macbeth

Napoleon Bonaparte once said that “Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them”. Humanity would not have been able to survive if not for our natural ambition to thrive and evolve. Ambition is the reason we get up in the morning and allow us to fight for what we want. In this way, ambition is good and even essential in life. But it’s the principles that direct these goals that are more important. Although Macbeth and Hank fought for different things, over ambition and greed play the driving force in not only the characters themselves but also the act of murder and ultimately the outcomes of these two stories.

Macbeth first realizes his hidden ambition when the three witches tell him inform him on his prophecy. He realizes that he can be so much more than the Thane of Cawdor and this leads him to stray from his well established morals down a path of bloodshed and betrayal. He kills Duncan against his better judgment and regrets it throughout the play, his guilt taking forms of hallucinations and paranoia. As Macbeth stews over in his head about whether or not he should assassinate King Duncan, his soliloquy informs the audience about his indecisive yet fierce ambition. “[…] I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself And falls on the other.” (I.vii.26-29). In this quote, Macbeth addresses to the readers that his motivation is only fueled by his greed and fierce desire for more power.

In the beginning, Hank Mitchell, who plays the protagonist in this story, defines happiness for an average American man much like himself, is only achieved by having a wife that l...

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...he end of the movie, Hank learns that turning on friends and neighbors to secure oneself can only lead to loss and grief. His greed leaves him with the guilt that will haunt him for the rest of his life knowing that his over ambitious actions caused the death of so many. Hank confesses "I did one bad thing...and it led to a worse thing." Showing that once your ambitions and greed start to control you, there is no going back. Hank ultimately returns to his dead end job losing not only his brother in the process but also himself.

In conclusion, although Macbeth strived for power and Hank lusted after wealth, they both understood the consequences of their over ambition and greed in the end. It goes to show that you cannot get what you want out of life by taking the easy way out and letting your ambitions and greed affect your morals.

Works Cited

macbeth shakespeare