Macbeth - Excessive Ambition Leads to Downfall

Throughout the course of the play "Macbeth" there are incidents that involve power and two or more characters; Shakespeare contrasts the actions of these two characters to attempt to show how different actions affect the futures of these people. No contrast of actions in Macbeth is as clear as the contrast between Macbeth and Banquo. They are both similar, and they both share attributes of bravery and loyalty as presented by Shakespeare in both of the men's characters. These are both truly heroic men, but it is after the two characters are greeted by the promise of power that we see how the actions of these two men change them for better or worse. After the Witches promise Macbeth that he will be "king hereafter", Macbeth reacts with an impatient nature and is keen for this power, and it seems he is willing to do anything to get into this position, even killing anyone that would get in his way. Banquo on the other hand, also a hero like Macbeth, does not let the Witches' apparent knowledge of the future affect his ambition. His actions do not reflect the same as Macbeth's and does not seem willing to do the same things as Macbeth would to get into such a power. Unlike in Banquo, there seems to be a new rush of greed rise in Macbeth as the witches reveal their prophecy and from here on in it can be seem that Macbeth's "vaulting ambition" clearly begins to take over and drive him as he begins to plot to kill the King to satisfy his corrupt ambition to come into such power. This shows that Macbeth's want for power overtook his will for good and lead him to do devilish things such as kill the King as to get into power that he would not get without dirty play such as murder.

Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses a lot of blank verse in his writing. However, during the fall of Macbeth as a character, Shakespeare involved this fall by the lack of use of Iambic Pentameter. Shakespeare uses this technique to highlight a sense of corruption in Macbeth's character. From the lack of Iambic Pentameter and blank verse, it begins to give us a view inside of the character's mind. As with the warp and change of the language, we can contrast this to the distortion of Macbeth's characters' corruption. Through this, we get a feel of how Macbeth's want for ambition overpowers his need to stay good, and this then brings about his downfall, and everything that is good in his life.

The actions and dialogue of the main characters and the use of blank verse were used throughout the play "Macbeth" by the playwright William Shakespeare helped me to understand the important issue of how power corrupts, and how it also led to the destruction of Macbeth himself.