Desire can come from the purest part of one’s heart but it can turn deadly once achieved. Ambition is a very strong desire to do something that requires hard work and one’s own efforts. Greed, on the other hand, is intense and selfish desire especially for money or wealth. In the play Macbeth, Macbeth searches and tries to keep any power he can. He begins as an ambitious soldier but once he gains power he becomes very greedy. He wants to ensure that nothing will ever come in his way or his power again. Greed leads Macbeth down an unsteady path to his destruction. Macbeth’s transformation into power comes from his ambition and desire, but his insight into a life full of authority instills greed in order to secure his power which ultimately leads …show more content…
Afraid of Banquo’s prophecy coming true (his sons will be king), he journeys to see the witches again. Once he arrives, he demands “I conjure you by that which you profess...answer me To what I ask you” (IV.i.51,61-62). He is greedy to know the answer to his fate, and is selfish in his ways. In response to Macbeth the witches appear in 3 apparitions, all the while giving him a sense of overconfidence. The apparitions state “The pow’r of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth” (IV.i.91-92) and “Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him” (IV.i.106-108). When Macbeth hears this great news he becomes extremely overconfident. This leads him to being very unprepared for when Macduff and Malcolm storm up great Dunsinane Hill covered in branches from Great Birnam Wood. He is thrown off his feet when Macduff tells him “Macduff was from his mother’s womb Untimely ripped” (V.viii.19-20), meaning he was not born of a woman. Finally Macbeth shows his complete transition into a mind of greed when told the news his wife is dead by suicide. Macbeth shows his greedy nature by replying “She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such word” (V.v.19-20). He explains that his wife should have died later when he would have time to mourn her. He does not care about her death, he only cares about his self centered needs. Throughout the last scene of the play, Macbeth has ultimately lost everything. He lost his wife, his power, his kingdom, and his
The play The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare is about selfishness controlling our lives and reveals that selfishness can come to the point of controlling our lives that it blinds us to our own actions. One major example is in the dagger speech in Act 2 Scene 1. In his speech Macbeth sees a hallucination of a dagger floating in the air pointing to Duncan’s chamber. Here Macbeth is completely infatuated with the thought of being king himself. Not only is he thinking crazy thoughts, he is starting to see things that are a “sign” of exactly what he wants. Some other examples of Macbeth’s selfishness is when Macbeth says, ”If you shall cleave to my consent, when ’tis, It shall make honor for you” (2.1.24-25). Here Macbeth is trying to
Lastly, consequences that have been earned from greed such as isolation have pushed Jack and Macbeth away from their society. As Jack declares himself the new chief and leaves Ralphs group because he had lost the leadership vote he moves to his own society, “I’m not going to be apart of Ralphs lot-“(Golding 140). Since Jack did not get what he wanted the greed got to him and he made his own group, which leads him to being pushed away from the society of the boys as a whole. Also, Jack does not worried about being rescued, he makes it seem as if he wants to stay on the island, “you and your blood, Jack Merridew!” (74) This is when the boys yell at Jack for wanting to hunt instead of maintain importance on the island, he is more worried and focused
Power can change people in a way that is incomprehensible. Power can make one so greedy that he/she will do anything for it and won't let anyone, or thing stand in his/her way. This essay will also compare the character of some that get pulled in by this greed for power, and one that doesn't get taken in by this greed for power.
Greed is the downfall to many. It is the ambitious qualities that corrupts and molds the selfish minds of people who will only live to see themselves fail in the end. In my time, I have come to believe that greed has no presence in my life. I have always been happy with what I have, this sense of fulfilment which some people lack, allows me to accept what I was given to overthrow the selfish desires of greed. I find that I have never been driven by my ambitions so far so as to simply have more than others and to do so by impractical and unjust means.
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.
