Examples Of Ambition In Macbeth

First, it is Macbeth’s thirst for power, coupled with Lady Macbeth’s manipulation of him, that drive the murder of KIng Duncan. As Banquo becomes suspicious and as Macbeth becomes increasingly troubled by the witches’ proclamation that Banquo will be the father of kings, Macbeth convinces himself that Banquo must be killed, proclaiming “For Banquo’s issue I have filed my mind [...] the seeds of Banquo kings (III.i.70-75).” Macbeth is paranoid of losing his new-found power to Banquo. This fear is so stout that it drives him to solicit the murder of his most loyal friend. As his morality devolves further, Macbeth senses disloyalty from Macduff, and he resolves to murder MacDuff’s entire family. In Act IV, Macbeth says, “But yet I'll make assurance double sure,/ And take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; (IV.i.94-95).” Even though the prophecy seems to assuage Macbeth’s fears of losing power, he still plans to kill MacDuff, supporting his further descent into corruption and evil- all driven by his thirst for

He starts the play as a loyal gentleman until he meets the three witches where they foretell that Macbeth will be king (I.iii.48). The prophecy of the three witches kick-starts his impulse to attain that status, which connects to the imagery of witchcraft. However, the three witches are not responsible for Macbeth’s actions but simply Macbeth himself. The prediction drives him into a state of unchecked ambition, one of the biggest themes of the play. He would do anything to achieve kingship even if it involves killing others, which illustrates Macbeth’s greed (I.iii.138-141).

Macbeth murders many to gain power. He causes the suffering of families and murders former friends. The violence starts with the murder of the king, Duncan, who’d trusted and honored Macbeth; Macbeth kills him to gain the position of king. Duncan’s death is the catalyst; Macbeth subsequently begins to use violence as a regular way to attain power. He murders his former friend, Banquo, refusing to accept that Banquo’s sons will be kings as prophesized by the witches. He says in regard to the prophecy, “Rather than so, come fate into the list, / And champion me to th' utterance.” Instead of accepting fate, he challenges the prophecy and orders Banquo’s death. His final homicide is the massacre of Lord Macduff’s family. When Macduff hears of the brutal slaughter, he cries, “That were most precious to me. Did heaven look on, / And would not take their

Macbeth becomes more power hungry as he begins to want to keep his power for himself. Macbeth starts to question himself whether he will kill Duncan. He was always a loyal and trusting friend to Duncan and ends up deciding to kill him in, “Might be the be-all and the end-all here,/But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,/We’d jump the life to come” (I.vii.5-7). Macbeth does not want to kill the king but decides to for his power. Macbeth has many thoughts whether he will betray Duncan for his position as king.

Macbeth shows us that people can become violent due to their ambitions, to the point of being callous and apathetic to others. For example, at the beginning of the book, Macbeth and his friend, Banquo, are visited by the Weïrd sisters, who tell them that the sons of Banquo will be king. Upon becoming king, Macbeth fears that Banquo will inherit the throne, so he decides to murder both Banquo and his son. Macbeth states, “Upon my head they placed, a fruitless crown… no son of my succeeding. To make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings. Rather than so, come fate into the list, and champion me to th’ utterance,” (3. 1. 85), and later, “It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul’s flight, If it finds heaven, must find it out tonight,” (3. 2. 91).

Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires”(I.iv.52-53). Shakespeare writes in his book, Macbeth. In this quote, Macbeth is about to kill Duncan. Many people argue that Lady Macbeth has more ambition than Macbeth because Lady Macbeth was convinced him to kill Duncan and become Fife of Cawdor.

Ambition is Macbeth’s biggest characteristic because he is determined getting to the throne at all costs. To get to the throne Macbeth approved of things he is not proud of, although he himself is not the one who actually does the dirty work, he knew what was happening and did nothing to stop it even though he stopped to think to himself if he really wants to go through with this. Banquo foreshadows what happens to Macbeth “The instruments of darkness will tell us truths”(I.iii.136), into basically saying that power can reveal our true form of self because of the fact that he was talking about Macbeth’s new position as thane of Cawdor. Macbeth first starts to taste ambition as he thinks “If good, why do I [submit] to that suggestion”(I.iv.147),

