Macbeth provides a great example that too much ambition is not always a good thing. He does so when he killed King Duncan, Banquo and so many others in order to be King. Macbeth lets the idea of wanting to be king get to him so bad that he doesn’t think twice about committing such evil deeds, including Banquo and the Kings murder. The idea of becoming king first crossed Macbeths mind when three witches approached Macbeth and Banquo, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor. All hail, Macbeth that shalt be king hereafter! ” after the witches inform Macbeth that he would be king he began to change. He began to view the idea of being king so holy, that he had the great idea to murder the king and take the next place for the throne. Macbeth had second thoughts about going through with the murder until it crossed his mind of all the power he would …show more content…
“With barefaced power sweep him from my sight…” Macbeth exclaiming he wants Banquo gone. “For certain friends that are both mine and his…”. Macbeth doesn’t want to go through with the murder himself because he is afraid of losing friends he and Banquo both share, just in case people found out he killed him. Because of Banquo’s knowledge of the king’s death, Macbeth sets a hit man out to scavenge Banquo and Banquo’s father, after the hit man would kill the two. Fortunately Banquo’s death was successful, however his father managed to escape and flee the execution. Macbeth was okay that Banquo had been murdered. However his plans had a turn on him when at the guest dinner, Macbeth sees the ghost of his once best friend. Macbeth soon presents himself as a sane person by screaming at something that clearly wasn’t there. Lady Macbeth excuses the incident as a childhood habit however they both knew the deaths were doing harm to Macbeths
He does not want to do the dirty work himself because it will look bad on his part, so he hires murderers to kill Banquo. With the killing of Banquo, Macbeth says “Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold Thou hast no speculation in those eyes.” The murder of Banquo gets to him to a point where he starts hallucinating and seeing ghost of Banquo.
Ambition is defined as “a strong desire to do or to achieve something” (Dictionary.com). To accomplish anything, from a simple task to a daunting feat, one simply needs ambition. In William Shakespeare’s iconic play, Macbeth, the underrated danger of this initiative is introduced. Through Macbeth’s murderous rise to power, Shakespeare demonstrates the destructive force of humanity’s ambition, which remains a relevant notion today.
Macbeth started seeing his bloody trails at the dinner table. Lady Macbeth was covering for her husbands mental sightings. Soon, Macbeth liked his power and started killing without his powerful lady's consent. Lady Macbeth told her husband to kill the mighty King Duncan, she covered his crazy ghost sightings, but in the end Macbeth started killing behind the powerless Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth told Macbeth
Macbeth is telling the murders that they need to kill Banquo and Fleance because they will interfere with his plans. He has to hide his real plans away from everybody else. In conclusion, Macbeth is a cruel and wicked person because he has killed the king and needs other people to go kill Banquo and Fleance so he could hide his real
Macbeth killing banquo is yet another example of Macbeth acting as an agent of free will. The decent to evil is in turn his fault alone. Macbeths killing of Banquo inheirently leads him down this destructive path and the guilt that fallows. This guilt that Macbeth feels after killing Banquo leads to the ghost being seen at the table. Macbeth in front of all the Scottish noblemen is the only one who sees the ghost of Banquo, “ Thous canst not say I dit: never shake?
With Macbeth being a general in the Scottish military, he had major influences on people and their daily lives. After the murder of King Duncan, Banquo’s suspicion of who committed the murders arose around a single suspect, Macbeth. Knowing that Banquo most likely knew the truth that Macbeth killed King Duncan, Macbeth went back to his evil ways with ease. Through his attendant, Macbeth summons three murderers. Shakespeare introduces the murders with stage direction “[Re-enter Attendant, with two Murderers]” (Shakespeare, 363), in which Macbeth he uses Banquo as bait in order to gain their graces and loyalty “That it was he in the times past which held you so under fortune, which you thought had been our innocent self: this I made good to you in our last conference, pass'd in probation with you, how you were borne in hand, how cross'd, the instruments, who wrought with them, and all things else that might, so half a soul and to a notion crazed, Say 'Thus did Banquo.'”
As Macbeth throws his fit over the haunting ghost of Banquo, Lady Macbeth quickly stirs a reason as to why Macbeth is acting the way he was. This shows Lady Macbeth is still sane and very quick on her feet to catch any blunder that might have them caught. After murdering Duncan, Macbeth is filled with aggression and paranoia while Lady Macbeth does her best to remain innocent and
Even though he did not physically kill him by himself, he still committed a crime. Macbeth did not desire to kill his own best friend or he will feel a sympathy of turning back on killing him. Banquo’s ghost created a scene that determined he was guilty of shooting down his loyal friend for no good
Lady Macbeth easily convinces Macbeth to proceed and King Duncan is killed. While waiting for Macbeth to return from the king’s chamber, Lady Macbeth shows some of her own ambition, “That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold” (2.2.1). By successfully pressing drink upon the guards, Lady Macbeth is emboldened. Success turns many people overly ambitious, by seeing what the human race is capable of changes many people into power hungry ants. Lady Macbeth is one clear example of this fault.
To conclude, ambition is a powerful force. It can be fueled by visions of power and lead people to change. This is best seen in MacBeth's character dynamic character. He changes from a good person, to someone who will kill anyone in his way to
Additionally, it also accentuates the unjust nature of Banquo’s murder later on. This is due to the fact that unlike Macbeth, he remained true to his reputation until his death. The night that King Duncan is scheduled to visit Macbeth’s, Lady Macbeth warns him to act normal to avoid suspicion and
If’t be so, / For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind; / For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered,” (3.1, 65-71). Shakespeare shows the fear of Macbeth’s character. Macbeth goes on to try and kill Banquo’s son because his fears led him to. As a result, Macbeth kills his best friend and tried to kill his sons because of his insecurities.
“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires”(I, 4, 52-53) This is exactly what the stars did in Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Macbeth wanted Happiness in his life, but to get that he used moral sacrifices that led to his demise and no purpose of living. This is demonstrated in the dagger speech and the Tomorrow speech that will be discussed showing his ambition for power and happiness to his demise.
it was his destiny.” I was meant to be king, the fates agree, I am invulnerable, for what man has not been born from a woman? And what trees can stand and walk? I am not cruel though what many say, I am merely giving them what they deserve for they tried to stand in my way, and whomever stands in my way, must be struck down. I, Macbeth am a great
As he returns from battle, three witches appear revealing the future predictions that he will become king. After realizing that Malcom, the oldest son of the king, will be next in line, Macbeth decides to kill king. However, he still struggles with the decision as he carries compassion and loyalty to King Duncan. The power of knowledge, in this case, gave Macbeth the upper hand to his ambition which made him wonder what he needs to do to make it come true. Here is where Macbeth’s characteristic develops into a desire to become king, changing his path of just protecting his kingdom to a man who suddenly wants it all.