Uncontrolled Ambition in Macbeth

Ambition is often the driving force in one’s life. It can have an extremely dominant impact on not only yourself, but also many people in your surroundings. You have the ability to control if the outcomes either have a lasting negative or positive effect. When a goal requires determination and hard work to complete, personal morals often take a back seat to the aspiration of accomplishing the goal. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it is clear that like many other great leaders, Macbeth exemplifies the necessary leadership virtue of ambition. Macbeth’s ambition does not just drive him to do great things. It in fact controls him. The playwright explores the idea of how an individual’s ambition can cause them to deceive others, make irrational

The word hamartia refers to a fatal flaw leading to the downfall of a tragic hero,

Alongside his wife’s fiendish greed is how influenceable Macbeth truly was, dooming him from the very start. His morals change rapidly throughout the play, starting as a heroic soldier and ending as a treasonous tyrant. Swayed easily by the witches and his wife, Macbeth’s desperation to prove himself and control his fate transform into a numbing sense of entitlement. Macbeth becomes blind to his arrogance- and the subsequent consequences. When Macbeth first spoke to the witches, he is horrified by violent thoughts and vows that “if chance have me king, why, chance may crown me without my stir”, intending to let whatever happens to happen. Instead, after speaking to his wife Macbeth decides to take fate into his own hands, killing King Duncan and launching himself towards madness. Perhaps with a stronger sense of self Macbeth would have stood up to his wife, or realized taking advice from witches was unwise. Ironically Macbeth only starts making his OWN decisions out of paranoia of losing the throne, a situation he would not have been put in should he have made wiser decisions from the very beginning. In the same token, after getting a taste of power both Macbeth and his wife are

People will say that she is just a good wife trying to go after happiness and joy with her husband. All she wanted was power and for him to be king. That did not work out well. Everything just turned against them. But, here is the weakness; Lady Macbeth and Macbeth both fell apart. After they did all that was wrong, they both felt guilt and did not stop thinking about it. Macbeth started having bad dreams and imagining things. Lady Macbeth started sleep walking and fell apart until she finally decided to take her own life. It did not turn out well for both of them. One can say she was trying to help and do well for her and her husband but that is not

Macbeth informs his wife Lady Macbeth of the previous events through a letter. She is ecstatic when realising one of the predictions from the witches has already come true. She sets her mind on obtaining the throne for her husband by any means necessary. Lady Macbeth also has a strong desire for power but can only gain this through her husband. She becomes the driving force behind the wicked deed of murdering the King. She summons upon evil spirits to make sure nothing will stand in the way of her plan:

As there is already a King in power, Lady Macbeth and her husband face a difficult decision. In order for Macbeth to be King, the reigning King Duncan would have to die. Lady Macbeth is a kind and gentle women but when she is faced with the temptation of a higher power she turns to darkness to help her commit this sin(quote about de womanizing her). Leading up to the murder of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth doesn't believe that Macbeth is strong enough and doubts his ability to be a man and take charge. (quote about milk of human kindness). Her doubt about her husband stays with her throughout the play and is what constantly drives a wedge between their relationship. What once was a marriage full of love, now is filled with manipulation and

Not only does this suggest that he regards her as his equal, but also by treating Lady Macbeth in this manner, he is allowing her to have the opportunity to hold more power as his wife. After reading Macbeth’s letter regarding the witches’ prophecy and King Duncan’s impending visit to their castle, the desire for Lady Macbeth to lose her feminine qualities and gain masculine ones is indicated throughout the text. ‘Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty.’ The kind Lady Macbeth becomes a scheming and treacherous woman who craves power and authority. There is a disruption in the traditional order of gender roles and it is evident that there is a role reversal between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth's usurpation of the dominant role in the Macbeth's marriage is highlighted throughout many occasions. She rules her husband and dictates his actions as she emasculates him to into taking action and killing Duncan so he can be ‘crown’d withal’ using the ‘valour of tongue’. At the end of the play the madly insane Lady Macbeth and wishes for things to return to how they were before. This leaves Macbeth to hold all the power, and make decisions on his own without the influence of Lady Macbeth. The power, in which their titles entail, had a horrible effect on the outcome of their

When one wants something bad enough, the lines between right and wrong tend to blur. In William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” the relationship between ambition and corruption is explored. Firstly, Macbeth’s inability to control his urges to know his fate leads him to listen to The Weird Sister’s prophecies, which eventually causes his unhealthy desire for power. Next, Lady Macbeth’s strong ambition to kill the King leads to a corruption of her mental state and behavioural standards. Lastly, Macbeth’s aspiration to rule Scotland leads to a harmful greed for power and the betrayal of his morals. In summary, one’s demonstration of an overly ambitious nature can lead to corruption and an excessive desire for power.

