The Hidden Ambition In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

Knowing that one’s academic performance in high school determines one’s chances of getting into college and achieving the “American Dream” can drive a student to become desperate to achieve top grades. Being an honest and hardworking student can make one feel good about oneself, but can be frustrating when one’s efforts do not yield ideal grades. This leads to one of today’s biggest moral dilemmas students face. Should one break their values for their ambitions? Shakespeare shows Macbeth’s struggle with this moral dilemma when facing the temptation of power over Scotland, and Shakespeare uses the motif of nature to reveal Macbeth’s hidden ambitions for power, and how one’s ambitions can take away one’s moral values as well as sense of reasoning.

Soon after Macbeth murders Duncan, Ross and the Old Man talk about the unusualness of this event. The Old Man relates Duncan’s sudden murder to “A falcon, tow’ring in her pride of place, was by a mousing owl hawked at and killed” (2.4.15-16). The Old Man describes Macbeth as the “mousing owl”, which is an owl that only preys on mice, not even close to a falcon, which hunts much bigger prey. Duncan is a falcon, which is considered the “king” of all birds. The Old Man describes this as a disruption in the cycle of nature because a mousing owl, a weaker bird, does not typically kill a bird so much larger and stronger. Ross quickly expresses his thoughts and relates Duncan’s sudden murder to “ Duncan’s horses… the minions of their race, turn 'd wild in nature, broke their stalls, flung out, contending ‘gainst obedience, as they would make war with mankind” (2.4.18-22). In this case, the minions, a choice breed, refer to Macbeth, whom Duncan praises earlier in the book for his courage. The important line “contending ‘gainst obedience” shows the disruption of Macbeth’s human nature, and going against his sense of rationale of obeying the law. Not coincidentally, later on in the book, Macbeth unknowingly acknowledges the disruption in his human nature and rationale by saying “Stones to move and trees to speak” (3.4.152-153), which shows Macbeth’s unawareness to his change in human nature. The trees represent Macbeth because trees can’t speak, which shows the unusual change in nature and Macbeth. Trees change over time, whether it is the bark or the leaf colors. The change in the trees’ characteristics represents Macbeth’s change in rationale as well as human nature due to the many deaths at his