Ambition is a force that helps drive societies forward. When the power of a nation falls in the hands of a single person ambition takes many spectacular and ugly forms. It can be both the making and destruction of that person but regardless of the net effect, ambition will have deep socio-economic, political, and cultural roots. Three dictators were taken by ambition and it pushed them into a costly, long, battle to obtain and maintain power. Those leaders are Macbeth, Idi Amin, and, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Macbeth is the main character in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Macbeth was born into low ranking nobility and rose to fame as a general. He did so well in the military that he became the Thane of Glacis, which was later to be followed by the title: Thane of Cawdor.
Macbeth’s success is great but he was tempted by three witches to be even more ambitious. They gave him a prophecy that said “all hail Macbeth! Hail to thee of Glanis. All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee of Cawdor. All hail Macbeth! That shall be king hereafter.” (Shakespeare I.iii.6) This frightened and, amazed him because later that day part of the prophecy came true. He became thane of Cawdor. “And for an earnest of a great honor, he bade me, from him, call thee thane of Cawdor. In which addition, hail, most worthy thane! For it is Thine.” (Shakespeare I.iii.7). Banquo also gets a prophecy that contradicts Macbeth’s prophecy. ”lesser than Macbeth and greater. Not so happy yet much happier. Thou shalt get king, through thou be none so all hail Macbeth and Banquo.” (Shakespeare I.iii.6)
Macbeth wrote a letter to his wife about the prophecy and she became ambitious for Macbeth initially. She convinced him to kill King Duncan and not wait for fate to give him t...
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...The men lived off the land but in the tundra where the enemy follows a scorched earth policy, thousands died on the march to Russia. Another European coalition invaded France, fighting a weakened army and Napoleon went into exile. Napoleon’s ambition made him, tore him down and killed thousands along the way.
These three men made history. They came from small backgrounds and found an opportunity. They rose to power by luck and skill. They protected what they obtained with deadly implications. They all pushed the limits to hard to gain more power and lost. This was the ambition of Macbeth, Idi Amin and Napoleon Bonaparte.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth New York: Dover, 1993
More or less, killer file. Idi Amin February 20, 2001
Woods, Alan. The rise and Fall of Napoleon Bonaparte
Somerset De Chair- Harper. Time Magazine October 23, 1950
Macbeth begins to defer from his original character when he learns of the witches’ prophecies, which leads him to believe he is fated to be king and to pursue that “destiny.” After the witches make the prophecies, he merely views the thought of himself becoming king as something that “Stands not within the prospect of belief” (I. iii. 77). Macbeth’s disbelief of their claim of him obtaining the crown reveals how Macbeth does not trust the witches’ words and has no true ambition to become king. However soon after Banquo’s and Macbeth’s encounter with the witches, a messenger of the King greets him with the title of Thane of Cawdor as well as the title of Thane of Glamis as the witches had also done. These two titles are seen from Macbeth as “Two truths [that] are told/ As happy prologues to the swelling act/ Of the imperial theme” (I. iii. 140-142). Having one of the two prophecies become reality validates the witches’ words and makes Macbeth take their words seriously to be the truth, sparking his desire for power to fulfill the last prophecy. He now believes that what the witches have made it his destiny to become king, and it is his duty to fulfill it. Through Duncan and Macbeth’s dialogue, Macbeth hears about Malcolm b...
However, he doesn't know what to think when the second and third witches say he will be Thane of Cawdor and soon after, king. Both the Thane of Cawdor and the king are still alive. At this point, Macbeth isn't sure if he can actually trust the witches because he doesn't know what they have said. The witches then continued with their prophecies. They tell Banquo that, "thou shalt get kings, though thou be none" (I.iii.67).
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare illustrates how greed for power and wealth can result in the destruction of oneself as well as others. The play's central character, Macbeth is not happy as a high-ranking thane - leading him to assassinate Duncan to become King, while unknowingly dooming himself. Throughout the play many examples are evident of Macbeth's unquenchable thirst for power.
After Lady Macbeth reads her husband’s letter, she sees an opportunity to become queen that she probably never thought about. Lady Macbeth’s desire for her husband to become king is stronger than Macbeth’s own desire for the throne. After Lady Macbeth learns that Duncan is going to visit Inverness, she begins plotting to kill him, even though her husband does show hesitation to kill Duncan. Macbeth wrote, “Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it” that he does not want to commit an act of murder.
The Corrupting Power of Unchecked Ambition The main theme of Macbeth - the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraints - finds its most powerful expression in the play's two main characters. Macbeth is a courageous Scottish general who is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply desires power and advancement. He kills Duncan against his better judgment and afterward stews in guilt and paranoia. Toward the end of the play, he descends into a kind of frantic, boastful madness.
