Macbeth Ambition Essay

Another example of Macbeth’s reckless ambition that demonstrates his downfall is when he realizes how good of a king King Duncan was, but how his ambition overcame his goodness, which lead him to kill King Duncan. Macbeth tells himself and Lady Macbeth

Macbeth's unrelenting desire for power leads him to commit evil acts, including murder. The story states, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other." (Macbeth, Shakespear) This quote highlights how Macbeth's ambition is the driving force behind his actions. He becomes so consumed with the desire for power that he is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve it.

Both greed and power, if not controlled, can lead to destruction. Throughout William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses both characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to demonstrate how ambition can change one’s personal relationships. As in the beginning of Act 1, Scene 7 Macbeth and Lady Macbeth do not share the same ambition, and it is because of this that their relationship lacks love and affection however through the use of persuasion and other means, Lady Macbeth is able to get Macbeth to pursue her ambition. This not only changes their relationship drastically but it also changes Macbeth’s attitude towards ambition. Throughout the play, Shakespeare shows us through Macbeth, the possibility for ambition to eventually turn into greed and how the lust for power may corrupt us.

Although the three witches admittedly had a great amount of supernatural foresight as well as a significant part to play regarding Macbeth’s decision to murder the king, the extent of their actual power or control over Macbeth’s actions and fate is debatable. Before the character of Macbeth is introduced, he is said to be

Macbeth’s greed takes over him as he chases a fool’s dream. Macbeth's ambition leads him to secure his power; he overlooks his guilt and focuses on doing whatever it takes to hold onto his authority. Shakespeare demonstrates, in a variety of techniques, how just ambition alone can bring down the even the greatest of men. “There is something wrong with a individual’s character if opportunity controls their loyalty.” Sean Simmon’s the writer of this quote explains how blinded someone can be when given certain opportunities which can be directly related to the character Macbeth.

For instance, Macbeth is planning to kill the father of the heir to the throne, Banquo and his son Fleance, showing that he does not care for their personal lives: “It will have blood, they say. Blood will have blood” (3.4.151). Macbeth wants to see blood on his blade, showing his true hunger for power. Macbeth will do anything to achieve his goals even if it is filled with extreme amounts of blood and guilt. Bloody ambition reveals his careless crimes and his willingness to do whatever it takes.

In this passage, Macbeth acknowledges that his ambition has led him to the brink of self-destruction. He recognizes that his desire for power has become an overwhelming force that drives him to make reckless decisions. This passage further emphasizes the idea that unchecked ambition can have a corrupting influence, leading individuals to engage in morally reprehensible behavior. Macbeth's descent into darkness is a result of his fickle desire for power. He allows his ambition to overtake him and drive him to make reckless decisions, ultimately leading to his

Macbeth is the Shakespearean play that features the triumphant uprise and the inevitable downfall of its main character. In this play, Macbeth’s downfall can be considered to be the loss of his moral integrity and this is achieved by ambition, despite this, Lady Macbeth and the witches work through his ambition, furthering to assist his inevitable ruin. Ambition alone is the most significant factor that led to Macbeth’s downfall. The witches are only able to influence his actions through Macbeth’s pre-existing and the three witches see that Macbeth has ambition and uses it to control his action. Ambition alone is displayed throughout the play to be the most significant cause for Macbeth’s downfall.

In the next scene, Macbeth and his wife execute their murder plot and temporarily escape any suspicion that they are the culprits. This murder showcases Macbeth’s greed as he was aware of the positive reputation that King Duncan had in Scotland, but murdered him anyway to eliminate anyone that stood in the way of the throne. Next, Macbeth sets out to murder his former best friend Banquo and his son Fleance as the prophecies revealed that Banquo’s sons would ascend to the throne. “So is he mine; and in such bloody distance, That every minute of his being thrusts Against my near'st of life.” (Shakespeare 25)

Greed causes even the best of men to brood immoral intentions. The Tragedy, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, describes the flaws of human nature and the traumatic effects unrestrained ambition may cause. The play commences, featuring Macbeth as an eminent, highly esteemed Thane and loyal warrior to the king; however, after being prophesied by the three witches, a torch of ambition is lit. Furthermore, upon hearing the witches prophecies, his reputation is downgraded as he steps into a realm of evil, and more tragically, finds that he has “in blood stepped in so far that should [he] wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er”. After murdering the rightful king of Scotland, Duncan, and therefore subsequently, one murder leads to another; to a point where he cannot return from his life of evil “I am in blood stepped in so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o’er”.

In addition to the witches and Lady Macbeth sharing somewhat of the blame for Macbeth, it is also duly noted that Macbeth is also at equal fault for his downfall. One of the main causes of his downfall is his hubris. Hubris is defined as the “excessive pride or self-confidence, often that leads to negative consequences”, and Macbeth, his over-obsession with his ambitions leads to the negative consequence of his

Macbeth’s failures are the direct result of the poor choices he makes when influenced by outside forces. The external influences of Lady Macbeth’s forcefulness, the witches’ prophecies, and his own blind greed conspired to ruin him. This demonstrates that people can be easily manipulated into self-depriving choices. Macbeth’s first failure occurred when the witches influenced him with their prophecy.

In search for power with the help of the witches’ foreshadowing predictions, Macbeth realizes that Banquo is a true threat to his pathway to power, so he concludes: “Banquo, thy soul’s flight/,if it find heaven, must find it out tonight” (3.1.146-147). Influenced by his aspiration for power, “Macbeth forgets about his friends and the value of their friendships and is willing to, and does kill them if it means his position as king isn’t secure, or won’t be secure” (Kesur). As a fellow companion of Macbeth’s, the readers view Banquo as a trustworthy friend but the ambition that Macbeth obtains from this situation reaches its height when he decides to kill his noble and trustworthy friend. To continue this determination for power, the witches use repetition to reassure Macbeth of the colossal amount power he obtains when they all say, “All hail Macbeth!

Many people believe it is the witches that drive the plot, however this is not true. The witches do play a part in driving the plot but MacBeth is the main character who carries out the actions. The witches gave MacBeth the ambition by saying "All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!" (I.iii.53). However it is ultimately MacBeth that decides to act on the ambition granted to him.

Macbeth started off as a valiant and courageous soldier, who would do anything for the king. By the end of the play, Macbeth was a tyrant and a horrible leader who killed those who trusted him to maintain the throne. It takes many factors to take a strong man and transform him into an evil monster. Macbeth’s downfall was caused by the deception and temptation of the witches and their prophecies, Lady Macbeth’s greed and aspirations for her husband to be king, and Macbeth’s own greed, jealousy and ambition.