Ambition in Shakespeare's Macbeth Free Essay Sample

Shakespeare's Macbeth is a play about unbridled ambition. The term "ambition" refers to the concept of having or displaying a strong desire to succeed. It could be motivated by necessity, greed, or vanity. Bridled  ambition takes a lot of inner discipline and inner strength, as well as qualities like dedication, fighting spirit, goal setting, and courage to persevere in the face of adversity in order to achieve it. It also necessitates the ability to learn from mistakes and believing in yourself. Ambition also requires the ability to be selfish and the dedication to drive yourself until you arrive at your destination. Whereas, Ruthless ambition is an extreme version of ambition, in which people do whatever they feel like without thinking about the consequences and it has the potential to destroy everything around you. It can also blind you to the consequences of your actions. 

Bridled  ambition, on the other hand, benefits both individuals and society, and it harms no one, as history shows. Miracles have occurred in every sphere of life when ambition is controlled and directed in a positive direction. People have ascended without trampling and terrorizing others. Such people have spread the message of peace, humanity, love, compassion, charity, and honesty. They are the hallmarks of history, both past and present. It's not that they didn't have ambition; it's just that they wanted to achieve it without attempting to dominate or destroy anyone else. For instance, Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi's ambition was to liberate his country without using violence, and history bears witness to his achievement. His efforts led to the liberation of thousands of people and the end of slavery in India. Scientists such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton , A.P.J. Kalam, Leonardo da Vinci, and many others have contributed to the betterment of the world through their innovations. 

In Shakespare’s play Macbeth, the character Macduff is the epitome of bridled ambition. Macduff, the Thane of Fife is a nobleman who is dedicated to his kingdom and family. He is not given much  attention in the beginning of the play, but grows into a hero by the end, serving as Scotland's "savior." As Macbeth ascends to the throne after murdering the king, Macduff flees to England in support of Duncan's son Malcolm. He remains devoted to Duncan's family which proves that Macduff is a man of action and not of words. While he is faithful to Scotland, he couldn't safeguard his own family, who are in the end violently  killed by Macbeth. 

His desire and ambition is to depose Macbeth from the throne, place the rightful king on it, and live peacefully in Scotland with his family and loved ones. His patriotism really holds back his ambition for himself.This point is exemplified, when Macduff backs Malcolm in his ascension to the throne. He neglected his equally strong urge to safeguard his wife and children when professing his love for Scotland. 

We've always believed that ambition is a positive motivator for success, which is valid, but unbridled ambition is humanity's biggest flaw. It has driven people to have sinful motives. It is an incurable disease which the characters in Shakespeare's play, especially Macbeth, becomes overly infected with, which gradually drives him insane with lust for blood and power. At the beginning of the play, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had lofty ambitions to achieve things that defied the laws of nature. Both of them were driven by ambition to achieve their goals and were dedicated to their aspirations. 

Without a doubt, ambition helped Macbeth and Lady Macbeth achieve their dreams. Ambition is the most valuable attribute an individual can possess; it enables Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to attain their goals. However, there is an adage that, whatever can propel you to the top can also cause you to fall even further, which proves to be true in Macbeth's life. Being overly ambitious Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's life flips upside down. Macbeth began as a brave and valiant soldier who would accomplish anything for the king. By the end of the play, Macbeth had become a tyrant and a terrible leader, slaughtering those who trusted him to preserve the throne. 

There is an old saying that a man is not born a tyrant but is made one through situations. It took a combination of factors to turn Macbeth who was a strong and kind man into an evil tyrant. The witches, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth himself are held responsible for his downfall. Firstly the witches were the one that  implanted the idea of becoming king in his mind while Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband. Macbeth is also the one to blame for positioning his greedy ambitions ahead of his conscience. Lady Macbeth's success in persuading her husband to kill King Duncan is a major factor in Macbeth's downfall. 

When Duncan came to Macbeth's castle, he felt remorseful for the idea of considering killing him and decides to put off the idea. But Lady Macbeth insulted his manhood by saying, "and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man," which compelled him to carry out their initial plans. 

The theme of ambition can be seen throughout the play.  Another example of ruthless ambition that can be seen in the play is within Lady Macbeth herself. Lady Macbeth’s ambition for her husband drives her insane which will eventually lead to her demise. She has ambition for herself as well as for her husband. Ambition is like an infectious disease. It spreads subtly and quickly. 

Macbeth bears some of the blame as well for the tragedy because if he had directed his ambition toward a positive orientation, the play would have turned out completely differently. He had the opportunity to change his mind and not believe in the witches' prophecies, but he chose to kill King Duncan instead. Furthermore, he continues with his deeds without his wife’s involvement which he later has to pay for. 

On the other hand, if the witches had not made the prophecies, Macbeth would not have murdered the king, a man that he loved and respected. The witches' prophecies lead to the development of Macbeth’s ruthless ambition. He would not have considered killing his cousin Duncan and this is the beginning of his downfall. His actions include murdering his loved ones and they would not have occurred if not for his ambition. The witches’ nefarious motives were obvious from the start, and they intended to have an impact on Macbeth's life. 

When Macbeth decides to kill King Duncan, he loses his innocence and parts of his identity. At this moment in the play, Macbeth's fall begins, as he morphs into someone who is not who he used to be. When Macbeth first gets the idea to assassinate Duncan, it is Lady Macbeth who pushes him to do it. As the play progresses, though, he begins to make all of the decisions and call all of the shots. Lady Macbeth had little say in what was going on at the moment, and Macbeth's individuality began to fade. Macbeth's sense of humanity begins to fade as he loses himself, and he even turns on his closest allies. Macbeth loses everyone who cares about him and used to admire him as the play proceeds. One of the most startling aspects of the play is when Macbeth appoints murderers to kill Banquo, who was once one of his tightest companions  and had a great deal of regard for him.

As Macbeth’s downfall worsens, more and more people lose respect for him and turn to others for help and assistance in bringing him down. This is evident when Macduff asks Malcolm for help in overthrowing Macbeth. Act 4, Scene 3 shows Macduff's desperation to bring Macbeth down, as he cries, "I have lost my hopes." As he reaches out to Malcolm for help, all of his admiration for Macbeth is replaced by fear and desperation.

Throughtout the play  we can see that ambition shape the decisions made by Macduff, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. In Macbeth, all of the characters express ambition but in a different way.  For example, the bridled shown by Macduff and unbridled ambition displayed by Macbeth. Ambition is a powerful force which can be both good and bad. In this play, we see both. The play Macbeth is a remind of why we should control our ambition.