In fear of losing this power to his friend Banquo or his son Fleance, whom of which the witches said would be king after Macbeth and would yield a long line of kings, Macbeth had them murdered in the woods while they were out horseback riding. This proves that he truly believes in what the witches have to say about him and his future, which leads him to back to seek out more of the witches half truths to see what else would come of his future. The next set of prophecies that the witches had to offer were shown in a set of three apparitions. The first said “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff. Beware the thane of Fife,” the second apperition then spoke “none of woman born can harm Macbeth,” the third aperition then said “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him”(Shakespeare,168-170). Some say it was the witches fault for Macbeth’s actions next, but in reality it was Macbeth’s and Macbeth’s alone. Due to these three prophecies Macbeth’s level of arrogance went up along with his hunger for power as well, his level of common sense was decreasing faster and faster. Macbeth’s lack of common sense caused him to make rash decisions without thinking them through. Such as when he says “From this moment the very firstlings of my
). Macbeth realises that his life is an illusion and that he has been blinded by his pride. He uses a metaphor to conclude that life is short, like an actor that doesn’t have enough time on stage, and that in reality he is just an idiot who has created noise and destruction all for it to amount to nothing. He disrupted the kingdom, killed his friends and became paranoid only to be left to the company of pride, greed and wrath. In Macbeth’s remarkable last words “ “I will not yield,/ To kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet,/ And to be baited with the rabble’s curse./ Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane,/ And thou opposed, being of no woman born,/ Yet I will
Greed can be described as an intense and selfish desire for something. Macbeth displays this fatal flaw perhaps the most throughout the story. His greed stems from his need for power, for he wants more and more. Although he already has an abundance of power as a general of the army and the Thane of Glamis, he thirsts for more constantly. Macbeth’s greed for power leads him to become a murderer and a betrayer. “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?” (Macbeth Act II Scene I) Macbeth envisions a bloody dagger that leads the way to his first atrocious crime. Macbeth brutally murders Duncan, the king of Scotland, while he slumbers at his and Lady Macbeth’s home. This is the ultimate betrayal towards a king whom Macbeth sworn allegiance to. With the death of the king, Macbeth is crowned the new king of Scotland. Once Macbeth obtains the thrown, his greed for power leads him to continuously commit atrocities. Macbeth later betrays his good friend Banquo due to his obsession with the witches’ prophecy and Banquo becoming too suspicious of Macbeth. The witches had prophesized that Banquo’s son would eventually hail king. Macbeth’s greediness for the
Greed in our Leaders Throughout time, people have strived for success in an effort to have a fulfilling and meaningful life. It is this natural ambition that leads us to work hard in an effort to achieve our goals. However, there are those individuals who become excessive and let greed become their driving force. Greed is a big part of life and in the society that we live in today. So many people in this world die for and crave recognition, fame, money and especially power.
In the story The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare there is a constant theme of blood and greed throughout it. Shakespeare shows how greed will sometimes get the best of someone and cause them to go to drastic measures just to ensure that there ever-changing, never-ending needs are met. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both main characters throughout this story. Lady Macbeth seems to be the ruthless leader consumed of greed at the beginning pushing Macbeth to do drastic things in order to achieve more power, but as the story continues the characteristics of the two to switch between them. Macbeth stops feeling guilt for the things he has done and begins to plan further activities to gain more power
Greed cannot control one’s actions, it destroys humanity as a whole; and fills the world with fear and darkness. Greed for power and wealth can result in the destruction of oneself as well as others; it leaves society with an unquenchable thirst for power. In the play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the author indicates that there are negative consequences that occur due to motivation brought on by greed. The negative consequences are shown through mental impacts, environmental aspects and the loss of loved ones. Greed is a major component in society because it leads to corruptions and destruction. This play is a great example that shows how greed is capable of creating harmful situations that are unfixable.
Selfish people end up having their self. Not everyone in this world is not greed and selfishness, everyone all wanted to be rich and become powerful. Even a virtuous and honest person can be manipulated by greedy and selfish to turn into an evil and dishonest person. Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth reveals how a virtuous and honest person can be easily contributed to power and wealth and alter into an evil and dishonest person. Macbeth, the character, represents how power and selfishness can easily contribute a loyal and virtuous person into an disloyal and evil. When the play begins, Macbeth a loyal kinsman and subject of King Duncan, the king of Scotland that every respect and cherish who used power to honor those are faithful, his loyalty and honor to the king can be revealed as his ambition for his
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.
Ambition and desire are double-edged notions present in all who crave success and power. While ambition is most often associated with unfavorable greed and overwhelming need, people who express this desire are simultaneously praised for being goal-oriented and steadfast in achieving their goals. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, this duality of ambition is explored through the character of Lady Macbeth. In the play, Lady Macbeth’s husband, Macbeth, is prophesied to be king, and in order to expedite his path to the throne and their combined rise to power, Lady Macbeth plots to murder the current King Duncan. Throughout her Act I soliloquy, Lady Macbeth reveals not only her malevolent and scheming nature, but also profound determination
Lady Macbeth and the witches have both planted the seed of ambition inside of Macbeth Because of Lady Macbeth’s wicked behavior, which resulted in Macbeth’s evil transition; he was led to become a murderer. Macbeth should not be held accountable for his actions completely since she is the one who lead him towards committing both crimes. The major theme ambition and greed for power have played a key part in Macbeth’s fall from a great Scottish general to a murderer. People should be content on what they have and not strive for things which destroy a person even if we are influenced. In this case Shakespeare’s thought proving play of Macbeth.