As the play MacBeth transitions it shows MacBeth chose poor decisions as he getting closer to his tragic end. While reading it shows clear examples of MacBeth committing hellish acts for his own gain and ambition to become the mighty king. Even though Macbeth’s fate is tragic he tries to dodge it simultaneously while trying to prosper and become king unworried, while trying to become king unworried MacBeth commits heinous and brutal acts resulting in hamartia to get the best of him, MacBeth’s hamartia is him putting ambition first which causes him to be violent and brutal. One major factor that influences the play MacBeth is that he knows how devilish his acts are and consequences he still commits them.
When Macbeth realizes that Banquo would produce a bloodline of kings, but he would not, he became outrageously jealous and became paranoid. He was paranoid that Banquo would somehow take the power away from him. This played heavily into his existing tragic flaw. He was so ambitious and power hunger that he was willing to murder his best friend and war partner due to an off chance Macbeth made up in his head. Macbeth’s knowledge of the importance of a bloodline drove him to do even more unspeakable things and go even more insane.
Along came the witches and prophesied that Macbeth will be king of Scotland. The good trait of ambition that gave him a title of the new Thane also gave him the title of king but through the action of murder. It was not long lasting though, and his flaw of ambition that got him those high-class titles also ended him with defeat and death. Macbeth through all this knows that he has gone too far and that he can not escape his problems. Macbeth expresses this by stating,“ I am in blood/
His statement is selfish because slaughter is suddenly unjustifiable once it affects others positively, rather than just himself. His role as a king has skewed his perception so much that his friends are his enemies and his murders become aimless. Macbeth’s elation from power is rendered by his worries of losing it, revealing his true self in the process. His concerns stem from jealousy and thoughts of his wrong deeds being exposed, which in turn motivate him to act against his closest friend. He becomes more violent and less conflicted in regards to the measures he wants to take to rule.
Within Macbeth, Macbeth’s true colors are revealed when he states, “If the assassination/ Could trammel up the consequence, and catch/ With his surcease success; that but this blow/ Might be the be-all and the end-all here,/ But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,/ We’d jump the life to come” (I. vii. 2-7). As a character, Macbeth starts out the play sane and not willing to murder anyone so that he will make a personal gain. However, as Macbeth thought about how, if done correctly, the murder could fulfil his prophecy quickly instead of waiting patiently for the prophecy play out.
This is a sign of Macbeth’s dirty conscious. Although Macbeth’s conscious is in this state, it becomes overridden by his ambition for power. Even while knowing killing someone is sinful, he still murders his beloved king and friend, Duncan. Without Lady Macbeth pressuring him the way she did, Macbeth will not gain the ambition and immense strive for power he does
The conflict that I see present in Macbeth is Individual vs self. Macbeth feels guilty about murdering Duncan. He is tempted by the possibility of being king and the power of it, in other words personal gain. In turn he becomes conflicted between what is right and wrong thing to do. After he commits the crime his conscience takes control of him, especially when he is notified that Banquo is dead.
Power and motivation can push people to do amazing things, good or bad. In Macbeth’s case, his power gave him potential to do good; Instead, his greed for recognition led him to commit horrifying acts of murder. Macbeth was just a normal person of royalty until the idea of becoming king and gaining power lead him to the point of no return. Literally.
Therefore, human pride and selfishness derives from fear. Perhaps this is why a desire for power is not a sign of strength and bravery, but a sign of weakness. The character of Macbeth certainly displays this weakness over and over in his story. He overthrows the people with power over him and claims that power for himself, giving the story of Macbeth more meaning.
One of the most critical ideas surrounding tragedies is fate and destiny. The idea that an individual’s life is predetermined is associated with many great works of Shakespeare, and transcending through stories, if human beings have free will. If all humans carry free will, does that mean that all humans are responsible for their crimes and inhumanities. Undoubtedly, both topics are explored through the play, but Macbeth corrupts himself with his own destructive actions. The Tragedy of Macbeth stems from the fearless, hero of Scotland who then turned into a ruthless king who will kill anyone he sees as a threat.
In conclusion, Macbeth desire for power leads him to the wrong path and brings him to the mental deterioration stages. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a courageous soldier who fights for his country but his ambition makes him an evil person. Good deeds have good accomplishment but evil deeds have bad consequences. However,Macbeth 's mental decline triggers are greediness, and paranoia caused by murders and guilt. However, Macbeth 's ambition causes
Beowulf was stunningly brave, courageous and put his abilities in the service of others. However, he was too conceited and obsessed about his reputation. Macbeth was a brave warrior, but his Achilles heel, his ambition, turned him into a tyrant. Macduff loved his country and did his best to save it from a tyrant, but at the same time didn’t exercise good judgment in safeguarding his family. Rather than judging people and their actions purely in black and white terms, we should recognize that human beings are complex creatures and have lots of shades of gray.
Brutus is a person of noble birth and has heroic qualities. Brutus is a person who is fated by the gods for doom and destruction or at least to great suffering. But he struggles mightily against this fate and this cosmic conflict wins our admiration. Brutus is used by people who are close to him, kills his best friend for the “good of Rome”, and ends up ruining everything he tried to protect. And because of this he is forever our tragic hero.
Typically, ambition is seen as a positive attribute. However in the play of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, it is seen as a character flaw that will be a central character's downfall, as is the case with Macbeth. His self proclaimed “vaulting ambition” corrupted his once intact morals and was his undoing. Macbeth is an example of a Shakespearean tragedy, where the protagonist starts at the top and, due to hubris, loses everything. The prophecy, “All hail Macbeth!
Ms. Graham English 11R 16 March 2017 Ambition in Macbeth Ambition is a strong desire to achieve success through hard work and determination. It is also a powerful aspiration which could have either a positive or negative impact on an individual’s life. Throughout history ambition has been a major topic in many works of literature. William Shakespeare was a popular poet and playwright who wrote about this determination through characters in his works. In Shakespeare’s poetry, ambition was portrayed as a deceptive trait which would lead to a character’s collapse from a high to a low position.