essays on macbeth ambition

William Shakespeare

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Macbeth is a play about ambition run amok. The weird sisters ' prophecies spur both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to try to fulfill their ambitions, but the witches never make Macbeth or his wife do anything. Macbeth and his wife act on their own to fulfill their deepest desires. Macbeth, a good general and, by all accounts before the action of the play, a good man, allows his ambition to overwhelm him and becomes a murdering, paranoid maniac. Lady Macbeth, once she begins to put into actions the once-hidden thoughts of her mind, is crushed by guilt.

Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth want to be great and powerful, and sacrifice their morals to achieve that goal. By contrasting these two characters with others in the play, such as Banquo , Duncan , and Macduff , who also want to be great leaders but refuse to allow ambition to come before honor, Macbeth shows how naked ambition, freed from any sort of moral or social conscience, ultimately takes over every other characteristic of a person. Unchecked ambition, Macbeth suggests, can never be fulfilled, and therefore quickly grows into a monster that will destroy anyone who gives into it.

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Ambition Quotes in Macbeth

How Macbeth Addresses Power and Ambition

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare that was first performed back in 1606. Macbeth dramatizes the psychological and physical damaging effects caused by the political ambition of those who look for power just for their own sake.

The driving force in this tragedy is the ambition, or more specifically, the ambition that goes unbridled by any theory of morality. And that is why the theme of ambition in Macbeth starts to look like a dangerous quality. We did some research on this topic and went through some of the free paper and essay examples on https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/macbeth-ambition/ . And many of the students who have written Macbeth essays on ambition state that all of his actions were inspired by his ambitions, and that led to horrific punishments and deaths of many characters, it even caused the downfall of both Lady Macbeth and him.

The source of Macbeth’s ambition

Macbeth’s ambition is driven by various factors. To begin with, he has a deep desire for advancement and power, although that is not the only thing that made him turn to crime. It took two other factors that forced that hunger and made him take various violent actions just to obtain power.

The three witches were the ones who initially made Macbeth act on his ambition. Still, his wife, Lady Macbeth, was the one who gave him ideas and pushed him to murder. She was constantly telling him to focus on his ambition and not pay attention to his conscience. She encourages him to feel free and put aside his guilt, and murder Duncan.
Throughout the whole tragedy, the witches make many prophecies, and Macbeth believes them every time and allows the prophecies to influence his next actions. As an example, Macbeth kills Banquo just because he was a threat to the throne. The prediction always ended up being true. However, it is unclear whether they are truly predictions of fate or simply were self-fulfilled due to the manipulation of Macbeth.

Controlling Ambition

The ambition of Macbeth starts to get out of control and makes him repeatedly kill, just to cover up his previous murders. His first victims are the people that he framed for the murder of King Duncan. He killed them as a “punishment.” Later, his fear of Macduff makes him murder Macduff and his family. That unnecessary murder of Macduff’s wife and his children clearly showed that Macbeth lost control over his ambition.

Balancing Morality and Ambition

We also see some honorable examples of ambition in Macbeth . Malcolm decides to test the loyalty of Macduff. So he starts pretending to be lustful, greedy, and power-hungry. However, Macduff condemned him and cries out for the future of Scotland. With that, he showed his allegiance to the country. Macduff’s steps and Malcolm’s decision to test him demonstrate that the moral code is a powerful position that is more important than just ambition to get there.

Consequences

The consequences of the ambition in this play are dire. Many innocent people are killed, and Macbeth dies known as a tyrant, which is a significant downfall because he started as a noble hero. Also, neither Macbeth nor his wife get the opportunity to enjoy the things that they gained. Thus, forming a summary and telling the readers that it is more fulfilling to achieve your goals in a fair way than achieve them through corruption.

Macbeth and his wife see how their ambitions made them cross many moral lines that lead them to their downfall. Once Macbeth killed Duncan, his ambition to hold the title of a king becomes very intertwined with his paranoia, and he becomes obsessed with maintaining the power that he got instead of enjoying the fruits of his ambition.