Higher Level Essay 16 May 2025 1414 Words. Macbeth and the Abandonment of Love Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, holds much more to it than meets the eye. While on a surface level, one may see a battle between the forces of good and evil, or perhaps the dangers of ambition, but Shakespeare has many complex themes to discuss beyond those simple examples. As is oft mentioned, Macbeth was written with King James I as the intended audience, who was known for his interests in topics such as witchcraft and Scotland, which can be clearly seen throughout the play; however, King James was also known for his interest in religion, as seen by the new and modern English translation of the Bible he ordered, known as the King James Version. Shakespeare, as a reflection of King James’ interest and beliefs, included

Have you ever regretted a moment so much that you wish you could change it? This resonates with the protagonists of Macbeth as they grapple with restless thoughts of guilt from their aspirations, Lady Macbeth suffers the worst as she struggles within herself on what's wrong and right until eventually it eats her up and ends her. Ambition is the catalyst that spirals Macbeth and his wife into unending guilt. Ambition is the main cause for all of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s wrongdoings and eventually their downfall, thus it is a prominent theme in the play. This is exemplified in Act 1, Scene 3 when the witches gave Macbeth three prophecies.

Shakespeare explores how Macbeth’s ambition for power leads to the destruction of his morality. To do so, Shakespeare aligns the witches and their premonitions with evil through the constant use of “thunder and lightning” when the witches are on stage, a pathetic fallacy which establishes an eerie mood and atmosphere. The witches become representative of evilness and darkness, and when Macbeth “seems rapt withal” with the witches premonitions, the audience recognises that his lust and ambition for power is morally objectionable. Shakespeare also makes clear that Macbeth knows his choice to kill the king is morally objectionable, through the soliloquies in which Macbeth confesses that the idea of killing Duncan “shakes so [his] single state

Macbeth shows his desire for power, he was friendly to Banquo before he became the king, but after he became the king, he let three murderers to kill Banquo and his son. “So is he mine, and is such bloody distance That every minute of his being thrusts against my near ‘st of life”(3.1 line 116-118). Macbeth sent three murderers to kill Banquo and his son since they ran away. All he thinks about is to kill more people in order to gain more power. Macbeth didn’t just kill Banquo only, he also killed Macduff’s whole family. “Murderer. What your egg! Stabbing him. Young fry of treachery! Son. He has killed me, mother: Run away, I pray you”(4.3 line 84-87). He killed Macduff’s whole family, he just wanted to make sure he doesn’t lose his power, so he just killed anyone who against him, he’s obsessed with his power, he never cares about breaking other people’s family.

Ambition is what motivates people to achieve a certain thing in their life. However, many fail if their ambition is too big and unreasonable. This is definitely the case for Macbeth in the William Shakespeare's play Macbeth. Macbeth's ambitious causes him to disregard his loyalty to Duncan. Moreover, Macbeths desires lead him to be immoral, going to extremes in order to achieve success. Ultimately, Macbeths deep aspirations for power demonstrates being over ambitious will end in disaster. Therefore, in the play Macbeth, Macbeths ambition leads him to corrupt his morality, resulting in his downfall

Upon hearing the prophecy that he is to become king, Macbeth develops an extreme lust for power that pushes him to commit violent acts. Macbeth started out as a humble soldier who was proud of the accolades that he had received. When Lady Macbeth is attempting to convince Macbeth that he should kill King Duncan and take the throne Macbeth tells her “We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honored me of late, and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon” (Shakespeare 20). Macbeth believes that the fame and power he has currently should be

Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be feared. ' Tis much he dares…” This is just part of the beginning, where Macbeth gives into his fears. Banquo was a close friend of his, but to be driven to have him murdered is already showing that Macbeth is on the breaking point. Throughout the play we see Macbeth and his rulership getting worse, where many people start to become

The choices that Macbeth makes during his pursuit for power ultimately result in his descent into madness. This all begins when he meets the witches at the beginning of the play. “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51-53). By choosing to believe what the witches preach, Macbeth takes destiny into his own hands. Every decision he makes from this point on is so that he can take over the kingship and retain this position. The witches drive Macbeth into creating his own destiny by planting the idea that he is going to be the king into his head. Once he gets it in his head that he is going to be the king, he will stop at nothing to make it happen. After Macbeth has killed King Duncan and become the king, he still has the threat of Banquo’s line of kings looming around him. Even though Banquo is one of Macbeth’s friends he decides Banquo needs to be killed. Macbeth is so controlling of his own destiny that he doesn’t want to leave anything up to chance. He won’t leave his fate in the hands of anyone else. He decides that he is going to kill people in order to solidify his kingship. “So is he mine (enemy), and in such bloody distance that every minute of his being thrusts against my near’st of life.” (3.1.132-234).