Ambition is defined as a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. It can cause someone to lose sight of what is morally right, and make rash decisions without thinking of the repercussions. However, what is ambition without determination to drive it forward? In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the character Lady Macbeth is filled with a passion for power, and will do whatever it takes to get it. In a society where women have little status, she is seen as fiendishly cruel, when actually she is just trying to get to the top of the social ladder with little help from others. Surrounded by people who disrespect and disobey her, she must do whatever it takes to make her fantasy of becoming a head …show more content…
If something is not going as planned, someone will take charge of the situation and make it go their own way. When explaining to Macbeth how he must act in a way that no one suspects he committed the murder, she says, “To beguile the time, / Look like the time. Bear welcome in your eye, / Your hand, your tongue. Look like th' innocent / flower, / But be the serpent under’t” (1.5.74-78). In order to deceive those around them, Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he should appear the way that people expect him to look; innocent. She explains how he must pretend to be virtuous, while hiding his devious ways. She understands that he would not have done this own, so she decided to take charge of the situation and tell him how it must be done. As the king starts making his way towards them, she says, “He that’s coming / Must be provided for; and you shall put / This night’s great business into my dispatch, / Which shall to all our nights and days to come / Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom” (1.5.78-82). She completely takes control of the preparations needed for the murder to take place that night, knowing that she is the only one who will do it the way she wants it. Acting as a “sovereign,” she lets him know that she will be in charge of what happens. She knows that the events which will happen later that night will change their lives forever, so she wants it to be done in the correct manner. Her deep ambition comes out her, and is backed up with motivation to do the job in a precise way, which only she
It is thrilling to think – to know that for any act of mine, I shall get twice as much praise or twice as much blame” (CITATION). She has nothing, so therefore nothing to lose. She has twice the amount of pressure to succeed, something that is blatantly unfair and unjust. But oddly, she is none the less empowered by it, simply due to her ability to change perspective.
Thinking only in his favor. Macbeth’s ignorance becomes his downfall. Macbeth is told a prophecy of great fortune, but not lasting. Macbeth becomes overwhelmed with desire to change the prophecy in his favor. Ignoring the warning signs as prophecy comes to fruition.
As she continues her journey of finding the happiness and love she yearns for, one of the hindrances in making this possible is power and male domination which
Of all the failures human beings experience none are as crushing as those that are a result of following someone else’s desires. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the protagonist self-destructs because of his external forces as well as his own poor choices. An external force that influenced Macbeth includes Lady Macbeth’s strong goals, which she forced on her husband. Additionally, the witches impacted Macbeth’s choices by offering him their tricky prophecies. The blind greed that took over Macbeth’s life also impacted his choices.
Helen laughed. ‘That’s the way we want her to feel,’ she said. ‘Like a princess.’ ‘A princess can see a lot of trouble sometimes,’ Miss. Strangeworth said dryly.”
Ambition is a natural part of human existence, every person has it at least a little. It is when ambition grows too large and takes control of us that it becomes dangerous. It becomes obsessive and soon nothing will stop the person obsessed. Just by looking around at our world today, one can clearly see the results of unchecked ambition. Unchecked ambition can be destructive to a society and cause the society's downfall.
Someone with high ambition is someone who has high aspirations and determination. Ambition can be viewed as a positive or negative characteristic to have. Depending on the circumstances and the person, ambition can either be helpful in reaching a common goal, due to determination and a strive for excellence, or ambition can be devastating to the process of reaching the goal, causing one to become blindsided by the task at hand. Overall, depending on the person and or character determines how ambition affects their goal, negatively or positively. Ambition is found in everyday tasks, society, as well as in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
Macbeth’s ruthless actions have all been the result of a prophecy, a prophecy in which he had become paranoid to the point where he saw murdering his best friends as a necessary step to accomplishing his goal and cementing his place as the king. During his time as king, Macbeth had shown what he was capable of and while the events of the play never actually occurred it is a good example of what any man or woman could do if they are ambitious enough to chase their dreams, goals or
What is ambition? Ambition is the determination to achieve one’s goals. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the protagonist, Macbeth, possesses ambition, which led to his downfall. In the play Macbeth’s ambition is driven by prophecies from witches and his wife’s aspiration. Ambition caused Macbeth to commit multiple homicides and after those wrongdoings Macbeth is left with nothing.
Ambition and self-fulfilling prophecies two seemingly unrelated things that are actually intertwined with one another. Ambition is the thing that drives many people to do the things they love. Self-fulfilling prophecies are a direct result of ambition by the person subconsciously doing things to get their foreseen future. These things help the advancement of people’s lives. It is part of life to want to succeed and have dreams be fulfilled.
In August 1606, the play Macbeth – written by the ultimate playwright William Shakespeare- was published. Macbeth discusses how murder and greed can be altered to a point where it becomes a person's way of acting and thinking. Lady Macbeth is the leading character in the play of Shakespeare. Her ambitions and power is the main reason for her corruption. She used her position to gain power and stay strong enough to support her husband and lord, Macbeth, however it drove him to evil, causing him to murder and cause distractions.
In today’s society many people possess strong ambition when it comes to getting a job, following a passion and being immensely successful in life. Having an abundance of aspirations can have both successful and faulty outcomes depending on the situation and how individuals respond to the circumstance. For example, in the play **Macbeth written by Shakespeare, a prime example of an excessive amount of ambition is displayed through both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s actions. Essentially, Macbeth becomes power hungry and goes on a rampant killing spree that causes Lady Macbeth and Macbeth to be overcome with guilt. They both contain an excessive amount of desires due to their ultimate goal being for Macbeth to be crowned king.
The choices we make reflect ourselves and represents what we have been through with our lives and what experiences we have with certain areas in life. In the play Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses the concept of ambition to explore its impact on Macbeth’s personality and thoughts. Evil motivation is one of the ultimate outcomes of excessive ambition. Motivation is always apparent when the reward for accomplishment is very appealing. For Macbeth, his drive to obtain more power through evil was his ultimate downfall.
Lady Macbeth is the first character that shows this behavior because she has a ambition for strength, power, and cruelty and to get this she commits a couple deeds that make her corrupt. In lady Macbeths soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 6 lines 39-42 she says “come you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts ,unsex me here,And fill me, from cron to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty.” Her ambition to be more strong and in power makes her talk to evil spirits to make her a man and to fill her with evil. When Macbeth was having second thoughts Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth in Act 1 Scene 7 Lines 49-51 “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man.”
But this time around, the situation is reversed. She speaks and he listens and eventually subdues to her for he can’t control her. He defines her as “she’s always herself!” Act.1. Page.