At the start of the play, Macbeth is well respected among King Duncan’s army. He encounters three witches who give him a prophecy that he will become king. At first, Macbeth believes that fate and the natural order will lead him to become king, and he doesn’t have to do anything. Macbeth’s wife convinces him to kill King Duncan, which he eventually proceeds to do. Macbeth continues to commit murders to maintain his power, and he thinks there is no going back. Ultimately, he feels guilty and regretful of his actions and faces severe consequences. When fate and the natural order don’t work in his favor, Macbeth’s growing ambition and ignorance cause him to disregard them, leading to destructive consequences. Macbeth’s ambition and ignorance …show more content…
However, as Macbeth’s ambition grows, his actions become more erratic, and he begins questioning the natural order. He says, “The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s / In deepest consequence” (1.3.124-126). This quote highlights Macbeth’s willingness to listen to the witches and follow their prophecies despite the consequences. He is willing to betray his loyalty to King Duncan and disrupt the natural order to pursue his ambition. “The castle of Macduff I will surprise; seize upon Fife; give to the edge o’ the sword his wife his babes, and all the unfortunate souls” (4.1. 165-167). This shows Macbeth’s complete disregard for human life and his willingness to commit crimes to maintain his power. He sees Macduff as a significant threat and is willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate him, including murdering Macduff’s wife and children. His ambition has consumed him, and he has lost touch with morality or compassion. His actions are driven only by his ambition for power, regardless of any consequences he may …show more content…
“I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself / And falls on the other” (1.7.25-28). This quote highlights his awareness that his actions are only driven by ambition. His desire to become king is driven solely by his ambition, which will eventually lead him to destruction. “I’ll go no more: / I am afraid to think what I have done; / Look on’t again I dare not” (2.2.47-49). Macbeth feels regret and guilt after murdering King Duncan. He is beginning to understand the consequences of his actions and the disruption of the natural order that he has caused. Macbeth’s guilt shows that he still has some understanding of the natural order, but his ambition and desire for power are clouding his judgment. “I am in blood / Stepp’d in so far, that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.136-138). This quote highlights how Macbeth’s ambition led him to commit several crimes that he cannot turn back. He is too deep, and there is no return to his previous self. Macbeth’s desperation to hold onto power has driven him to the point of no return, and this quote shows how his transformation is
Although, later on in the story Macbeth becomes inconsiderate and only cares about himself. He would do terrible things to people just so he could get a higher status. Macbeth’s actions in different parts of the play display regret, greed, and sadness. Early on in the play, Macbeth shows much feeling of regret for his actions. First, Macbeth shows regret after killing Duncan.
His greed leads him to commit sins such as murdering the well-liked King. All in all, Macbeth’s ambitious actions drive him to destruction through his
At the beginning of the play, three witch sisters told him that he would become Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. Right after they told him about the prophecies, Macbeth was told that he did in fact become Thane of Cawdor. Since that prophecy came true, he began to wonder if the prophecy about him becoming King would come true. When Lady Macbeth found out about the prophecies, Lady Macbeth convinced and influenced Macbeth to kill the King so that the prophecy could come true. Macbeth was reluctant to kill the king, but that reluctance was soon overcome by the sheer determination for power that grew inside of him.
Duncan's importance to the play reveals the beginning steps to the process Macbeth is taking to become a cruel King. IN the beginning of act 2, after Lady Macbeth realizes Macbeth's future, she pushes Macbeth to fully start the desired process. Macbeth hesitates because he knows that he will forever have to live with Duncan's body on his hands. By the end of Act 2, Macbeth completes the murder and Duncan's body appears to the others. Shortly after, Macbeth is handed the crown to the throne.
Once he starts his reign after killing Macbeth, he becomes determined to keep that throne. The fear of anyone overtaking his power gives him the ambition to kill anyone who comes or has the potential to come into his path. For example, Banquo is Macbeth’s best friend, but he still has Banquo and attempts to have his son killed because he is so scared of losing his power. In addition, the witches are the root of the ambition. If the witches wouldn’t have told Macbeth that his fate was to be king, he most likely never would have killed so many people out of ambition for power.
Macbeth's guilt haunts him throughout the play, ultimately leading to his downfall. It is a warning that the pursuit of power at any cost can lead to disastrous consequences, not just for an individual but for an entire
Macbeth understands the gravity of his plan and admits that one murder will only end in more bloodshed. While acknowledging the King’s trust in him, Macbeth notes that by committing this crime, he will be betraying his role as a loyal nobleman however, the loss of his honor is not enough to keep his ambition tame. Here, we can see the beginning of the end as Macbeth wrestles with his thirst for power. At this point, he cherishes the King’s faith in him and deep down, knows that obtaining the title through violence is not morally correct. However, his ambition, which is personified as a wild animal, clearly cannot be controlled.
Macbeth sends two murderers and orders them "[t]o leave no rubs nor botches in the work—/ Fleance, his son, that keeps him company,/ Whose absence is no less material to me/ Than is his father’s, must embrace the fate/ Of that dark hour. Resolve yourselves apart" (III. i. 139-143). Fearing the prophesy of Banquo's descendant position on the throne will come true, Macbeth can not stand any being that would threaten his and his siblings' crown; therefore, he must wipeout anything that hinder his ambitions. Including Macduff and his family, who have clear bloodline with the crown, they have no chance to get away with this. Macbeth is totally craze about massacre, and once again he command killers to murder Macduff's family.
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.
Blind Ambition and Greed The play “Macbeth”, by William Shakespeare illustrates many themes through the characters from the beginning to the end of the story. But the main central theme introduced is Ambition and Greed. As the play goes on we read how Macbeth permits his Ambition and Greed to dictate the outcomes and tragedy’s that occur to himself and others.
In Act 4 Macbeth shows just how far he will go when he orders for Macduffs family to be killed out of mere irritation with him. “Seize upon Fife; give to the edge o' the sword. His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls” (IV.I.151-152). In this quote Macbeth has just learned of Macduff fleeing to England. Knowing he can't do anything to Macduff himself, Macbeth chooses a cheap move and decides to kill his family out of frustration.
5-7). In this instance, Macbeth shows that he can feel guilt, and he exhibits this by demonstrating that he does not desire to end the life of a man whose family was already victimized at his hands. Guilt is the one thing throughout the entire play that stops Macbeth dead in his tracks and causes him to take a moment to consider his present and future courses of action. Although Macbeth was lead to commit murder by the witches’ manipulative predictions of the future, he is the one who ultimately makes the choices that prove that he is in control of his actions, even when his actions cause him to be filled with
In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, Shakespeare explores the consequences of unchecked ambition and greed paired with blind trust in the wrong people, and how this will ultimately result in inevitable repercussions. Shakespeare's character Macbeth explores these ideas through his political greed and desire to become King of Scotland. Macbeth was a virtuous man who was enrolled in the army, and this play represents how power can corrupt even these kinds of people. His ambition to be the king guides him to commit multiple heinous crimes, including the murder of his friends and allies. He lets this idealized version of himself control him, and lead him to malicious acts that eventually lead him to his death.
Macbeth feels extremely guilty after he murders Duncan and feel as if the
Macbeths guilty conscience makes him unable to play the ‘true’ role of a villain of the play. Macbeth begins to see ‘false creations’ before murdering Duncan; the image of a floating dagger taunts Macbeth’s senses. Macbeth is devoured in his anxiety he starts to hallucinate the crime before going through with it. Macbeth is unable to dispose thoughts of his guilt and doubt, which prevents him from being stuck at the point where it is too late to turn back, yet the fear of his nature prevents him from turning completely into a ruthless coldblooded