Preview

Essay On Ambition In Macbeth

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1661 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay On Ambition In Macbeth
Ambition can be described as a dangerous quality but also a desirable one because it sets our goals and helps lead us to where we want to be. Macbeth and Mark Zuckerberg are both ambitious in their own ways to achieve their goals. They both have the right mindset, motivation and lack the negativity to not do so. Both Macbeth and Mark went through a lot to reach their goals and they were both ambitious in doing so, but the real question that comes to mind is “what is the true cost of ambition”?

Motivation is a key aspect required in order to be ambitious and both Macbeth and Mark had their own sort of motivation to lead them towards their goals and ambitions. In Macbeth’s case, his motivation revolved around his desire to be crowned and remain as the king of Scotland. The temptation started when the witches had a prophecy that he will be crowned Thane of Cawdor and be the king of Scotland. In order to be crowned the “Thane of Cawdor” Macbeth had to murder King Duncan and the other people in his way between the crown such as “Banquo, Lady Macduff, and Lady Macduff’s son”. Macbeth’s desire was driven by his wife Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth’s thirst for the crown changed her complete personality. She pressured and badgered Macbeth to commit into murdering King Duncan even though he was ambivalent at first. The temptation, vengeance, and peer pressure motivated Macbeth to become ambitious to obtain the Thane of Cawdor. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth is far more ambitious than Macbeth because she doesn’t hesitate or waver with her ambitions to become the Queen of Scotland. Whilst Macbeth needs to be tempted and forced to become, Lady Macbeth does not because she does not need any temptations to urge her on. An example of her determination towards her ambitions comes from the text when Lady Macbeth states “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be
What thou art promised." These words were said after reading Macbeth’s letter and this clearly shows the strength of her

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    The Bard of Avon saturates the pages of the tragedy Macbeth with ugly feelings of ambition - unprincipled ambition which is ready to kill for itself. Let's thoroughly search out the major instances of ambitious behavior by the husband-wife team.…

    • 1959 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Act 3, Macbeth’s ambition is portrayed apparently by his decision to kill Banquo. Lady Macbeth has brought that ambition to Macbeth strongly before in Act 2. In Act 2, Lady Macbeth shows her control over every decision Macbeth makes. However, in Act 3, the audience can see the change in action between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth seems to be more actively gives every decision in his scheme to make his ambition come true, and Lady Macbeth does not control Macbeth’s decision anymore.…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When Macbeth says, "Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.", he is talking about the murders and the lies he has to keep up with. "Things bad begun" means that he started off doing wrong when he committed the first murder. "make themselves strong by ill." means that once he continued on murder to maintain the crown things had only gotten worse, and he started to lose his mind with all the guilt he had to live with. A major theme in Macbeth is unchecked ambition, or a strong drive for success that can't be controlled. This theme represents a comment on life because most of us are all caught up on what we want ourselves to become, we would be willing to manipulate other to get to the top.…

    • 131 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    * “Dead butcher” (Act V, Scene 9) - Metaphor of the butcher, Macbeth killing so many people, brutally…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    For starters Macbeth eager desire to be king causes him to kill King Duncan. Macbeth killing the king shows his ambition because he keeps enduring with the process of killing the King Duncan even though he had doubts. With the many doubts that Macbeth had such as he would not be loyal or he would be caught and killed he reassured himself and persevered through his thoughts to accomplish killing the king. Lady Macbeth has a variety of events that shows her ambition in this play. In the play Lady Macbeth prays to invite spirts to help prepare her for the actions that she has commit. Lady Macbeth shows how ambitious she is because she prays asking for her emotions to be removed and to be filled with cruel spirts to help her accomplish planning for the event of killing the King so that Macbeth can become…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Watch as Macbeth drives himself insane trying to claim the throne. He hears that the Thane of Cawdor died and he could become king. The Thane of Glamis develops an ambition to be king and kills Duncan, who is already the king. Killing Duncan drives Macbeth insane, and eventually, he loses all feelings towards life or death and goes numb. Since Macbeth’s ambition is to become king he is willing to do anything, but because of this, he begins to go psychotic by the end of the play.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Many people, both young and old, strive to rise higher in their caste system. Many teenagers aspire to go to college, and many working people aspire to be promoted. Ambitions drive these individuals to reach their goals. Ambition drives an individual to reach their goals with a powerful force, but ambition can also cause the demise of the individual. In Shakespeare’s renaissance play, Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses the character Macbeth to show case the destruction wrought about by ambition when moral values do not counter-balance the powerful force, and the way corrupt ambition reverts man to a primitive state, and leads to his eventual demise.…

