Macbeth portrays the theme in macbeth, by being the most ambitious in the play. His ambition starts to show after he hears the first prophecies from the witches, in which he says “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is But what is not.”(1.3.139-142). This is the first time Macbeth starts to think about murdering Duncan, and he only starts to think about it after he is told the prophecy. However, his ambition starts to show loss of self control when he says “I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself And falls on th’ other”(1.7.25-27) Macbeth is stating that his ambition is starting to take control of him, and is …show more content…
When she reads the letter Macbeth has sent her, she says to herself “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it.” (1.5.14-19) When she hears the prophecy Macbeth has been given, her ambition immediately gives her dark thoughts on how they can make the prophecy real. She is aware of the ambition she has, and knows that illness will follow, or dark thoughts. Ensuing this event, her ambition starts to show a loss of self control, when Macbeth starts to doubt his ambition, and says he doesn’t want to kill Duncan. She is still ambitious, and tells Macbeth “Wouldst thou have that Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting “I dare not” wait upon “I would, Like the poor cat i’ th’ adage?”(1.7.41-44) Lady Macbeth insults him, to try to persuade him to continue with the plan. Both of their ambitions have caused them to lose self control, and in the end, lead to their
As the story progresses you can see Macbeth’s ambition become bigger and bigger. As the story continues Macbeth sees a great opportunity to set himself up to be king. With his ambition to be king his decision
The cast of Hamilton: The Musical once sang “ambition is my folly”. This quote, sung by Alexander Hamilton himself, was showing that having too much ambition will lead to your downfall in life. One character that comes to mind when hearing the word, ambition, is Macbeth from the Shakespearean play Macbeth by non other than William Shakespeare. Macbeth follows the story of a former general named Macbeth who goes crazy with greed and power and does anything to remain king, even murder. Although Macbeth's journey to becoming king may seem simple, it was full of not only emotional but physical triumphs. Throughout the book, Macbeth’s ambition is driven by numerous factors including: the prophecy of the witches, Lady Macbeth, and wanting to stay king.
Lady Macbeth says “Art thou afeard/ To be the same in thine own act and valor/ As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that/ Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,/ And live a coward in thine own esteem,/ Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would, ‘/ Like the poor cat i' th' adage?” (Act I Scene vii, Lines 39-45) which moves his thoughts again and in order to
From the start, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a brave and capable warrior, loyally serving King Duncan in battle against rebels and invaders. However, the seeds of Macbeth’s demise are evident even as the witches’ prophecy awakens his aspiration for power. Once planted, this “vaulting ambition” comes to dominate Macbeth’s spirit. Marjorie Garber describes the “terrible anxiety that begins to form” in Macbeth's mind following the witches’ prediction, as he contemplates violating both moral law and his own kinship ties to seize the throne. (Shakespeare After All)
In William Shakespeare's "Macbeth", the theme of the play is portrayed by Macbeth's vaulting ambition. In his first encounter with the witches, unlike Banquo, Macbeth is stirred by their haunting prophecy and demands to know more: "Upon this blasted heath you stop our way with such prophetic greeting? Speak, I charge you." (1.3) Macbeth's ambition continues to boil when he becomes Thane of Cawdor, along with Lady Macbeth's pressure, he proceeds to commit regicide whilst admits through fear: " I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other." (1.7) However, his desire does not stop but only grows stronger.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth has a key theme of ambition that is presented throughout the main characters of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and the witches. Ambition is the strong desire to do or achieve something, and in Macbeth’s case, it dramatizes the damaging effects of ambition on those who seek power for one’s own sake. Macbeth is the tragic hero of the play who became his own villain; having had a taste of power and the expectations due from the prophecy of the witches, he changed from a compassionate loyal man to one who is lead only be greed and power. Putting his own desires before the good of his country ended with him being destroyed by that ambition.
Lady Macbeth, being Macbeth’s husband, is one of the characters most integrally linked to the actions of Macbeth since she helps Macbeth decide on his own decisions when he himself is not capable. Lady Macbeth responds to one of Macbeth’s personal letters, stating “It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness/ To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great,/Art not without ambition, but without/The illness should attend it.” Lady Macbeth says that Macbeth has great ambition, yet he struggles to apply it. The letter, in the sincere tone it is written, reveals Lady Macbeth’s eagerness to influence the actions of Macbeth to reach his desires.
A quote from the book, “I have no spur, To prick the sides of my intent, but only, vaulting ambition. ”(Shakespeare Act 1 Scene 7). This quote shows that he becomes more anxious after his prophecy comes true and plots his next moves. Psychologically, greed plays a huge role in the story. Macbeth is torn between doing what is morally right and gaining more power for himself.
Ambition is a largely re-occurring theme in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Many characters in the play share this characteristic, however the characters whose actions are mostly driven from their ambition are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have ambitious qualities, however, between Macbeth wanting to be king and Lady Macbeth pushing him to take what is "rightfully" his, Lady Macbeth seems far more ambitious than her husband. Mostly, these characters are driven by their desires and greed, they don't care who they have to step on or crawl over to get to where they want to be. This ambition motivates them to do terrible things to get what they want.
Macbeth’s ambition develops into obsession the moment he condones the thought of forcing King Duncan to give up his throne to him. However his
Macbeth's ambition represents a universal human pursuit of power because they will do anything to an extent to obtain power. When people desire something, they will find ways to get it and if power is their desire they will do anything to obtain it even if it’s good or not, and they will not think about the consequences of their action. In Macbeth, he didn't think about the consequence of killing the king until he had done it and he started to become paranoid by hearing things and this represents death and decay because he is haunted for what he did which is killing the king to obtain power. "Whence is that knocking? How is 't with me when every noise appals me? What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes." (Act II, Scene II) this quote explains that Macbeth is becoming more paranoid by hearing things that only he can hear after of what he had done to obtain power. People will forget about their conscience and morality if their whole mind is completely covered with their ambition and they can do things
Throughout Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it is clear that many themes are present. There is a clear theme about one controlling their own destiny. Another clear theme is violence, there is a lot of murder in this play. But one of the most important universal themes in this play is the theme of ambition. Many of the characters show their ambition for different needs and wants. Macbeth showed his ambition for being king and Lady Macbeth showed her ambition for being queen. Ambition leads to downfall and it drives Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to become king and queen, Macduff to kill Macbeth and for the witches to give out prophecies.
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.
Ambition, a trait which underlines success, but while unchecked can lead to self or societal corruption. In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Macbeth”, a brave general falls into tyranny and paranoia after he acts immorally upon the witches prophecies. Macbeth’s pursuit of long lasting power reveals the consequences of hubris and unchecked ambition, which ultimately leads to the the deterioration of his human nature and the corruption of the kingdom. Through the use of thematic motif, the theme of Macbeth’s unchecked ambition and hubris is examined through his struggle to alter and actuate fate, his haunting hallucinations, and the apparitions.
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.