Macbeth’s ambition can be contrasted with the ambition of Banquo, who also listens to the witches’ predictions and had many ambitions for his sons. However, Banquo’s morality didn’t allow him to pursue his goals at such a terrible cost. At the end of this tragedy, Macbeth had achieved everything that he wanted but was left without anything. With Lady Macbeth’s death, he had no hopes of producing a prince, so he finally understands that his ambition made him lose all that he holds dear.

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Hi! I really like your thoughts and the way you expressed them so clearly. However, there seems to be a problem in the text: the passage “his fear of Macduff makes him murder Macduff and his family” seems to be wrong, since Macbeth does not kill Macduff. It is quite the opposite, actually. Thank you for sharing your ideas!

The ambition, or more especially the ambition that is unrestrained by any idea of morality, is the driving force behind this catastrophe. And for this reason, Macbeth’s theme of ambition begins to seem like a potentially deadly one. Razones por Divorcio en Estado de Nueva York Abogados de Divorcio de Rochester Nueva York

Understanding Macbeth's Ambition

An Analysis of Ambition in Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

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Ambition is the driving force of William Shakespeare's tragedy " Macbeth ." More specifically, it is about ambition that goes unchecked by any concept of morality; this is why it becomes a dangerous quality. Macbeth’s ambition inspires most of his actions, and that results in the deaths of numerous characters and the ultimate downfall of both himself and Lady Macbeth.

The Sources of Ambition in 'Macbeth'

Macbeth’s ambition is driven by a number of factors. For one, he has a deep internal desire for power and advancement. However, that is not exactly why he turns to crime. It takes two outside forces to ignite this hunger and push him to take violent action to obtain power.

Prophecies: Throughout the play, the Macbeth witches make a number of prophecies, including that Macbeth will become king. Macbeth believes them each time, and often uses the predictions to decide his next actions, such as killing Banquo. While the prophecies always turn out to be true, it is unclear whether they are preordained instances of fate or self-fulfilling via the manipulation of characters like Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth : The witches may have planted the initial seed in Macbeth’s mind to act on his ambition, but his wife is the one who pushes him to murder. Lady Macbeth’s persistence encourages Macbeth to put aside his guilt and kill Duncan, telling him to focus on his ambition, not his conscience.

Controlling Ambition

Macbeth’s ambition soon spirals out of control and forces him to murder again and again to cover up his previous wrongdoings. His first victims of this are the chamberlains who are framed by Macbeth for the murder of King Duncan and killed as “punishment.”

Later in the play, Macbeth’s fear of Macduff incites him to pursue not only Macduff but also his family. The unnecessary murder of Lady Macduff and her children are the clearest example of Macbeth losing control over his ambition.

Balancing Ambition and Morality

We also see a more honorable take on ambition in "Macbeth." To test Macduff’s loyalty, Malcolm pretends to be greedy, lustful, and power-hungry. When Macduff responds by condemning him and crying out for the future of Scotland under such a king, he shows his allegiance to the country and refusal to submit to tyrants. This reaction from Macduff, along with Malcolm's choosing to test him in the first place, demonstrates that moral code in positions of power is more important than the ambition to get there, especially blind ambition.

Consequences

The consequences of ambition in “Macbeth” are dire—not only are a number of innocent people killed, but Macbeth’s life also ends with him being known as a tyrant, a significant downfall from the noble hero he begins as.

Most importantly, Shakespeare gives neither Macbeth nor Lady Macbeth the opportunity to enjoy what they have gained—perhaps suggesting that it is more satisfying to achieve your goals fairly than acquire them through corruption.

Does Violent Ambition End With Macbeth?

At the end of the play, Malcolm is the victorious king and Macbeth’s burning ambition has been extinguished. But is this really the end to over-reaching ambition in Scotland? The audience is left to wonder if Banquo’s heir will eventually become king as prophesied by the trio of witches. If so, will he act on his own ambition to make this happen, or will fate play a part in realizing the prophecy?

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A Macbeth Model Essay: Macbeth and Ambition

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Starting with the extract explain how Shakespeare presents Macbeth as ambitious

When considering how Shakespeare presents the character of Macbeth as ambitious one recognises this extract is a pivotal moment in the play. This is largely because the scene is the culmination of a chain of events in which Macbeth has increasingly displayed his almost aggressive ambition, leading to the murder of Banquo. Here, Macbeth is responding to the sight of Banquo at the banquet, suggestive of the violent consequences of his ambition and how it will haunt him.

