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. Banquo was a noble warrior and a Thane; at the beginning of the play he and Macbeth were close friends. While with Macbeth he met three witches who prophesied that his children would be king of Scotland. Banquo doubts the witches prophesies at first and even says to Macbeth; "have we eaten on the insane root/ that takes the reason prisoner"(1.3.87-8). This question posed by Banquo is basically asking Macbeth if they have gone mad and are hallucinating. Later, Banquo realizes that two of the witches' predictions for Macbeth have come true; Banquo begins to process the idea that maybe his children will become heir to the throne. Eventually, he confronts Macbeth saying, "I dreamt last night of the three Weird Sisters. / To you they have showed some truth"(2.1.25-6). Banquo was now ambitious for his line to take the throne; “Banquo’s character stands as a rebuke to Macbeth, since he represents the path Macbeth chose not to take: a path in which ambition need not lead to betrayal and murder” (Rev. of Macbeth). The fact that Ban... ... middle of paper ... ...ht that he was invincible. In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, there are many moods and emotions that occur. The main emotion however is the characters ambition. Some such characters that showed their ambition was Banquo, Macduff, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, and their ambition also costed them their family and their lives and left them blind to others. Ambition is very important trait to possess because it is what keeps one going. On the flip side of that, there are always those who go to far to get what they want and wind up paying the consequences. Works Cited “Ambition.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Mar. 2010. Web. 28 Mar. 2010. Rev. of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare. Sparknotes. Sparknotes LLC, 2010. Web. 28 Mar. 2010. Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York City: Pocket Books, 1992. Print.
Macbeth’s ambition is to remain king for as long as possible and he will kill anybody who stops this from happening. Macbeth feels as if he was given a childless rule, and that his legacy will not continue on in fears his rule will be taken away by someone outside his family. Macbeth states, “For Banquo’s issue, I have filed my mind; For them the gracious Duncan have I murder 'd, put rancors in the vessel of my peace only for them, and mine eternal jewel given to the common enemy of man. to make them kings, the seeds of Banquo kings”(Shakspeare 3.1.64-69). Macbeth had committed murder, poisoned his own mind, and destroyed his soul only to end up benefiting Banquo’s heirs. Macbeth, being the paranoid character that he is, feels threatened by this and orders both Banquo and Fleance to be killed. In Act 3, Macbeth says that, “and mine eternal jewel, given to the common enemy of man, to make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings!” (Shakspeare 3.1.67-9). Seeing this choice of act, leads Macbeth’s blind ambition doing all he can, in order to remain where he is, even if he is ‘blind’ to what it going on and fails to truly understand the concept of his choices in killing Banquo, which only further deteriorates his mind because of his thirst for power, causing
Perhaps the most fundamental theme of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the inherent corruptibility of even a seemingly good man when ambition turns to greed, and Macbeth himself exemplifies this concept throughout the play. While at the outset he is seen to be loyal to his king, generally considered trustworthy, and displaying numerous other laudable qualities, Macbeth ultimately succumbs to the influence of those around him and becomes unequivocally evil, setting aside all his previously held morals and coming to be driven only by his lust for power. This transition is brought about by a wide variety of factors and plays an integral role in the development of the plot. In his tragedy Macbeth, William Shakespeare employs
In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare, there is a deep relation to ambition. Macbeth's ambition started after the witches told him that he was going to be king after Duncan died, so then Macbeth and Lady Macbeth just decided to kill Duncan. After this first murder he then decided that he would do anything to keep his crown, since he was so hungry for power. Guilt soon got the best of him which then led to his demise.
Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.
Ambition is a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. “Lady Macbeth, once she begins to put into actions the once-hidden thoughts of her mind, is crushed by guilt” (litcharts.com). Lady Macbeth has nightmares after committing the murders of her with blood on her hands, which signifies guilt because she was aware of her actions and eventually causes her to commit suicide. This also shows when she begins to be seen as a psychotic patient. “Macbeth shows how naked ambition, freed from any sort of moral or social conscience, ultimately takes over every other characteristic of a person” (litcharts.com). In the play, all the characters especially Lady Macbeth wanted to be great and have something to look forward too.
Among the greatest gifts that the renaissance produced was the eloquent and incredible Shakespearean plays. Written mostly in the 1590s these plays have been performed and admired countless times; entertaining mass audiences by providing interesting tales that explore the depth of human insights and the different universal themes. Among the many Shakespearean plays Macbeth, written in 1606, stands out with its short composition but multiple themes. This tragedy narrates the tale of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s quest to grasp ultimate power by ignoring their morals and succumbing to their dark desires, which ultimately leads to their downfall. This tragic play portrays the desires, needs, and temptations that accompany ambition in men and women. However the ambition in Macbeth is blind, it does not abide to the morals, but it allows space for dark actions as means necessary for accomplishment. Blind ambition serves as the main driving force that drives Macbeth to subdue to his dark desires, defy his noble behavior, and ultimately his downfall.
Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.
In the play of “Macbeth”, Shakespeare gradually and effectively deepens our understanding of the themes and most importantly the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The main theme of Macbeth is ambition, and how it compels the main characters to pursue it. The antagonists of the play are the three witches, who symbolise the theme appearance and reality. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relation is an irony throughout the play, as most of their relation is based on greed and power. This is different from most of Shakespeare’s other plays, which are mostly based on romance and trust. There is also guilt that leads Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to the final consequences of the play. As the progresses, the constant changes in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are exposed.
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.
Shakespeare, William, and John Crowther. No Fear Shakespeare: Macbeth. ed. New York: Spark Publishing, 2003. Print.
Macbeth is a fearless warrior and an important lord who defends his King against treachery but his fatal flaw is ambition which he allows to be set into motion in his mind first by the witches’ prophecy and then the amount of ambition for him from his wife soon undermines his righteousness. He is not easily won over to committing the deed of treason and has many objections to the murder, however he is easily influence by his own desire to be King. This is the starting point of a violent and ruthless nature.
Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 1992.
A word described as: “a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work” is very well known as ambition. Ambition is seen a lot in The Tragedy of Macbeth however, in this case, Macbeth uses ambition and causes a negative effect. Macbeth thought he worked his way up when the whole time he was digging his own grave due to his evil ambitions. He went from a noble general to a corrupt power-seeker who is responsible for countless murderers. The main purpose this evil ambition started was because of lady Macbeth and his poor decision-making skills. Lady Macbeth used peer pressure and literally called out Macbeth’s masculinity by saying he wasn’t “manly’ enough to do it. In other words, Macbeth