Essay Comparing Macbeth And Suharto's Ambition

“He who sacrifices his conscience to ambition burns a picture to obtain the ashes.” (Chinese Proverb Quote) Ambition is a dangerous trait, it can cause both bad and good. The outcome is determined by ones ability to control their desires. If not, ambitious actions can even bring down the most powerful. In the play Macbeth the main character Macbeth looses control over his ambition. A similar situation occurred in Indonesia to the leader Suharto. Both Macbeth and Suharto let their ambition fuel their actions without check, eventually causing their own downfall. At one point Macbeth and Suharto were noble and respected men. Macbeth was reflected as a noble soldier and even considered a “worthy gentleman” (I.ii.24) by King Duncan. Those
Their actions are what separate them from successful leaders. Macbeth and Suharto became blinded by their own ambition. Both men were never satisfied with what they had already received. Macbeth had become Thane of Cawdor and Suharto the president of Indonesia. This was not enough for either of them. Macbeth was not satisfied of only being Thane of Cawdor and Glamis he wanted to be the King also. To achieve such an ambitious desire Macbeth murdered the current King. Suharto too wanted more power he did so by embezzling billions of dollars. He allowed relatives and friends “to assume control of key sectors of the economy and amass enormous fortunes by means of monopolies and lucrative trade arrangements.” (Levy) Both of the leaders awful actions gave them even more power. However “to be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus.” (III.i.50-51) Macbeth and Suharto were still needed to keep their power protected. Macbeth did so by ordering the murder of Banquo and his son, Fleance. Suharto arranged a massacre of communists resulting in the loss of thousands of lives. Decisions and actions like these are what led to the downfall of Macbeth and