One immediately notices Macbeth’s tortured declaration that seeing Banquo might ‘appal the devil’. Shakespeare establishes a tone of desperate fear as Macbeth seems to claim Banquo’s bloodied body is enough to repulse even the devil. It could also be suggested that Macbeth is referring to himself in the third person, with Shakespeare doing this to highlight Macbeth’s evil. Given Macbeth is described as aghast at the sight of Banquo, he then is the perhaps devil that would be appalled. Thus, the extract begins with Shakespeare suggesting Macbeth’s fear or even guilt as to what he has done to Banquo.

This sense of fear is then highlighted through Shakespeare’s depiction of Lady Macbeth. She begins by chastising Macbeth for being afraid of an ‘air drawn dagger’, which Shakespeare has previously used as an externalisation of the protagonist’s guilt. However, Lady Macbeth appears quite dismissive of this, suggesting it is not something of which he ought to be wary. Shakespeare’s choice of ‘air drawn’ also implies Lady Macbeth feels the dagger is simply a figment of Macbeth’s frenzied mind, which in itself augments how fearful and guilt-ridden Macbeth is. Shakespeare continues this depiction of Lady Macbeth castigating her husband when she refers to his fear as ‘flaws’. This indicates that Lady Macbeth feels Macbeth’s guilt is somehow perverse or anomalous and it detracts from his character. It is a ‘flaw’ that ought to be overcome, as indeed it is as the play continues. Shakespeare then develops this point when Lady Macbeth denigrates his concerns as ‘a woman’s story at a winter’s fire’. Here, Shakespeare is utilising typical Jacobean gender dynamics to portray Macbeth as weak by suggesting his fear is not masculine and ought to be rejected. Within the world of the play, Lady Macbeth uses this to manipulate her husband, but it again alerts the audience to his overarching emotional reaction of guilt and distress, which is itself a fitting consequence of his crimes.

In the final stanza of the extract, one gains further insight in Macbeth’s emotional state. Shakespeare’s flurry of imperatives, such as, ‘see’, ‘behold’ and ‘look’, cement a tone of urgency and anxiety, almost as though Macbeth is desperate for Lady Macbeth to sympathise with him. It also perhaps suggests a frantic attempt to regain control by issuing orders. The stanza concludes again on a note of anxiety as Macbeth wonders what might happen if ‘graves must send those we bury back’. This would be a truly terrifying thought for the far more supernaturally inclined Shakespearean audience, and indeed for a character who has just killed the king. It is interesting to note that Shakespeare personifies the graves and transforms them into an active participant: they are the ones sending the dead back, which adds to a sense that Macbeth fears those in the afterlife might seek vengeance by almost coming back to attack him. Thus, in the extract Macbeth is depicted as a guilt-ridden individual, tortured by his past deeds. This solidifies the overarching purpose of the extract: to dramatize the consequences of committing regicide and transgressing one’s station in life, in this case, guilt and extreme distress.

Whilst this is certainly a crucial extract when considering how Shakespeare presents Macbeth there are other, equally important, moments. One might think, for instance, of the complete contrast to this scene at the start of the play. Here, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as ‘brave’ and ‘valiant’, even describing him as ‘Bellona’s bridegroom’. This latter image highlights the way in which Macbeth’s character is inextricably linked to war and violence – he is married to the deified version of war. Indeed, Shakespeare’s use of plosive sounds only reinforce a sense of power and aggression. However, this is no bad thing since it is done out of loyalty and in service of the King, as indicated by the positive connotations of ‘valiant’ and the fact that both Duncan and the soldier celebrate his feats of strength, such as, the way in which he ‘unseem’d him from the nave to the chaps’. Indeed, this image is a visceral and bloody evocation of Macbeth’s prowess. This is a far cry from the guilt-ridden and conflicted character one sees in the extract, perhaps suggesting that Macbeth’s fatal mistake was to transgress his natural station in life, with this being something Shakespeare is warning against. Thus, Shakespeare uses Macbeth as a vehicle through which to warn against excessive ambition and his willingness to upturn the Great Chain of Being.