    • 1282 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ambition can often times be considered the motivation in one’s life. It is one of the key sources to success. Ambition can blind one from determining from what’s right and what’s wrong. Having much ambition can have positive or negative effects. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare Macbeths ambition led to destruction of himself.…

    • 860 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people have hopes and goals that they would like to accomplish. They may desire powerful positions or jobs, while others may desire prosperity and riches. This is known as ambition, the spell binding force that leads people towards success. However, ambition may result in harmful acts to get their satisfaction. In William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth, the protagonist, Macbeth, is described as a very loyal and noble soldier. As the play progresses, Macbeth’s character dramatically changes because of several different factors. These factors influence Macbeth greatly and cause him to make numerous bad decisions. The influence of the witches’ prophecies, the influence of Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth’s blind ambitions are the most important factors that lead to Macbeth’s tragic deterioration.…

    • 1283 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ambition In Macbeth

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ambition is what drives you to do what you need to do to get something done.…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A knight’s moral code, that is taken by heart, is to always protect and serve. The Tragedy of Macbeth by Shakespeare is a tragedy about how a knight is stuck in between loyalty and ambition. Three witches tell Macbeth he would become Thane of Cawdor and later king. Once Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth pressured by his wife, begins to see his future as king, but realizes he has obstacles in the way. Pressured by Lady Macbeth, the three witches, and his ambition for the throne, Macbeth commits murder under trust and treason.…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ambition In Macbeth

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages

    There comes a point in every persons life where they have the desire to do, or achieve something. This desire is ambition. People will go to far extents to fulfill their desires. There are different types of ambition though. Most of the time you want to be averagely ambitious, but there are times when people can be overly or unambitious. In the story of Macbeth, you can see all of the types of ambition whether it be good, or bad.…

    • 1464 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth's Ambition Essay

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Macbeth; a classic play known by many, written by the one and only Shakespeare, tells a tale of a noble man who slowly loses himself transforming into a traitor and tyrant whose hands “[can all the] water in the ocean wash this blood from my hands“ for the deeds he has done are unforgivable. He’s led on by influences from the three weird witches who tell him predictions, his own wife full of greed for more, and simply his own ambitions which drive him into a world full of corruption and pain.…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is there a limit as to how far someone should go to get what they want? Is there justification in killing, lying, or stealing to achieve something one may desire? Each person has their own moral incentives and upbringings yet excessive ambition may affect or lapse one's moral standards and beliefs. Ambition is the drive and determination everyone has in order to achieve their goals. Whether someone chooses to do this consciously, and refrains from harming others, or vice versa, can only be determined once the action is completed. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main character Macbeth fights to accomplish his goals, immersing himself with his motivation to take over Scotland and become King. Macbeth’s performance on the battlefield allowed…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Often times, people set goals for themselves to accomplish. These goals create great desire and ambition which fuels all action. However, when the ambition in question becomes uncontrollable, the outcome can be negative. The excessive and uncontrollable ambition of Macbeth, the brave warrior in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, leads to his downfall. This uncontrollable desire for power leads Macbeth to lose his morality, identity and his friends and family. With little care for the journey, Macbeth neglected all consequences which leads him to his death.…

    • 198 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays