Greed for power has always been evil and even made a saint turn into a demon. As the quote goes “All power tends to corrupt and an absolute power corrupts absolutely” (unquote), which is true not only in the fictitious stories but also in real life and Shakespeare, th9e greatest writer ever known, has always been in habit of making fictitious character come alive and Macbeth is no exception to the rule. The character of Macbeth has two sides, one which is wholesome while other been dubious. He symbolized great ambition but went overboard and in the process not only became corrupt but also became a killer. Macbeth reflects great strength but within he has his own weakness and thus good over took evil resulting in its downfall and finally his own death. His wife, Lady Macbeth, was the most influential person as far as Macbeth was concerned and any decision of his would have trademark of his wife, Lady Macbeth. The greed of Macbeth for more power led him to commit monstrous acts however
Even he admits to it: “I have no spur. To prick the sides of my intent, but only. Vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself. And falls on the other.” (Shakespeare I.vii.25-27) What Macbeth essentially says here is that his only motivation for killing King Duncan is his ambition. Many would argue that it was not Macbeth’s ambition that caused him to kill King Duncan but instead was his wife using her femininity in order to charm Macbeth into doing as she says . However, Macbeth’s hunger for power was already seen when King Duncan gives Malcolm the title of Prince of Cumberland. Macbeth tells himself that he must not reveal his true intentions: “Stars, hide your fires! Let not light see my black and deep desires.” (Shakespeare I.iv.58-59) This shows Macbeth has the intention of claiming the crown for himself before he even talks to Lady Macbeth about what they should do when Duncan arrives at their castle. Furthermore, Shakespeare displays Macbeth's ambitions even earlier in the play while fighting against the rebels. The manner in which he fights against the rebels described by the Sergeant shows how passionate he is to fight on behalf of his king and drive the rebels back. Macbeth evidently has a very ambitious personality, but the way he uses the ambition is changed after hearing the “prophecies” of the
Shakespeare presents the theme of ambition in Macbeth. Ambition is a strong desire to do or achieve something, ambition can also be presented in a positive and negative way. Shakespeare presents ambition in a negative way through some characters who are Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and King Duncan. The reason these characters present ambition in a negative way is because they end up dying. Ambition is also present in a positive way through some characters who are Macduff, Witches and Malcolm these are the characters who survive in the play showing that you can be ambitious but not too ambitious.
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. The main examples of Ambition and Greed is seen through Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff.
Ambition alone is displayed throughout the play to be the most significant cause for Macbeth’s downfall. Macbeth states, “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself and falls on th' other”. This quote represents Macbeth’s effort to succeed in his actions, Macbeth’s “intent” signifies the horse that he is trying to mount and “I have no spur to prick the sides” meaning that there is nothing forcing his intent to move other than his “vaulting” ambition. In the process
Lady Macbeth’s strong character portrayed in Act I Scene V creates suspicion of dark events later in the play. In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth reveals her true character in her speech and foreshadows King Duncan’s death. Throughout her speech, Lady Macbeth reveals her lust for power and desire to kill Duncan to become queen. Although Lady Macbeth’s character is recently introduced into the play, she reveals her true self as a sadistic and covetous person which foreshadows the murder of King Duncan and Macbeth’s prophesied future.
In William Shakespeare’s Tragedy “Macbeth” and the well-known comedy story of Lion King, the demise of Ducan, comparing to the death of Mufasa, as well as the consequence of conspiracy and revenge conducted in both stories, are similar. In fact, “The Lion King’s storyline is also influenced by William Shakespeare’s Macbeth” (The Lion King). Both stories contain the plot of seizing the throne by a conspirator, the death of the king, the fleeing of origin descendant of the throne, and a victorious revenge at last. Despite having the similar outcome for the conspiracy conducted in both the story of “Macbeth” and “Lion King”, the distinctive perspectives of protagonists, different nature in characters and distinguished motivations for the conspiracies
“Do you know the difference between neurotics and psychotics? Neurotics build castles in the sky; psychotics move into them.” -Tanya Thompson, Assuming Names.The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised is a diagnostic tool used to diagnose psychopathy. The list consists of twenty different Psychopathic traits which are used as a rating scale to determine prison sentences. Macbeth is the epitome of a psychopath. He presents with many symptoms of psychopathy including his inability to empathize with the ramifications of his actions due to his emotional poverty and lack of empathy, his grandiose self worth and his state of delusion. While Macbeth’s ambition is a key factor in his downfall, his nature as a psychopath
Macbeth commits murders and violent acts to earn his absolute power, but his corrupt mindset of yearning power leads to instability in the Scotland. After hearing from the witches, Macbeth admits that, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical/ Shakes so my single state of man/ That function is smother'd in surmise /and nothing is but what is not.” (Shakespeare 1.3.52-55). Macbeth is influenced by his greed for power to use ruthless actions, in this case to kill Duncan to receive the crown he thinks he needs to earn that power. Overwhelmed by his greed, he is already thinking about the “murder” as he
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. One clear example of unchecked ambition can be found in The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare uses a few characters to display the dangerous nature of unchecked ambition throughout the acts of the play. However, the main character, Macbeth, clearly shows the most. Although Macbeth begins as a courageous,
In Macbeth, Shakespeare writes about a man named Macbeth, who has a very strong ambition to be the the king of Scotland. His credulousness led him into believing the prophecy from the three witches without thinking rigorously. Because of this prophecy, Macbeth is willing to do everything he can to gain the throne, even to the extreme of murdering someone. Shakespeare uses syntax, similes, and personification to convey the evolution of Macbeth’s insanity.
Ambition has a major role in the play Macbeth. One of the main things for a character such as Macbeth. Ambition lead him to commit the murder of Duncan, and losing Everything he had. In the beginning of the play Macbeth celebrated as he was brave soldier as he rewarded. He becomes the thane of Coward, as predicted by the three witches. Since Macbeth has got his prophecies of getting all the power, which that lead him a striving man. The three witches (the weird sisters) had gave him the prophecies which turned Macbeth into a single- minded and ruthless man. An encounter with the three witches’ changes everything to Macbeth, Macbeth premonition said “shalt be king hereafter,” (Shakespeare 1.4 22-24) Which triggers ambition and murderous consequences. Which saying everything will come
The tragic downfall is a common plot element used in tragedies. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth this rings true as a noble man is engrossed with blind ambition and becomes a tyrant. Shakespeare uses witches and fate to lead Macbeth to his own downfall and demise. The witches use prophecies to entice Macbeth that what he is doing is right and everything will work out in his favor. The prophecies also affect other characters into persuading him into committing acts that he normally would not do if it weren’t for the false hope that the witches had given him.
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. Many people gain fulfillment through hard work and persistence. This is how Macbeth was at the beginning of the story. He was a brave warrior who was known and even honored by the king. Unfortunately, Macbeth’s ambition takes control and he decides that he wants more power no matter what it takes to get
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. However, throughout