At various points in the play, Shakespeare further presses upon this fatal flaw, a typical feature of the tragic genre. Upon seeing the witches for the first time, for example, he is described as being ‘rapt withal’. Shakespeare’s adjective ‘rapt’ highlights the way in which Macbeth is instantly captivated and indeed corrupted by his ambition. He is enthralled and so, unlike Banquo, cannot see the witches for what they are. As the play continues, Macbeth’s ‘vaulting ambition’ grows until it ‘o’erleaps itself’. The verb ‘vaulting’ especially compounds this intemperate ambition since it is richly suggestive of power and aggression: if one vaults over something one leaps strongly, which indicates the desperation Macbeth feels to be King. This image is also reminiscent of the Great Chain of Being and Macbeth’s willingness to ‘o’erleap’ his natural position in the hierarchy of life, with the result of this being the eventual death of Duncan, the paragon of virtue. Thus, Shakespeare again warns the audience of the consequences of Macbeth’s fatal flaw.

The denouement of the play reveals a potentially very different side to Macbeth. His fight with Macduff, despite knowing it would end in failure, could be read in two ways. From a Shakespearean point of view, it perhaps represents a restoration of courage, but from a modern perspective one could read it as the last gasp of a broken mind. Either way, the final moments highlight Macbeth’s return to his previous bellicose nature and, if pursuing the Shakespearean interpretation, this is suggestive of the idea that Macbeth would have been better served had he never transgressed his station in life. The pain he feels in the extract and the destruction he causes throughout the play is clearly a product of this initial error, which stems from his fatal flaw of excessive ambition.

Fundamentally, then, Shakespeare uses Macbeth’s character as a way in which to warn the audience against excessive ambition and the consequences of disrupting the Great Chain of Being. In this manner, the play is didactic, with a clear moral message being articulated to the audience. Macbeth’s character arc from ‘valiant’ to ‘hell hound’ highlights the damning repercussions of subverting the entrenched social order of Jacobean England, thus functioning as a deterrent to the audience.

The essay structure used to write this essay can be found below :

For a more detailed exploration ambition in Macbeth have a read of this...

