Ambition in Macbeth - 1062 Words

Ambition is often the driving force in one’s life. It can have an extremely dominant impact on not only yourself, but also many people in your surroundings. You have the ability to control if the outcomes either have a lasting negative or positive effect. When a goal requires determination and hard work to complete, personal morals often take a back seat to the aspiration of accomplishing the goal. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it is clear that like many other great leaders, Macbeth exemplifies the necessary leadership virtue of ambition. Macbeth’s ambition does not just drive him to do great things. It in fact controls him. The playwright explores the idea of how an individual’s ambition can cause them to deceive others, make irrational†¦show more content†¦Banquo’s murder soon follows once Macbeth fears that the truth could be exposed. Ambition is often the driving force in one’s life. It is supposed to be the motivating factor that drives one towards success. Society also deems ambition a necessary quality of their leader. It can be said that Macbeth exhibits this quality of ambition. He is the strong, valiant warrior who has won in battle and brought victory to Scotland. However, Macbeth’s quest to acquire more power-his ambition-ultimately leads to his tragic demise. How can one allow himself to be destroyed by such a thing? Before Duncan’s murder, Macbeth questions and second guesses his ambitious tendencies and actions. Despite his anxiety, he succumbs to these tendencies and finds himself in an increasingly precarious situation, with his back against the wall and growing ever closer to his almost inevitable end. It is obvious that Macbeth has ambition, as most people who are in power do. In fact, ambition is often a necessary quality of people in such high standing as Macbeth is. However, Macbeth’s ambition does not just drive him to do great things. It in fact controls him Through all these things, one can clearly see that Macbeth is headed on a path for disaster; a path started, and forcefully driven, by his ambition. His ambition drove him to kill Duncan so he could acquire the throne. His ambition then drove him to order the murders of Banquo and Fleance. ThroughShow MoreRelatedAmbition And Ambition In Macbeth1240 Words   |  5 Pagesintroduced to Macbeth in the play, King Duncan of Scotland is hearing how General Macbeth and General Banquo subdued Norwegian forces and arrested the Thane of Cawdor for treason. He seems to have a high moral standing and is a strong character, but Macbeth and Banquo meet three witches in the woods, they refer to him as Baron of Glamis, Baron of Cawdor, and then king. They also say that although Macbeth will be king, Banquos sons will become kings as well, even if Banquo will not. Macbeth was alreadyRead MoreAmbition And Ambition In Macbeth1996 Words   |  8 PagesAmbition can either be to one’s benefit or l ead to one’s downfall. In William Shakespeare’s, Macbeth, ambition plays a great role on the characters lives as their actions and ambition shapes their future. Shakespeare showcases how one’s decisions because of their ambitions and overconfidence can lead to their own downfall while examining the actions of Lady Macbeth, King Duncan and Macbeth. To begin, the decisions Lady Macbeth makes to fulfil her ambitions for power leads to her own downfall. FirstlyRead MoreMacbeth Ambitions967 Words   |  4 PagesLuca What is ambition? In the dictionary ambition is defined has â€Å"an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, (ex) power, honor, fame, or wealth. The willingness to strive for its attainment†. From this definition I do not even believe that Macbeth really had any ambition of his own. I do not think his ambition was not Macbeth’s greatest weakness but more is gullibility and being able to be swayed into the directions of others. In the story of Macbeth of Macbeths miss fortuneRead MoreAmbition In Macbeth983 Words   |  4 Pages The Destructive Power of Ambition Ambition can be the one thing that drives people forward in life, motivating and inspiring them to be successful, but, ambition can also lead to one’s demise, infecting anyone and everyone involved. In the play Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth’s ambition is the main cause for the destruction of those around him. Macbeth’s thirst for power puts an end to many lives of many innocent individuals, as he is blind from all sense of rationality due toRead MoreMacbeth Ambition809 Words   |  4 PagesRepresentations of ambition within Macbeth Within Macbeth, there are numerous representations of human values and conflicts, including duty vs. desire, the effects of a guilty conscience on the human journey and the differences between genders, and the superiority of men within the play, and the modern era. The value foregrounded throughout this text is the representations of ambition within the play Macbeth, and we will be focusing on the protagonist of the story, ironically named Macbeth. The effectRead MoreTheme Of Ambition In Macbeth1552 Words   |  7 PagesIn the play, Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, ambition is the key theme throughout the plot. It is the sole reason the events occur as they do. Many refer to Macbeth as the play of ambition due to this very reason. However, as we read through the play we begin to see effects of each character’s desires on themselves as well as those who surround them. We see some characters follow their ambition through violent ways while some achieve it through manipulation. Three characters in particularRead MoreUncontrolled Ambition in Macbeth901 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Macbeth: Ambition Gone Wrong Introduction It’s good to have ambition, as it’s the foundation of a successful life. Ambition means to have strong desire towards achieving something. Because of this, it’s true that one without ambition will struggle, however sometimes, our own ambitions and desires can change us for the negative. Ambition in its nature can tempt obsessive behaviour, which has a destructive nature of its own. When an ambition purely of passion turns into obsession, it ultimatelyRead MoreThemes Of Ambition In Macbeth1038 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeares Macbeth, means that the blood of the victim will seek out the blood of the murderer; in this case, that is Macbeth. This play is full of many central themes that display the different sides of the characters. Although Macbeth proves to be very power hungry; greed, ambition, and also revenge fuel the individuals in this play, whether it be for the right or wrong reasons. Ambition, a strong desire to do or achieve something, is a theme that shows throughout all of Macbeth. The most ambitiousRead MorePower And Ambition In Macbeth746 Words   |  3 PagesThe bloodstained tragedy of Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare, captures the destructive physical and psychological effects ambition can cause on those seeking power for individual benefit. The play focuses on Macbeth, a heroic Scottish general, who encounters a trio of witches who prophesied that Macbeth will become the King of Scotland. Absorbed in ambition and motivation from his wife, Macbeth does the unthinkable for the Scottish throne – murders King Duncan. Marking the inception of Macbeth’sRead MoreMacbeth Ambition Quotes629 Words   |  3 PagesMacbeth Ambition Quotes Quote #1MACBETH   â€Å"My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smotherd in surmise, and nothing is But what is not.† (1.3.9) | After the weird sisters predict that Macbeth will be king, his thoughts turn to murder, which the sisters have said  nothing about. Could it be that the witches prophesy awakens within Macbeth a murderous ambition that was there all along? Quote #2MACBETH   [Aside]† The Prince of Cumberland