other” (I, VII, 25-28).
Ambition is a natural part of human existence, every person has it at least a little. It is when ambition grows too large and takes control of us that it becomes dangerous. It becomes obsessive and soon nothing will stop the person obsessed. Just by looking around at our world today, one can clearly see the results of unchecked ambition. Unchecked ambition can be destructive to a society and cause the society's downfall.
