Macbeth Ambition Essay
Ambition
Par Chanel Pfahl
Présenté à Mme Bertrand
EAE3U
École secondaire publique Louis-Riel
Le mercredi 6 janvier 2010 The determination to achieve and ambition are keys to a successful life. However, one of Shakespeare’s major themes in his play Macbeth is too much ambition ultimately brings ruin. When ambition goes unchecked, there is corruption of natural order. This theme of ambition can best be explained by analyzing the motives of Lady Macbeth, the witches, as well as Macbeth.
To begin, Lady Macbeth is a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power. She is the one who initially spurs her husband into killing Duncan. As soon as she learns about the witches prophecies and spies the opportunity for her husband to become king, she instantly thinks of a plan to accelerate the process. Her longing for power and convincing manner encourages him as to act without any reflection, and to murder. There’s a quote that defines very well how Lady Macbeth was affected by ambition: Niccolo Machiavelli states “He who blinded by ambition, raises himself to a position whence he cannot mount higher, must thereafter fall with the greatest loss”. Lady Macbeth, who was blinded by the envy of gaining wealth, in the end committed suicide because of the conscience she had developed. She had realized how tough it is to wash or soak out nasty bloodstains. Even though her husband didn’t get to the point of hurting himself as he died in a battle against others, he too deeply regretted his actions. One of the main reasons why he felt powerful enough to do such a thing has a lot to do with the knowledge he thought he had thanks to the witches.
Although the witches are not well-characterized for the readers, they did have lots of power throughout the play. They manipulated Macbeth in a way that could be defined as an innocent act, because they never physically or mentally forced him to hurt anyone. Everyone wants something to believe in; in this case the witches got Macbeth
Par Chanel Pfahl
Présenté à Mme Bertrand
EAE3U
École secondaire publique Louis-Riel
Le mercredi 6 janvier 2010 The determination to achieve and ambition are keys to a successful life. However, one of Shakespeare’s major themes in his play Macbeth is too much ambition ultimately brings ruin. When ambition goes unchecked, there is corruption of natural order. This theme of ambition can best be explained by analyzing the motives of Lady Macbeth, the witches, as well as Macbeth.
To begin, Lady Macbeth is a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power. She is the one who initially spurs her husband into killing Duncan. As soon as she learns about the witches prophecies and spies the opportunity for her husband to become king, she instantly thinks of a plan to accelerate the process. Her longing for power and convincing manner encourages him as to act without any reflection, and to murder. There’s a quote that defines very well how Lady Macbeth was affected by ambition: Niccolo Machiavelli states “He who blinded by ambition, raises himself to a position whence he cannot mount higher, must thereafter fall with the greatest loss”. Lady Macbeth, who was blinded by the envy of gaining wealth, in the end committed suicide because of the conscience she had developed. She had realized how tough it is to wash or soak out nasty bloodstains. Even though her husband didn’t get to the point of hurting himself as he died in a battle against others, he too deeply regretted his actions. One of the main reasons why he felt powerful enough to do such a thing has a lot to do with the knowledge he thought he had thanks to the witches.
Although the witches are not well-characterized for the readers, they did have lots of power throughout the play. They manipulated Macbeth in a way that could be defined as an innocent act, because they never physically or mentally forced him to hurt anyone. Everyone wants something to believe in; in this case the witches got Macbeth