Macbeth was driven by ambition to gain power by desperately wanting to become the King of Scotland. It was not enough for MacBeth to become the Thane of Cawdor and Thane of Glamis - he wanted more just as the three witches had predicted to him and Banquo. The witches told MacBeth that he will have three important roles and be happier and that Banquo will not be a King but his descendants will be Kings and that he will be happier than Macbeth. Banquo is skeptical of the predicitons but Macbeth believes in them. On MacBeth’s journey for the title of King he makes the ultimate sacrifices to gain the crown.
MacBeth believes he was given the titles of Thane of Cawdor and Thane of Glamis based on his good attributes and his honesty. The Thane
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He becomes confident and arrogant. He believes in the three witches and puts total faith into what they have told him in the beginning. He believes this is his destiny and one way or another he is going to make it happen. When the three witches tell Macbeth that MacDuff cannot be killed by someone born by a woman he begins to lose his confidence and starts feeling abit uncertain. But once again Macbeth convinces himself that his desires are acceptable and these are only small road blocks that he needs to overcome. He then decides to murder MacDuff’s wife and children until he can figure out how to kill MacDuff himself. Macbeth is rapidly changing from the person he once was into a very evil person with no affection or consideration for anyone. He is totally self centered and losing touch with everyone who knew him. The only people left supporting him are the servants employed by him and they are forced to remain. Even when Macbeth learns of Lady Macbeth’s death he is literally not affected nor upset. This is a clear sign that he is losing power and strength because he is not in touch with his own feelings and compassion for his wife’s death or anyone
He started out as a person of noble stature, seeing that he had the title of Thane of Glamis and Cawdor, which was plenty. However, he then heard the prophecy of the witches and started to think the unimaginable, that he could be king. All this ambition was then amplified by Lady Macbeth, without whom he might have never summoned the courage to murder Duncan. He didn’t originally want to kill Duncan, but determined Lady Macbeth magnified his ambition: “And that which rather thou dost fear to do,/ Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither,/ That I may pour my spirits in thine ear/ And chastise with the valour of my tongue” (1.5.23-26). Whenever Macbeth had any doubt, Lady Macbeth with her strong and contrasting view, was always there to push him, question his manhood and ambition, until Macbeth finally killed Duncan, which was when everything changed. Macbeth’s ambition kept on increasing, while Lady Macbeth moved toward fragility. As time passed, the ambition that Lady Macbeth originally kept on encouraging, turns out to be Macbeth’s tragic weakness. His blind ambition gets out of control, as Macbeth gets paranoid and kills everyone that could be a potential threat, including Banquo and more importantly Macduff’s family. All these killings were his free choice and ultimately led to his downfall. Due to the slaughter of his family, revenge stated to boil inside Macduff and the plan for Macbeth’s downfall was starting to develop. Macbeth continued to be ambitious until he heard that Lady Macbeth took her own life: “She should have died hereafter/… Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/ And then is hears no more. It is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/ Signifying nothing” (5.5.17-23). Yet again, Lady Macbeth is an
The witches tell Macbeth that he will be the “Thane of Glamis”, “Thane of Cawdor”, and “shalt be kind hereafter.” These promises serve the purpose of tempting Macbeth with the promise of higher power, as well as to lead him to his demise. Shortly after hearing the prophecy, people arrive to tell Macbeth that he has been awarded the title of Thane of Cawdor. This - being a part of the witches tempting spell - is what drives Macbeth to believe he must murder the King in order to replace him and become the new King of Scotland. Macbeth battled between doing what was right and doing what was wrong.
The Influences of Desire Desire means what people really want to do or to have in deep of their heart, sometimes it doesn’t show on their face. Desire can be people's ambitions, freedom of love, or a strong body. Here is an example for ambition, in Shakespeare’s "Macbeth”, the character Macbeth grows his desire of power after he heard from the three witches that he will be the next king soon. His ambitions, the desire of power influenced him so much that it turned him into an evil person.
