Secondly, the investigation concludes how ambition affects Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a dominating matter. Ambition is what started the play; it also creates the main conflict of the play. The ambition sums up how one’s desire and greediness are able to change characters’ way of thinking or acting: from the starting point of the ambition growing, the effects on the main characters of the play, and the symbolizations and representation in the play. It can be clearly shown that ambition and greed played a significant part in the play.
Essay
Topic Question:
Macbeth how does the ambition affect the major characters and what does it illustrate?
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the ambition and greed of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth play a big part in the play. Without ambition, primarily Lady Macbeth’s ambition, the play would not be able to sustain itself. The ambition started the play and also has caused the notable major conflicts. How the ambition itself grew and what caused it to start is also an interesting matter. Also, the ambition represents many aspects of the play, as well as the significant and unique personality of the characters. Moreover, the growing of ambition and greed represents the aspects of the play and has also affected the major characters in the play, such as Lady Macbeth, Macduff, and Macbeth himself.
Firstly, how Macbeth grew his uncontrollable ambitions on the kingship is important. At first, Macbeth was not searching or obsessed with anything; not until the witches told Macbeth about a prophecy.
The witches: “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis. – All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.” <Act 1, Scene 3, line 51-53> .
The prophecy says that Macbeth will become the Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland. At first, Macbeth doubts the witches’ prophecy. Even though Macbeth doesn’t seem to believe the prophecy at this point, this is where the conflict begins. The weird sisters are the ones who cause Macbeth’s eager greed. As the play goes on, Lady Macbeth reads the letter telling her about Macbeth’s future. At this point, she shows her wickedness through malicious ideas she has for getting her husband the throne of kingship. She later affects Macbeth’s minds with her sweet, yet malicious words that make Macbeth crazy for the kingship. To sum up, the start of ambition in the play Macbeth is the point where the fun starts.
Lady Macbeth: “Your hand, your tongue; look like th’innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t.’’ – Telling Macbeth about her evil plan on killing Duncan <Act 1, Scene 6, line 63-64>
Secondly, the ambition of Macbeth also affects greatly the major characters in the play, such as Lady Macbeth, Macduff, and Macbeth himself. At first, Macbeth’s greed satisfies Lady Macbeth, because she was the one who wanted the kingship at the first place. Macbeth’s ambition also creates evil and immorality ideas inside of Lady Macbeth’s mind. When she knows that Macbeth eventually is obsessed with the kingship, she manages to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan. Ironically, later in the play she is anxious about her own past murders. As the play goes on, she keeps acting strangely, for instance the sleepwalking scene, talking to herself, and when she imagines washing off the blood of her past murders out of her hands.
Lady Macbeth: ‘’Out damned spot! Out, I say! One, two. Why then ‘tis time to do’t. Hell is murky. Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and afeard? What need we fear? Who knows it, when none can call our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?’’ <Act 5, Scene 1, line 30-34>
This shows that Lady Macbeth’s own ambition have affected her. Ironically, the ambition she has later turns into an uncontainable guilt that almost makes her end up insane.
Macduff is, in addition, also one of the characters influenced by greed and ambition. However, Macduff’s ambition is influenced by Macbeth’s, not of Macduff himself. Macduff slights Macbeth; Macduff’s anger triggers him to kill Macbeth to avenge the death of his family.
Macduff: “My wife and children’s ghosts will haunt me still. I cannot strike at wretched kerns whose arms are hired to bear their staves; either thou, Macbeth, or else my sword with an unbuttered edge I sheath again undeeded. There thou shouldst be; By this great clatter, one of greatest note seems bruited. Let me find him, Fortune, And more I beg not.” <Act 5, Scene 7, line 16>
Macbeth is worried that Macduff is going to be on his way protecting the throne. It is ironic that Macduff is the one that kills Macbeth. Macduff was born cesarean and Macbeth was prophesied that he won’t be killed by a man born from a woman. Also, Macduff makes Macbeth realize that he has misinterpreted the witches’ prophecy.
Furthermore, Macbeth himself is obviously influenced by his and Lady Macbeth’s greed and ambition. Eventually he is the one who got affected the most by greed and ambitions. The biggest turning point proving him as a dynamic character is the greed that turns him to evil. He is the first who doubted about killing Duncan, but when the greed consumes him, it is an obsession for him; he would do anything with all his might to get the kingship. Throughout the play, even though he is obsessed with the kingship, he imagines a few dreadful images of his actions. One of the examples is when Macbeth hallucinates about the dagger. It shows that Macbeth is sorry and feels guilty about his actions.
Macbeth: “Is this a dagger I see before me,
The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.
I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.
Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible
To feeling as to sight, or art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-opprèssed brain?” <Act 2, Scene 1, Line 33-39>
It is very ironic that at first Macbeth is the one who kept acting strange, but later on in the play it changes to Lady Macbeth. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was gullible and fooled by the witches to believe the prophecy. His naivety leads him into becoming an uncontrollable and malicious man. However, he felt guilty and his body was full of fear after he killed Duncan. After he got the throne, he orders his men to kill Macduff and Banquo. Macbeth feels that they are threats to his kingship. The result is the death of Banquo and Macduff’s family. This is shown that his feeling of guilt is gone after he got the throne. This shows how ambition can turn into guilt, but also shows that how guilt can turn into sinfulness actions.
Lastly, the ambition and greed in Macbeth depict many aspects of the play and the characteristics of the main characters. The ambition is the source for the changing of personality in Macbeth. It also describes the weakness in Macbeth. It can be shown that Macbeth is overpowered by ambition and desires. Furthermore, it shows how Macbeth is wrong about the witches’ prophecy. It also gives conclusion that Macbeth is a short-term thinker; he doesn’t think of the results that will follow from Lady Macbeth’s plan. However, after he got the throne, it shows that Macbeth is a strong, greedy, and would do anything to protect his kingship.
Macbeth: “I have almost forgot the taste of fears; The time has been, my senses would have cooled to hear a night-shriek and my fell of hair would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir as life were in’t. I have supped full with horrors; direness familiar to my slaughterous thoughts cannot once start me. Wherefore was that cry?” <Act 5, Scene 5, line 9-15>
The greed and ambition itself tell the reader an important message: to be careful with what you want and to always remember not to sacrifice people you love just for the sake of your desires. Even though the message isn’t told directly in the play, it can be shown as the play goes on; Macbeth is very selfish about his throne and would do anything to keep it. The ambition also represents the theme of the play; Ambition for certain desires can blind a man.
Briefly, the investigation concludes how ambition affects Shakespeare’s Macbeth in a dominating matter. Ambition is what started the play; it also creates the main conflict of the play. The ambition sums up how one’s desire and greediness are able to change characters’ way of thinking or acting: from the starting point of the ambition growing, the effects on the main characters of the play, and the symbolizations and representation in the play. It can be clearly shown that ambition and greed played a significant part in the play.
Bibliography
essayinfo.com. Ambition in Macbeth. 2007. 16 May 2010 <http://essayinfo.com/sample/essay/195/ >.
William Shakespeare (edited by: Gibson, Rex). Macbeth. Cambridge: Cambridge School, 1993 (first published).
robertwilliams. If Macbeth felt so guilty about killing Duncan, why does he kill Banquo, Lady Macduff, and her children? 11 February 2009. 15 May 2010 <http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/q-and-a/macbeth-feel-guilt-about-killing-why-does-he-kill-63759>.
