Many people would consider the term ambitious a compliment. You can look at some of the most powerful and successful people in the world and most all of them contain this envied trait. But there is a point however when ambition, the very thing that takes one to the top, causes an ultimate downfall, an end to a once great power. In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, in relation to Macbeth as a character, Macbeth's ambitious nature further continues my argument. With his already impressive title of Thane of Cawdor, his unexpected desire to become more illuminates that seed of ambition within him. Macbeth reveals through his wandering thoughts that "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on th'other" (1.7. 25-28). This image of the ambition of a horse and his rider jumping too far, wanting too much, and eventually falling in the end, foreshadows Macbeth's eager efforts and tragic downfall. When Macbeth kills Duncan to get what he wants, one might think he already went too far. However, Macbeth keeps burying himself deeper and deeper into evil acts and lies. An example of this is when he kills his own friend Banquo. This act is made clear when Macbeth says that Banquo's soul will find heaven tonight (3.2. 161-162). Is this ambition? Is it ambition because he has such great persistence? Or does it just sprout from selfish acts to save …show more content…
This implied desire is not a bad thing, in fact, it can even be a good thing. But it is the way one gets to the desired destination that distinguishes the small, but significant gap for when ambition crosses a line. Macbeth clearly crosses this line as he violated any and all acceptable ways to become king. He became king through murder, revealing that his ambition went too
Macbeth is also one of the most ambitious character as he does many crimes to achieve the power and become the King. Macbeth’s ambition started when the witches told him about the prophecies because of these prophecies he killed King Duncan and planned to kill Banquo. Before Macbeth killed the King, even though he was really ambitious he still thought before killing Duncan this shows ambition in a positive way. However, he still killed King Duncan this shows ambition in a negative way. The first time Macbeth met the witches one thing they said to Banquo was that his son will rule the world in the fear that someone will take his kingship he tried to kill Banquo’s son.
Ambition is normally restrained by mortality, rabid actions or ideas introduced by someone’s ambition are shot down by someone’s moral compass. This emotion is expressed by Macbeth after his first encounter with the witches causing him to realize he could become king if he killed Duncan, however, the idea is almost silenced by his internal monolog, pleading in his brain that “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself / And falls on the other” (1.7). Macbeth in this quote is arguing with his ambition which is pleading for him to not kill Duncan, bringing up how overexpression of Ambition only causes one to fall on himself and fail miserably. This shows how his moral compass is trying to use logical reasoning to leash his ambition and prevent Macbeth from committing a heinous
“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself…” (1.7.25-27) During the first act, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth come up with a plan to kill King Duncan, so Macbeth can become the king. But there are some obstacles that Macbeth has to face before becoming king. And Macbeth admits that he has ambition taking him over and that it is making him “power hungry” or just wanting to become powerful.
Ambition can have either a positive or negative affect on a person’s decisions. In most cases, an ambitious person is viewed as someone who is very determined towards achieving their goals. However, the other type of ambitious people are those who have a strong desire to be powerful, usually in a negative and controlling way. These ambitious people tend to have unrealistic and immoral goals, usually in a way for them to gain competence. In Macbeth, written by the famous playwright William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth is seen to portray these traits.
When you look at ambition, do you see ambition as a good or a bad thing? Ambition is an overwhelming desire, determination, and drive to achieve goals, hit targets, and succeed at all costs. In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. The main character, Macbeth is a brave Scottish general, striving to be king because of a prophecy he heard. Macbeth became consumed and blinded by his ambition, as we often do.
In the play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare, the author conveys a motif of ambition by utilizing the character, Macbeth. Macbeth seeks answers from the apparitions who can read into the future. The first apparition warns him of Macduff, the Thane of Fife, he reacts by saying, “I’ll raid Macduff’s castle, seize the town of Fife, and kill his wife, his children, and anyone else unfortunate enough to stand in line for his inheritance.” This quote shows that Macbeth’s ambition to be King is leading him to murder endlessly and do whatever it takes to continue his title. After Macbeth murders King Duncan, he starts to become fearful of Banquo, he says, “To be the king is nothing if I’m not safe as the king.
However, the play also explores the darker side of ambition and the consequences that come with it. Macbeth's unchecked desire for power leads him down a dark path, ultimately resulting in his downfall. He becomes consumed by his ambition and loses sight of his moral compass. Macbeth's decision to murder King Duncan sets off a chain of events that ultimately leads to his own demise. His ambition also leads him to commit a series of heinous acts in order to maintain his power, including ordering the murder of Banquo and his son, and later having Lady Macduff and her children killed.
Throughout Macbeth, the major theme is that too much ambition will ultimately lead to one's’ downfall, unfortunately this was the case for Macbeth. Many would agree that ambition is an excellent quality that many people strive to achieve, but when taken to extremes, it can lead to one’s
Ambition is defined as a strong desire to achieve something. Ambition is normally a really good thing to have, because it motivates you to reach a goal that you have set. But in this case, Macbeth had way too much ambition and so he was willing to go to any length to reach his goal, which was to become king. Another reason why Macbeth’s ambition is bad is because he wants to be king for the wrong reasons. The reason he wants to be king is not to make Scotland better, or change some things he feels are not right.
Ambition is defined as a strong desire to achieve and Macbeth is a perfect example of ambition. Macbeth’s ambition started at the beginning of the play when three witches told him his prophecy about him becoming king and a thane. Of course, Macbeth is skeptical about it and did not believe the prophecies but after the prophecy
It is often said that ambition and goals are what drive society. They give people a reason to live, a goal to achieve. However, it is not uncommon for these hopes and aspirations to be the very reason that one’s life is brought to shambles. In the Shakespearean tragedy Macbeth, it is demonstrated that one’s ambition can be exploited and used to propel them towards their end. Macbeth’s intense desire to be king leads to his uncontrollable greed for power.
In life, ambition can be dangerously evil and lead to harmful choices. In the play Macbeth by WIlliam Shakespheare, ambition is seen and used very well. The play begins with Macbeth being a very noble and honorable leader and warrior for King Duncan. However, after learning that he could become King, Macbeth decides to murder King Duncan in order to take his place. Macbeth is fully responsible due to his choices led by his ambition.
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
Thus, to be clear, when Shakespeare wrote of his characters’ ambition, he was not speaking of their positive desire of achieving something great or a goal they were striving to reach, instead, he was referring to their appetite for power. The protagonists in his tragedies wanted as much power as they can obtain. They wanted to become more powerful than anything else did. This is extremely corrupting, thus, in this context; ambition is a negative characteristic of someone’s character. In William Shakespeare’s plays, we see perfectly clear that ambition was not a positive trait in the Renaissance.
Everyone had that moment where they desire to do or achieve something. However, one can either choose to accept the challenge and take on their ambition head on or disregard it. In the play Macbeth, ambition is one of the major themes that keep the story alive and going. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth vicious desire to become king and queen keeps the audience on their feet, waiting for their next moves. Ambition can also be used as a weapon as we see in Macbeth by the witches.