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Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ Is a Warning Against the Dangers of Ambition.

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Ambition plays a major role in Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth, and is presented as a dangerous quality that principally influences the characters to do wrong. This play gives off a warning of how ambition can affect people and their actions by its influence on Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth. This disastrous story begins with the witches predicting that Macbeth would become Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland. Hence, Macbeth’s ambition emerges, furthermore persuaded by his wife and also the prophecies that he depended on so well. He murders King Duncan and others and accordingly becomes the new ruler of Scotland. These actions are ones based on the dangers of ambition, thus making it the fatal flaw that causes their downfall. …show more content…

This is similar to Macbeth’s situation since his ambition would drive him to clear the obstacle of Duncan and thus become king. Macbeth gives into his dominating ambition and murders King Duncan. Hence, Macbeth becomes the King of Scotland. When Macbeth also realises that there were more obstacles in his path, he unhesitatingly commits more murder, and slays his best friend Banquo and Macduff’s family, gaining his status of king for longer, or so he thought. This states that ambition can make you a heartless person so that you will do anything to attain your objective. Thus it is shown that the play ‘Macbeth’ is a caution against the threats of ambition.

Even after Macbeth’s ambition leads to a fatal ending for those around him, he still wouldn’t doubt the witches’ words. “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him” (Act 4, Sc. 1, Lines 91-93). This prediction that is made by the witches furthermore expands Macbeth’s aspiration, making him believe that he is invincible. This way of thought causes his and his wife’s downfall. This is seen since Lady Macbeth commits suicide from what ambition has done to her life, and Macbeth, being so trusting in the witches’ words, doesn’t take anything other then his own ambition into account. At the end of the play, Macbeth is killed in the battle without mercy by Macduff.

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