Ambition is generally considered to be one of them main themes of macbeth. most sites list ambition as being macbeth's hamartia - which is the weakness that causes someone's downfall. sparknotes , describes it like this:, "the main theme of macbeth—the destruction wrought when ambition goes unchecked by moral constraints —finds its most powerful expression in the play’s two main characters. macbeth is a courageous scottish general who is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, yet he deeply desires power and advancement .", it goes on to say:, "although he is encouraged by the witches, macbeth’s true downfall is his own ambition . lady macbeth is as ambitious as her husband, encouraging him to commit murder to achieve their goals.", you'll find variants of this idea on most websites and in most interpretations of the play. controversially, i'm offering another reading of the play. you can take it or leave it, or - if you're smart enough - you'll just be able to offer this as one interpretation, while appreciating that there can be others., and remember that any interpretation of the play is fine as long as it is backed up with evidence from the text., my argument in a nutshell:, macbeth wasn't ambitious the throne, but was the victim of a magic spell that made him want to kill duncan. the witches planted the idea into his head - almost like he gets possessed - and the play isn't actually about macbeth's ambition at all, but a quite misogynistic play that warns the audience about the dangers of witchcraft., macbeth at the opening of the play, you never get a second chance to make a first impression; that's good advice. and it's never more important than for a writer of fiction. the first impression we get of a character sets their story in motion; we're going to make all our judgements of them based on what is established about them at the beginning of a story. it's also worth bearing in mind that shakespeare could have started this story anywhere, with macbeth doing anything., as it happens, the first time we encounter macbeth it's through a story told by a sergeant about how macbeth has almost single-handedly won a battle in support of duncan. from an audience's point of view, this says a few key things about macbeth: he's brave, he's tough, he's a perfect macho hero. but, most importantly, shakespeare establishes that macbeth is loyal to duncan. and there's a few key quotes that confirm this:, brave macbeth, well he deserves that name : this quote establishes macbeth as a real jacobean hero - the name here refers to a title, as though he's become sir macbeth, or lord macbeth; but in this case it's brave macbeth. names and titles were very important to jacobean men - your name was in many ways your most sacred possession., his sword smoked with bloody execution : alongside making it clear that macbeth's blade was moving so quickly it caused smoke, this quote establishes that macbeth is a killer but not a murderer: he's an executioner. this means he kills with the king's law on his side and establishes that, at this stage in the play, he is definitely fighting for duncan., he carved his passage : this is interesting as it suggests that macbeth isn't someone who's easily led astray. given the fact that he ends up killing duncan against his wishes this seems strange - unless there's something more at play than simple persuasion. this would seem strange except that the people doing the persuading are actual magical witches (and his wife, who's probably a witch as well), disdaining fortune : again, this is interesting: the phrase suggests that macbeth "disdains" - which means doesn't like, or dismisses - "fortune." here, fortune could mean money, which suggests he wouldn't kill duncan for cash; or "fortune" could mean fate or prophecy - which suggests that he isn't the kind of guy to be led astray by something as simple as a prophecy. but was there more to the prophecy than just a suggestion, and is this really saying that even someone as brave and independent as macbeth could be led astray when magic is involved., bellona's bridegroom : this is a great, and often under-appreciated image. bellona was the wife of mars, who was the roman god of war. so in this image, ross is comparing macbeth to mars, the god of war. however, here, macbeth isn't the focus of the image, bellona is - the wife of mars. in a wonderfully subtle way, shakespeare is reminded us that even here - in his moment of triumph - macbeth is playing second-fiddle to the really violent psychopath in the play: his wife, i have won golden opinions of late : here, macbeth is talking about his rise to the position of thane of cawdor. he's clearly proud of what he's won, and doesn't want anymore. this line comes just after he's said that he doesn't want to kill duncan and is a pretty clear sign that he's "not without ambition" but isn't drowning in a sea of it, macbeth meets the witches, during the opening of the play, macbeth is presented as being fiercely loyal to duncan, but by the end of act 1 scene 3 he's thinking of killing duncan and stealing the throne. so something must have changed during this scene. there are two obvious answers here:, a) the witches awoke his own desire; or, b) he was placed under the influence of a magic spell., macbeth: so fair and foul a day i have not seen : macbeth's first line in the play paraphrases (which means almost quotes) the witches' chant from the opening. surely this is shakespeare suggesting that he's already under their influence, banquo: why do you seem to fear things which do sound so fair : here, banquo is describing macbeth's reactions to what the witches have said, which begs the question: if macbeth had wanted to be king, why did he "fear" the witches' words this seems more like the reactions of someone who didn't want to be king - a fact that fits much more neatly with the character we've heard about up to this point., macbeth: to be king stands not within the prospect of belief : macbeth clearly doesn't think it's possible to be king, so can he really be described as being ambitious for the throne also, this line suggests that being king isn't something he's ever really thought of before and so it doesn't make sense to say that he was ambitious for the throne before this scene., banquo: look how my partner's rapt : to be "rapt" by something was to be lost in a kind of religious trace - the phrase comes from the rapture. just after macbeth hears what the witches say banquo says that he becomes "rapt" - is this shakespeare describing someone going through a kind of possession this is the moment when the witches take control., macbeth: the thought of murder "shakes so my single state of man that function of smothered" : this is macbeth saying that the thought of killing duncan is so abhorrent to his masculinity that he thinks he won't be able to do it., macbeth: if chance will have me crowned, why then chance can crown me without my stir : this comes at the end of the scene, and it's basically macbeth saying 'oh well, if i'm meant to be king i guess it'll happen but i'm not doing anything about it.' whatever else you can say about his ambition, it definitely isn't very strong., looking back over those lines, we see someone who hadn't thought of being king before, who