The Corruption Of Ambition In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Many people who have read William Shakespeare’s Macbeth know that Macbeth is the tragic hero in the play, but there another character stands out as a much greater protagonist. Macbeth is the type of character who turned from a loyal warrior to the king into a violent, tyrannical, and conflicted person as he progressively commits crimes inside the kingdom without anyone’s notice, except for one person, who is Macduff. Macduff doesn’t have any flaws and remains sinless and heroic throughout the play. As Macbeth progressively gains power and prestige in exchange for the lives of his king, his friends, and his countrymen, Macduff meanwhile goes through great personal loss in his attempts to stop Macbeth’s tyrannical ruling and to restore justice and freedom to Scotland. It is ironic how Macduff acts so much more nobly than his king. Throughout the tragic events that have occurred in the play, Macduff serves as a heroic figure through his demonstrations of intelligence, loyalty, and righteousness.

Macduff's only ambition is to kill Macbeth, the man who has murdered his wife and children. He has no interest in personal gain and is the first character in the play to understand that Fortune rules you, you don't rule Fortune. This is a certain indicator that he'll be the one to take down the tyrant, who is always challenging

Holding the knowledge of Macbeth’s temper and current power, the immediate decision of his loyalty to his family or his country had to be made. The fiery motivation that burned for his country burned more resilient than the one that burned in the face of Macduff’s family. The choice was made and what needed to be completed from the moment on was decided. Macduff carried the highest level of respect for his country, in doing so, obtained the highest level of honorable motivation available in the tale of Macbeth enabling him to accomplish every deed he sought out

Rather than Macbeth talking to Macduff, Macbeth takes it upon himself to have Macduff and all of his family killed. It was obvious that Macbeth had lost all rationale when he said “bring me no more reports, let them fly all. Till Birnam wood remove to Dunsinane.” (V, iii, 1-2) All was going well for Macbeth and his overconfidence hadn’t come to haunt him quite yet, until he heard that Birnam Wood was moving.

With this quote, Shakespeare shows Macbeth 's reckless qualities, by showing that Macbeth fails to care about Lady Macbeth 's death. When the quote is translated, it states that "She would have died later anyway. That news was bound to come someday." This exposes Macbeth 's emotionless soul, when the one closest to him, his wife, dies. With this Macbeth reveals the true hideous monster he has become.

The continuation of Macbeth’s paranoia is present in the killing of Macduff’s family; at this point he has made the complete evolution, he has ordered to kill a family just to continue on the throne. Macbeth knows that many people have caught on; he decides to plan to kill Macduff’s family to set an example. Macbeth becomes a ruthless murderer, for he becomes a man that he never wanted to become. “His words are haunted by his own deeds” (Curran 234). This quotation expresses how important his mental aspirations are to his killings. Macbeth’s words and actions are largely affected by his greed. As his transition completes into darkness, his greed also increases, for he only cares about sustaining the throne. Even when Lady Macbeth commits suicide, he nearly sets it off as “no big deal.” Lady Macbeth’s death should be a large idea in this play, but Macbeth’s inability of emotions toward this matter, allows him to disengage from this matter and jump towards his foes. All he comes to think about at these final moments is defeating his enemies and keeping grasp on his throne.

Shakespeare has been the legend of literature due to his unique way of words. Have you ever seen a guy who's Ambition gets the best of him,resulting to royal chaos as lives are disposable in return for more guaranteed power? In The Play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, he has created characters to create this dark comedy that people and directors have been recreated for decades. After Duncan, the king of Scotland, seeks That Macbeth be the new thane of Calder, Macbeth has gained a majority amount of power in a short amount of time. With the Involvement of Witches and their Prophecies, Lady Macbeth, And The King’s Lords, Ambition gets the best of these royals. Deception turns friends and family to do. lust turns even the highest hero’s

we see the ambition that Macduff has to revenge Macbeth for the death of his wife. Macduff

There are many themes in Macbeth, but I am focusing on the themes of ambition, guilt, things are not what they seem, and fate versus free will. Ambition plays a major role in Macbeth. Just like ghosts, guilt is something that can haunt you. Things are not what they seem. And fate versus free will is a prominent theme in this story. They all play some part in Macbeth, and they all effect Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in some way as well. Overall, the themes of Macbeth are important to the story.

“My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, / Shakes so my single state of man That function / is smother'd in surmise” (I,III,138-140). From the beginning of the play, the protagonist Macbeth is drawn into this idea that the only thing that matters is whether or not he is at an advantage and benefitting in any given scenario. This selfish behavior becomes embedded into him and becomes his second nature, in contrast Shakespeare uses Macduff as a foil to the character of Macbeth. Macbeth’s ambition stems from the witches’ prophecies which give him confidence to do as he pleases for himself. Macduff, the complete opposite, is doing everything for the benefit of his country Scotland. Throughout the play, he becomes this person who is

In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the title character attempts to prove his manliness by following his wife’s philosophy of what a man truly should be to become king. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth tries to put her own definition of man into action, and is punished for it. By following her definition, Macbeth also endures harsh consequences. On the other hand, Macduff follows his own philosophy of balance between feeling and action and is rewarded for it at the end of the play. For these reasons, Shakespeare uses characters to promote his idea of man.

“Living is easy with eyes closed”- John Lennon. This quote is very accurate when referring to some of the characters in Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare about the evil power of ambition. Lady Macbeth was Macbeth’s wife and in the beginning she is perceived as evil. She let the bad part of her conscience overpower her and in return , guilt got the best of her. Lady Macbeth was blinded, overpowering and disregarding her feelings.

Macbeth accepts her guidance and advice and consults her concerning his plans. He shares his joy with his wife. Moreover, he is affectionate in his action toward her and uses terms of endearment when speaking to her. It is proved that when Macbeth is told of Lady Macbeth ‘s death, he is too weary to feel more than just a dull sense of loss and regret.

Next, while the importance of ruling by right is clear in Macbeth, the play also emphasizes the significance of motivations in defining a successful leader by drawing contrasts between those who seek power for themselves and those who wish to use it to better their country. Macbeth himself is the primary example of the former, a character whose fatal flaw is excessive ambition that leads him to desire power for its own sake. While he attempts to conceal his clouded conscience upon assuming the throne, Macbeth quickly ends up proving that impure motives in a leader cannot be hidden for long, first imploring his wife to “make our faces vizards to our hearts, / Disguising what they are” (3.2.34-35) shortly before his guilt catches up to him at the banquet and causes the Scottish nobility to turn against him. Similar to his doomed attempts to defy fate, Macbeth’s ill-fated struggle to conceal his guilt is another way in which he serves as a vehicle for the author’s warnings about trying to lead with an unclear conscience and conflicted motivations. On the other hand, Macduff, the man who ultimately vanquishes the tyrant, is the archetype of a leader driven not by personal motives but by love of country. Driven by patriotism to leave his wife and children unprotected in seeking out support for an invasion of Scotland, Macduff has his character tested by Malcolm and passes spectacularly: when finally convinced by the young heir that he is unfit to rule, the thane responds, “O

"Stars, hide your fires!/ Let not light see my black and deep desires," (1.4.52-53). In Macbeth, ambition is a widespread theme. Readers examine that through the characters there is an inner struggle between whether to act on it, or let fate take its course. Shakespeare teaches his audience through the characters of the play, that ambition can be helpful or hurtful, depending on how it is used, but having no ambition at all is just as unacceptable as using it for the wrong reason.