Macbeth Misguided Ambition Analysis

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The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare that focuses on two characters who are driven by their intense desire to dominate the country. In the first act, Macbeth is visited by three witches who reveal to him a prophesy that he will become King of Scotland. When Macbeth's wife, Lady Macbeth, learns about the witches' prediction she begins to use her powers of influence over Macbeth and persuade him to sabotage anyone who presents a threat to the fulfillment of the prophesy. The outcome of these events is destruction riddling the country in many forms, including: tyrannical leadership and deteriorating relationships. The annihilation that results from Macbeth's misguided ambition can be shown through the reoccurring motif of hallucinations. Ambition is a characteristic necessary to succeed in life; however, if the ambition is misguided it will lead to the dissolution of a person's character. In Act one, Macbeth hallucinates a bloody dagger floating in the air and pointing towards King Duncan's chamber. The dagger may represent the beginning of the grisly journey Macbeth must embark on to become King. Whether or not to follow the direction of the dagger is a choice that Macbeth must make. If he pursues his ambition and decides to continue on the dagger's path he will murder Duncan and become the new ruler, but his …show more content…

Shakespeare uses the ambiguity in his characters to demonstrate how the destruction they have caused affects their demeanor. The dagger initiated the beginning of the end of the character's lives, Banquo's ghost taunted the characters and revealed the future awaiting them, and Lady Macbeth's visions in the night drew their lives to an end. Shakespeare employed hallucinations to sum up the entire play and show that misguided ambition is a step in the wrong direction when trying to scale the ladder of

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