gets lost in some kind of religious trance - after having met some witches on a heath - that he then starts thinking of doing something that he find horrible. reflecting on that, it's worth comparing this line to the comment from sparknotes at the top of the page where they claim that macbeth "deeply desires power" and that his ambition "goes unchecked" (which means his ambition is out of control.), so here we have someone who "deeply desires power" and yet has never thought that being king is possible; and whose ambition is out of control and yet who says he'll do nothing about it. it's difficult to see where sparknotes are getting their ideas from..., the most important line in the play, according to my reading of the play, macbeth wasn't particularly ambitious for the throne and yet, during act 1 scene 3, he started to think about killing duncan. what happened there for me the answer lies in two words from this speech., after he hears what the witches have to say, he says:, " why do i yield to that suggestion, whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, and make my seated heart knock at my ribs,, against the use of nature", in a nutshell, this means: why i am i giving in to something that makes my hair stand up in horror, and my heart start to race in an uncomfortable way - and which is, most importantly: against my very nature., so, in this short speech, he says that the idea of killing duncan makes him so scared that his hair stands up and his heart races, and is against his very nature - the most fundamental part of who he is. he's basically saying why is he starting to want to do this thing, but the key words here are "yield" and "suggestion." and the fundamental question is: can you "yield" to a "suggestion" that has come from yourself, it's worth just clarifying what these words mean:, yield : to give way to arguments, demands, or pressure., suggestion : an idea or plan put forward for consideration., so: can you "give way to an argument, demand or pressure" and agree to "an idea or plan put forward for consideration" if that plan was your own, surely you can only "give in" to an "idea" that has come from someone else... and if that's the case then the idea of killing duncan didn't come from macbeth - it came from the witches., and if that's the case, then the entire play takes on a completely different meaning., lady macbeth, lady macbeth is not like her husband. she is very ambitious and shakespeare makes this clear right from the off., during the opening 4 scenes in the play, we see macbeth fight himself to the position of thane of cawdor - which was one of the highest positions in the scottish nobility. however, as soon as lady macbeth appears on stage she starts worrying that he's not got what it takes to be really ambitious. it's a bit like seeing someone who's just played the best game in footballing history, and won the armband to be captain of liverpool; but their wife starts complaining that they're not really ambitious as they're not captain of england too., her exact words are that macbeth is "not without ambition, but without the illness that would attend it." some people have argued that this line suggests that macbeth is ambitious, but the line "art not without ambition" isn't quite that. if i say my friend is coming to play football next week, and someone asks if they're any good and i say: "well, they're not not good" you should probably manage your expectations regarding how good they actually are. in many ways, this is really lady macbeth saying that, in fact, he's not really that ambitious at all., when macbeth arrives on stage a few moments later there is a very telling exchange: lady macbeth greets her husband with a long list of his titles, but macbeth greets his wife by calling her "my dearest love." from this brief exchange, their first on stage, it would seem that macbeth loves his wife, while she sees him as a means to success. it is absolutely true that women in jacobean england weren't supposed to be ambitious for anything themselves; women achieved success if their husbands did, which means that for lady macbeth to achieve her own ambitions she has to motivate her husband., when thinking about the plot to kill duncan, it is definitely worth remembering lady macbeth's role in it: she suggested it, she planned it, and she made sure it was carried out effectively. the only thing she didn't do, in fact, was kill duncan herself., despite getting what she's always wanted, lady macbeth doesn't seem very happy. she doesn't have a moment where she celebrates what she's won, and the only real lines she has directly to the audience have her expressing some dismay and discomfort at what she has won. she admits that she got her "desire" but says it comes without her feeling "content." eventually, this dissatisfaction catches up with her and she starts sleepwalking, riddled with guilt. it seems that she cannot escape what she has done, which is a shame as she didn't even seem to enjoy it while she had it, art not without ambition - here lady macbeth confirms that her husband has some ambition, but probably not loads. he's not without ambition, but that isn't how you'd describe someone who was drowning in it, come you spirits - perhaps lady macbeth's real ambitions stretch as far as ordering the spirits around she certainly won't draw any lines underneath what she wants to achieve, including, where necessary, enlisting the help of the supernatural., unsex me here - this is one of the most misunderstood lines in macbeth. a lot of people talk about lady macbeth wanting to become more masculine here in order that she can seize power. however, the reality of the masculine codes of loyalty meant that it wouldn't have been possible for her to kill duncan while remaining 'masculine.' here, she asks to have gender removed entirely - so she's not constrained by feminine or masculine codes - and this would have made her able to kill duncan and seize the throne., my dearest love - lady macbeth lists macbeth's titles when she meets him, he simply calls her "my dearest love." this shows that she's interested in his position, while he just loves her. it's interesting though as he calls her "dear" or "dearest" four times in the play, and something that is "dear" is precious, but "dear" also means expensive. and it is certainly true that lady macbeth's ambitions for the throne became very expensive for macbeth., what beast was't that made you break this enterprise to me - lady macbeth says this to macbeth while they're arguing about whether to kill duncan. here, she's doing something called gaslighting him, which means she's claiming he's said something that he hadn't actually said. in fact, killing duncan was lady macbeth's idea - she's the ambitious one after all., nought's had, all's spent where desire's got without content - this comes from act 3 scene 2, which is a great scene when looking at how the macbeth's felt while they were on the throne. lady macbeth seems disappointed. she says that they've got nothing ("nought") but spent everything, and have for their "desire" but are not "content." she's basically a bit gutted that she's got what she wanted but isn't happy... but maybe sometimes that's the way with ambition - you can never really have enough.

