He even says that the presence of the three witches is not ethical and cannot be good. Then, Macbeth states, “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me” (1.4.158). When he contemplates about killing Duncan, the audience can see that Macbeth is ambitious for power and is tantalized over the witches’ prophecy. He wants to become king and if he has the opportunity, he will be take it. The way he handles the situation suggests that he is unsure that being a high-ranking officer is
After Macbeth is promised the throne, Banquo asks why Macbeth is less than ecstatic. "Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear / Things that do sound so fair?" (Act I, Scene 3, p. 332) Macbeth’s new knowledge makes him uncomfortable, as he realizes the implications. His first thoughts considering murdering Duncan appear, and he is scared. After he commits the murder, Macbeth says, "To know my deed, 'twere best not know myself."
His uncontrollable desires led him to the point of evil, and the ambition is too strong for him to realize the wrong he is doing. In, Macbeth, William Shakespeare shows Macbeth’s ambition to be king by using the influence of others. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a respected general, a devoted husband and a loyal subject of the king. (Clayden) What led him to this desire to be king? The first of the witches’ prophecies brought out this ambitious nature.” All hail, Macbeth!
The Tragedy of Macbeth tells the tale of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth and his ambitious desire to become king of Scotland. While he and another commander named Banquo return home from war they stumble into three hagged looking witches. The witches offer the men an enticing prophecy that leads to a more pivotal role found later in the play. Throughout the play Macbeth is seen confronting his own moral ambiguity to the heinous acts he must perform to get the position he most desires. “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, [s]hakes so my single state of man” (Shakespeare 1.3.152-53).
The villain may also be a person who commits crimes against the people and is all powerful. We hear about Macbeth even before we meet him. This is because the witches are casting a spell that foretells that Macbeth will meet them at the heath. In the scene with the captain, we hear that Macbeth is like a hero and is faithful to his king. “O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman”, (I, ii) When we first hear about Macbeth, we learn the descriptions of him are positive towards King Duncan.
In this play, Shakespeare communicates how Macbeth's destiny can be changed depending on how he deals with his predicted future, in other words, his fate versus his free will. Macbeth makes many foolish decisions throughout his life like believing evil and supernatural powers will help him, allowing the endless verbal assault by Lady Macbeth to control him, and allowing his own ignorance in his decisions to overtake him. These are the main contributing factors that lead to his eventual breakdown and death. There are several instances in the story which suggest that the Weird Sisters are to blame for Macbeth?s downfall. At the very beginning of the book, the witches meet Macbeth and right away fill his mind with desire for the throne by telling him he will be king.
One murder leads to another, and he spins himself into a web of paranoid chaos. He continues to go back to the witches to hear their prophecies about how his life will play out. William Shakespeare makes the roles of the witches imperative because they create the storyline and spark Macbeth’s actions, all while ruining his life. The witches can predict the future and impact Macbeth, but they cannot control his fate. Macbeth’s demise was perhaps planned by the witches, but it was his own free will that led him to evil.
By the end of the play the reader learns that ambition was really Macbeth’s downfall. In the renowned play Macbeth, Macbeth’s character flaw of ambition causes him to self destruct over anything else. At the very beginning of the play Macbeth is already starting to be overtaken by his yearning for power. Macbeth’s ambition starts to blind him when three witches tell him that he will be Thane of Cawdor and King. The reader can see his desire for power begin to grow and blind him in this quote, “This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good.
Interestingly, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, clearly illustrates Macbeth’s ambition to becoming the king. In order for Macbeth to become king he uses poor judgment when he decides to kill King Duncan. After he is king, he struggles in maintaining his position. Moreover, it is also argued that Macbeth’s judgment became negatively influenced by the witches prophesies, as well as Lady Macbeth. It is as if they were able to poison his mind and alter his sense of moral and ethical judgment.
Bonquo doesn’t take these prophecies seriously, but Macbeth shows some ambition for power. "If chance will have me king, why, chance will crown me." Macbeth becomes more dependent to the Witches. In Act 4 scene 1 Macbeth returns to the weird sisters, demanding what the future would bring. The Witches gave him three prophecies: "Macbeth!