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
In addition, Aristotle believes themes and type of diction classifies whether or not a play is a tragedy. He states they should includes various themes, speeches that reveal themes and character, and metaphors. (McManus) Macbeth has various themes, such as, excessive ambition leads to one’s downfall, for which they aspire to reach unreachable heights, deception leads to bigger lies and to one’s downfall, and “fair is foul, and foul is fair,” (I, i, 12) meaning there is good and bad in everything. Macbeth perfectly demonstrates how excessive ambition can lead to one’s downfall as it leads to his death.
Influence of the tragedy Things influence us and our actions, and then we have people who are influences on our life. Who help us strive for things in life. Good and bad things in life. And if we want it so bad and we try pure hardest to get that one thing we want in life it is called ambition. Ambition is a strange thing
After Macbeth said that he sent three murders to kill Banquo. He did this because he thought that Banquo would be a potential problem for him when he would have the throne. Macbeth does not want to Banquo to interfere by exposing the witches’ prediction about him being king to the public. This is what drove him to commit the murder of Banquo. In conclusion, this scene illustrates that Macbeth’s ambition would make him do anything to get the throne.
Upon the witches’ first meeting with Macbeth, he is already bestowed the title of Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan, which is unknown to Macbeth
Ambition is an important quality which all people possess to some extent. It is vital to have this quality to gain the will to improve and be successful in everything that must be done through daily life. Although this characteristic has its significance, the consequences of an exceeding amount of it are criticized in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. The play follows a loyal soldier named Macbeth who receives a prophecy that tells him he will be king. With a spark of ambition, he tells his wife, Lady Macbeth, and her drive is ignited. Lady Macbeth’s strong ambition is the cause of Macbeth’s ultimate demise because her ambition contributes to his growing unruly behavior.
The play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare is based upon old Scotland and this is used as the general time frame. During this time, Monarchy still existed and Scotland is in war with Whales. There are many emotions that arise throughout the play, but the most important of all is ambition. “Ambition is the desire for personal achievement. Ambitious persons seek to be the best at what they choose to do for attainment, power, or superiority” (“Ambition”). The motif of ambition in the play is that being ambitious leaves one blind to certain areas and can drive one insane to reach the intended goal. Numerous characters that showed this trait throughout the play were Banquo, Macduff, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth.
In Act 1 Scene 3, the three witches meet MacBeth and Banquo. They address MacBeth as his official title; thane of Glamis as well as thane of Cawdor, a title not yet decided upon. “I know I am thane of Glamis; But how of Cawdor?” (16). The witches also discuss the future for Banquo and MacBeth and their roles in royalty.
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.
On their way home from battle, Macbeth and Banquo meet three witches and discover their fates. Macbeth and Banquo become suspicious of the encounter with the witches because their words seem unlikely. Furthermore, one of Duncan’s subjects tells them that Macbeth gains the title as Thane of Cawdor. Since Macbeth already attains the title of Thane of Glamis, he knows that two of the three parts of the witches prophecy becomes reality. After Macbeth learns of his future, he shows his happiness when he says to himself, “Glamis, and Thane of Cawdor; / [t]he greatest is behind” (Mac. 1.3.117-18). Macbeth readily accepts his title and aspires to gain more. However, Macbeth differs from Othello because he attains ambition, and Othello attains trust and jealousy. Macbeth contemplates ways to get the throne, but he never figures out a possible way without the death of the king or his family members; yet, Lady Macbeth convinces him to kill King Duncan in order to receive the throne. Macbeth knows that King Duncan respects him, but Macbeth wants the title as king and commits any crime to get what he wants. Macbeth learns about the witches prophesy, and his ambition drives him “to pursue the felonious course to be king” (Cheung 434). Macbeth desires to kill King Duncan and gain his title. The objectives of Macbeth and Othello differ due to their different flaws and experiences. Moreover, Macbeth realizes that the prophecy the witches give to Banquo stands in his way. As a result, he hires men to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, to prevent his heirs from kingship. Later, at a party he hosts, Macbeth acts calm until the guests ask him to take a seat at the table, but he denies because he claims that Banquo sits at his seat. Macbeth takes large measures to ensure his spot as king; however, his guilt from Banquo’s death makes him hallucinate and tell Banquo’s ghost to “Let the earth hide thee!”