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Macbeth's Ambition Petra Zadroga 10th Grade

Throughout all of Shakespeare's Macbeth, the protagonist, Macbeth, infected by prophecy, cruises a downward spiral into more and more vile and unjustifiable acts until he is slain by the loyal hero Macduff. Because of the frequent acts of malice he commits while clawing for the power he knows he is destined to hold, and because of his tendency to always commit an act worse than the one prior, a reader tends to get caught up in vilifying the crazed Macbeth. While he does act as a villain, and while the choices he makes are inexcusable, Shakespeare takes special care to display Macbeth's humanity, doubt, and guilt, and the insertion of the Weird Sisters was definitely intentional; a reader is meant to understand that Macbeth is not a sociopath of no morals, but an ambitious subject of a prophecy which corrupted his weak morals.

The first and most blatant device Shakespeare uses to demonstrate that Macbeth's evildoing is a result of his tragic flaw, ambition, and not the externalization of who he is by nature is the insertion of the Weird Sisters. Before the three witches told Macbeth of his prophecy, he showed no intent to violently overthrow the crown. In fact, he fought hard to preserve the royalty and defend his country, and...

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Macbeth – A* / L9 Full Mark Example Essay

This is an A* / L9 full mark example essay on Macbeth completed by a 15-year-old student in timed conditions (50 mins writing, 10 mins planning).

It contained a few minor spelling and grammatical errors – but the quality of analysis overall was very high so this didn’t affect the grade. It is extremely good on form and structure, and perhaps could do with more language analysis of poetic and grammatical devices; as the quality of thought and interpretation is so high this again did not impede the overall mark.

Thanks for reading! If you find this resource useful, you can take a look at our full online Macbeth course here . Use the code “SHAKESPEARE” to receive a 50% discount!

This course includes:

A full set of video lessons on each key element of the text: summary, themes, setting, characters, context, attitudes, analysis of key quotes, essay questions, essay examples
Downloadable documents for each video lesson
A range of example B-A* / L7-L9 grade essays, both at GCSE (ages 14-16) and A-Level (age 16+) with teacher comments and mark scheme feedback
A bonus Macbeth workbook designed to guide you through each scene of the play!

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MACBETH EXAMPLE ESSAY:

Macbeth’s ambition for status and power grows throughout the play. Shakespeare uses Macbeth as an embodiment of greed and asks the audience to question their own actions through the use of his wrongful deeds.

In the extract, Macbeth is demonstrated to possess some ambition but with overriding morals, when writing to his wife about the prophecies, Lady Macbeth uses metaphors to describe his kind hearted nature: “yet I do fear thy nature, / It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness”. Here, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a more gentle natured being who is loyal to his king and country. However, the very act of writing the letter demonstrates his inklings of desire, and ambition to take the throne. Perhaps, Shakespeare is aiming to ask the audience about their own thoughts, and whether they would be willing to commit heinous deeds for power and control.