The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare recounts Macbeth's meteoric rise as a soldier and promising future leader whose megalomaniacal ambition led to his tragic downfall. In addition to Macbeth's ambitions, which initially enable him to be strong leader and soldier, he is influenced heavily by his wife, Lady Macbeth, and the three witches that prophesize his ascent to the throne, as well as warn him of his eventual demise. It can be argued that it is Macbeth's ambition that allows him to succeed in his endeavors, however the goals to which he is working toward influence the results of his hard work. Macbeth's ambitions help him to become a war hero, and as his goals change, his ambitions drive him to become a tyrannical villain.

William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is about a general who is told a prophecy that leads him down a path of murder and insanity. This prophecy tells him he will be king, which gives him ambition to fulfill his fortune. This leads him down the wrong path, however. When people have ambition, it blinds their judgement and causes their actions to be controlled by a desire to remain in power.

‘Macbeth’ is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare in the sixteen hundred, it dramatizes the physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power through the character of Macbeth. ‘The Pursuit Of Happyness’ likewise is a film directed by Gabriel Muccino who portrays a man named Chris Gardener who through his hard work and dedicated ambition goes from living on the streets to a rich stockbroker. In Macbeth and pursuit of happiness, both authors explore how ambition can…. (thesis). Macbeth's ambition is portrayed in a negative light as it is aimed to gain power and status, however, Chris ambition is pushed by his desire to gain happiness and a better future for him and his son. Similarly, both characters endure toxic spousal relationships that help them to tap into their ambition but it leads to different portrayal of ambition. Macbeth and Chris eventually both face the outcome of their ambition for Macbeth it being his doom where else for Chris it being his success. Shakespeare and Gabriel Muccino explore the theme of ambition through the protagonists of both plays.

Through love and death, Shakespeare has brought us the most renowned plays of all time. For over 400 years the world has had the opportunity to watch, listen and perform the art known as Shakespeare. With Shakespeare's work on tragedies, comes the play Macbeth. Going from a Thane to the king, then killing the king to become the king, and then being killed himself, Macbeth is one of the top tragedies written. Being overcome with the prophecy of becoming king, Macbeth starts to feel the ambition and greed building up inside him, not only him but also his wife, Lady Macbeth. When she receives the letter about the news her feelings start to get the best of her as well. Many believe that Lady Macbeth is the one to blame for her husband's downfall,

Many Shakespearian dramas, like Macbeth, are inspired by the ancient Greek notion of tragedy and the fall of man; much of which is powered by one’s lust for greater gains. Correspondingly, the play reveals how ambition creates the capability of deteriorating a man’s morality and world. This is presented through the titular character and his “dearest partner of greatness” (P. 23) and the consequences of their actions.

First of all, Lady Macbeth plays a significant role in Macbeth's rise and downfall as a king from being manipulative and conceiving. For exampl, "Look like th' innocent flower/but be the serpent under't" (1.6.76-77). This quote said by Lady Macbeth states that she wants Macbeth to act innocent and kind, but actually be cruel and cunning in order to become king. Lady Macbeth is willing to say anything to her husband because he needs a little convincing since he is too kind and fair. Macbeth is so hesitant and worried on being king that Lady Macbeth hollers, "When you durst do it, then you were a man/and to be more than what you were, you would/be so much more the man (1.7.56-57). This shows that Macbeth wasn't sure if he wanted to be king until

Ambition is not an offering that life hands to someone, but it is defined as a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Though having ambition is represented in society as a good capability to acquire, it will have downsides. The undeniable power of unbridled ambition and its ramifications are portrayed In William Shakespeare’s, Macbeth. The play shows the character by the name of Macbeth and his arrogant desire for power, triggered by the prophecies, and Banquo through certain conflicts that they have to endure or the change in their characterization to being hubris, which enhances that prevalent message that how if one were to be too fixated on a goal and not being conscious about their