Macbeth and Blind Ambition
Macbeth’s Path to Perdition
Blind ambition can be defined as a strong desire which prevents people from seeing what is happening around them. Throughout history, kings, politicians, dictators, and heads of major corporations have all had strong inclinations that have clouded their good judgements to a point where the crossed the line between good and evil. One example that stands out above the rest was when Hitler tried to get rid of “less than perfect” humans in WWII and tried to seize power over the world by brute force. However, fortunately for the world, Hitler underestimated the resistance that was assembled against him and he was unable to see this through his blind ambition. Similarly, Macbeth desired power in Scotland and became king. But, due to his blind ambition, Macbeth failed to see the strength of the opposing force which led to his demise. For this reason Macbeth’s blind ambition caused him to struggle between good and evil, ultimately resulting in his own downfall. The most compelling evidence of his blind ambition was his willingness to kill King Duncan and Banquo, his best friend; and abandon his wife while putting his trust into the witches prophesies.
Duncan, the king of Scotland in the beginning of the play shows a trait similar to blind ambition- blind faith. In his own words, “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.” In this quote, he was referring to the Thane of Cawdor being a traitor and he meant there was no reliable technique to determine the true intentions of a person. From this, we can infer that Duncan was not a very careful man when choosing who he placed his trust in. Later Act 1 Scene 2, after Duncan made Macbeth the new Thane of Cawdor, he once again placed the same blind faith in him just like his predecessor, which was again a mistake. Then again, Duncan’s downfall wasn’t complete by his own doing. Macbeth’s blind ambition was also in an independent variable that heavily impacted on his desperation to
Blind ambition can be defined as a strong desire which prevents people from seeing what is happening around them. Throughout history, kings, politicians, dictators, and heads of major corporations have all had strong inclinations that have clouded their good judgements to a point where the crossed the line between good and evil. One example that stands out above the rest was when Hitler tried to get rid of “less than perfect” humans in WWII and tried to seize power over the world by brute force. However, fortunately for the world, Hitler underestimated the resistance that was assembled against him and he was unable to see this through his blind ambition. Similarly, Macbeth desired power in Scotland and became king. But, due to his blind ambition, Macbeth failed to see the strength of the opposing force which led to his demise. For this reason Macbeth’s blind ambition caused him to struggle between good and evil, ultimately resulting in his own downfall. The most compelling evidence of his blind ambition was his willingness to kill King Duncan and Banquo, his best friend; and abandon his wife while putting his trust into the witches prophesies.
Duncan, the king of Scotland in the beginning of the play shows a trait similar to blind ambition- blind faith. In his own words, “There’s no art to find the mind’s construction in the face.” In this quote, he was referring to the Thane of Cawdor being a traitor and he meant there was no reliable technique to determine the true intentions of a person. From this, we can infer that Duncan was not a very careful man when choosing who he placed his trust in. Later Act 1 Scene 2, after Duncan made Macbeth the new Thane of Cawdor, he once again placed the same blind faith in him just like his predecessor, which was again a mistake. Then again, Duncan’s downfall wasn’t complete by his own doing. Macbeth’s blind ambition was also in an independent variable that heavily impacted on his desperation to