Furthermore, the extract presents Macbeth’s indecisive tone when thinking of the murder – he doesn’t want to kill Duncan but knows it’s the only way to the throne. Lady Macbeth says she might need to interfere in order to persuade him; his ambition isn’t strong enough yet: “That I may pour my spirits in thine ear / And chastise with the valour of my tongue”. Here, Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as a manipulative character, conveying she will seduce him in order to “sway “ his mind into killing Duncan. The very need for her persuasion insinuates Macbeth is still weighing up the consequences in his head, his ambition equal with his morality. It would be shocking for the audience to see a female character act in this authoritative way. Lady Macbeth not only holds control of her husband in a patriarchal society but the stage too, speaking in iambic pentameter to portray her status: “To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great”. It is interesting that Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth in this way; she has more ambition for power than her husband at this part of play.

As the play progresses, in Act 3, Macbeth’s ambition has grown and now kills with ease. He sends three murders to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, as the witches predicted that he may have heirs to the throne which could end his reign. Macbeth is suspicious in this act, hiding his true intentions from his dearest companion and his wife: “I wish your horses swift and sure on foot” and “and make our faces vizards to our hearts”. There, we see, as an audience, Macbeth’s longing to remain King much stronger than his initial attitudes towards the throne He was toying with the idea of killing for the throne and now he is killing those that could interfere with his rule without a second thought. It is interesting that Shakespeare presents him this way, as though he is ignoring his morals or that they have been “numbed” by his ambition. Similarly to his wife in the first act, Macbeth also speaks in pentameter to illustrate his increase in power and dominance.

In Act 4, his ambition and dependence on power has grown even more. When speaking with the witches about the three apparitions, he uses imperatives to portray his newly adopted controlling nature: “I conjure you” and “answer me”. Here, the use of his aggressive demanding demonstrates his reliance on the throne and his need for security. By the Witches showing him the apparitions and predicting his future, he gains a sense of superiority, believing he is safe and protected from everything. Shakespeare also lengthens Macbeth’s speech in front of the Witches in comparison to Act 1 to show his power and ambition has given him confidence, confidence to speak up to the “filthy nags” and expresses his desires. Although it would be easy to infer Macbeth’s greed and ambition has grown from his power-hungry nature, a more compassionate reading of Macbeth demonstrates the pressure he feels as a Jacobean man and soldier. Perhaps he feels he has to constantly strive for more to impress those around him or instead he may want to be king to feel more worthy and possibly less insecure.

It would be unusual to see a Jacobean citizen approaching an “embodiment” of the supernatural as forming alliance with them was forbidden and frowned upon. Perhaps Shakespeare uses Macbeth to defy these stereotypical views to show that there is a supernatural, a more dark side in us all and it is up to our own decisions whereas we act on these impulses to do what is morally incorrect.

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Themes - AQA Ambition and power in Macbeth

Macbeth introduces us to the savage and superstitious world of medieval, feudal Scotland. However, some of the themes that Shakespeare highlights are still relevant in the 21st century.

Part of English Literature Macbeth

Ambition and power in Macbeth

Macbeth's ambition and desire for power lead to his downfall

Shakespeare set Macbeth in the distant past and in a part of Britain that few of his audience would have been familiar with. Scotland is shown as a wild and savage place ruled over by a weak king (Duncan) who relies on his warrior thanes close thane A Scottish nobleman. to keep control. However, through the character of Macbeth, Shakespeare goes on to show that having too much ambition and total control of power is just as bad. By the end of the play Malcolm has become King and it seems likely that he will be much fairer and treat his people justly.

How is this shown in the play?

In Macbeth , William Shakespeare examines the good and bad aspects of ambition and power. Some of the key aspects are:

the fatal flaw close fatal flaw In tragedy this refers to a defect in someone's character that leads them to a bad end.

Analysing the evidence

Who is more ambitious, Macbeth or Lady Macbeth?

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Macbeth has natural ambition but this is reinforced by his meeting with the Witches and by his wife's persuasive powers.
Lady Macbeth is ambitious for herself but also on her husband's behalf.
For Duncan's murder, most of the plan's details are created by Lady Macbeth. Macbeth carries out the actual murder but Lady Macbeth deals with the cover up.
The Macbeths act very much as a single unit, though their ambitious natures and their shared guilt eventually tear their marriage apart. Shakespeare leaves the audience to decide who is more ambitious.

essays on macbeth ambition

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MACBETH EXAMPLE ESSAY:

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How is this shown in the play?

Analysing the evidence

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