In the beginning of Act I, Macbeth is regarded by King Duncan and many others as a noble man, more specifically a “valiant cousin” and a “worthy gentlemen” due to his loyalty to the crown and courage in battle. As a reward for his courage and allegiance, Macbeth is to become the Thane of Cawdor in addition to his position as the Thane of Glamis. However, before notified of this “promotion,” Macbeth and Banquo meet with three witches who greet the men with prophecies regarding their futures. At this time, Macbeth is told he is to become Thane of Cawdor and the king of Scotland in the future, but the witches also give Banquo a prophecy that his descendants are also to become kings. In line 78 of scene iii, Macbeth questions their strange knowledge and commands, “Speak, I charge you,” in order to learn more about his future. Catching his attention with news of such value, his natural reaction is to inquire for more information. This can be considered a spark of Macbeth’s tragic flaw because selfishness begins to arise when he demands t...
In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is portrayed as a courageous and well-respected soldier who is loyal to his King and country. He is described by one of King Duncan's men as “brave Macbeth.” As a result of his bravery on the battlefield, Duncan decides to reward Macbeth with a new title – the Thane of Cawdor – as the last Thane was proven to be disloyal; however, Macbeth is unaware of this, and this creates tension in the audience. The opening scenes show that Macbeth is a powerful and courageous man who is not naturally inclined to do wrong, but is capable of being brutal when he needs to be. The meeting with the witches also reveal that Macbeth is a very ambitious man who craves an even greater power. There is contrast between Macbeth’s and Banquo’s attitudes towards the witches’ prophecies. Whilst Banquo dismissed the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth was “rapt withal.” This shows that Macbeth has thought about being “king hereafter.” Macbeth's first soliloquy reveals his deep desire to be king. His soliloquy also reveals that he would do anything to achieve it.
Macbeth was the Thane of Glamis. The second prophecy stated, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor!” This prophecy, in fact, came true after his defeat over the King of Scotland. This of course caused Macbeth the want more.
The vigorous desire to achieve and willingly attain something holds the capability to greatly affect one's life. William Shakespeare's play Macbeth establishes the immense effect and influence of ambition. After gaining power over his country Scotland, the protagonist, Macbeth, experiences an internal downfall as he battles between his wants and moral judgement. He struggles to maintain stable relationships with others as his selfish desires and goals hurt those around him when achieved. In addition to clashing with himself and others, he is seen as a tyrant leader and is slowly turned against by Scotland's nation as well as England. Shakespeare's play Macbeth provides the reader with a clear understanding of ambition's corrupting power in Shakespeare's tragic character Macbeth, through his inner conflicts, struggle to maintain stable relationships with those surrounding him, and clash with society.
Macbeth is a brave general who fights for his country Scotland, defeating the King of Norway. He is loyal to his king Duncan, but Macbeth has ambition to take over the kingdom for himself. He has lots of doubts of if he is doing the right thing, but still murders Duncan and then Banquo who is another general who fought with Macbeth. These murders and guilt about his treason are leading Macbeth to become insane. This essay shows that although Macbeth’s strong desire for power is influenced by the three witches in the play and also the planning and ambition of his wife Lady Macbeth, in the end he is responsible for his self-destruction.
Once Macbeth is told his prophecy of being king by the witches, he soon writes a letter to his wife explaining his newly found future, hoping to find some advice in return. Instead, Lady Macbeth quickly begins to think how life could be greater if he were king now. She then persuades Macbeth into killing King Duncan. "And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man." says Lady Macbeth, trying to change her husbands mind. She shows Macbeth that if they follow her plan exactly and show remorse for the kings' death. They would not fail, "Who dares receive it other, As we shall make our greifs and clamor roar upon his death?"
Macbeth is a play about the corruptive force of ambition. Discuss this statement with particular reference to the characters in the play.
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is showed as a noble Scottish General in King Duncan’s army. The Captain and King Duncan praise Macbeth for his bravery “For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name-/Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish’d steel” (1.2 16-17). But when Macbeth meets three witches, his mentality completely changes. The witches predict that Macbeth is now the Thane of Glamis, but he will ...
First is Macbeth, who starts the play off as Thane of Glamis, but is soon told by three witches that he will become much more than that. In the play, Macbeth and Banquo meet up with three witches who make prophecies about Macbeth and Banquo’s future. Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland, and Banquo will not become king but his sons will. After the witches leave, Macbeth and Banquo were delighted to hear the prophecies but their reactions were completely opposite. ...
“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Glamis. All hail, Macbeth! Hail to you, thane of Cawdor. All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”(1.3.51-53) and also goes on to tell Banquo that his descendents will be kings even though he won’t become one. At first Macbeth dismisses these claims, and Banquo suggest that they were just hallucinating, but the idea of becoming Thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland has been implanted in Macbeths head. Coincidentally just before Macbeth and Banquo meet the witches Duncan announces to Ross that Macbeth will be the new thane of Cawdor “No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, and with his former title greet Macbeth.”(1.3.76-76) When Macbeth finds out that he will become thane of Cawdor from Ross and Angus he starts to truly believe that he can and will become the new king. The witches use this previously announced fact “Hail to you, thane of Cawdor” as a catalyst, to trick him into believing that he will become king which makes him take action towards the prophecy, but which was really his free will maki...