Ambition Example in Shakespeare’s Macbeth: the Perilous Journey from Valor to Villainy

The Setting of Scotland and its Leaders

Shakespeare created the setting of Macbeth in the small British country of Scotland. Throughout the play, Scotland is shown as a wild place ruled over by a weak and incapable king, Duncan, who often has to rely on Thanes to keep order. However, through the character of Macbeth, Shakespeare shows as the play progresses that having too much ambition and total control of power leads people to change and often become ruthless and shows changes in personality and character.

 Ambition is a strong desire to do or achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.

Towards the end of the play, Malcolm finally becomes King, and he would be a much more just ruler. One of the most evident signs of ambition and devotion comes from the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, which takes a few turns throughout the play. It starts with Lady Macbeth being in control and manipulating Macbeth. Then suddenly, Macbeth becomes an unhesitant leader who gets accustomed to killing and getting his way, showing no remorse. The dire changes in the characters affect the couple’s relationship throughout the play.

At the beginning of the play, two witches introduce Act 1. The witch’s prophecies led Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to try to fulfill their ambitions, but the witches never actually made Macbeth or his wife do anything. Macbeth and his wife act on their free will to meet their deepest wishes, ultimately, power and dominance. Macbeth, who was overall a good, fair leader before he became evil, allows his ambition to overwhelm him, and he ends up murdering plenty of his people and having no remorse or guilt over his actions. Once she begins to put into action, Lady Macbeth is crushed by guilt.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s Relationship Dynamics

Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth want to be great and powerful and sacrifice their previous ideals and morals to achieve that goal that they both desire. Shakespeare emphasizes and makes clear their evil ambition by showing and comparing characters such as Banquo, Duncan, and Macduff, who also want to be great leaders but refuse to allow ambition to come before honor; Macbeth shows how pure and uncontrollable ambition, freed from any moral or social conscience, ultimately takes over every other characteristic of a person. Macbeth’s unrestrained ambition can never be fulfilled and quickly grows into a monster that will destroy anyone who gives in to it.

Influence of the Witches’ Prophecies

Macbeth’s ambition is the main reason he turned from a noble Thane to a violent and bloody tyrant. Soon after gaining the title of Thane of Cawdor, he remained humble and morally upright. However, soon after achieving success and victory, he hears of the Witches’ prophecy and realizes the ambition that was brought within himself. “Two truths are told as happy prologues to the swelling act of the imperial theme” (I.iii,128-129). Macbeth says this as he realizes the witches’ prophecy has come true. He then starts to wonder whether the witch’s third prophecy, which states that he will soon become King, will also be true. Because of this, he soon becomes eager with the idea that he now has a chance to finally fulfill his desire to be King, even though he also realizes he would have to commit a terrible and violent act to achieve the position.

Macbeth says, ‘If chance has me, king, why, the chance will crown me without my stir.’ (I.iii,143-144 ) This shows that becoming King is his destiny, and he is ambitious and enthusiastic about it. At this point in the play, it hints at and foreshadows Macbeth’s ambition and later actions, even though he initially refuses to consider acting upon it. Although he had come across ambition, he did not have much intention of allowing his ambition to get the best of him. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, persuaded Macbeth and manipulated him to use his ambition to gain power and position and achieve both of their desires.

Consequences of Unrestrained Ambition

Under her influence, Macbeth murdered King Duncan to gain kingship and killed the Chamberlains to cover up his crime. “Thou wouldst be great art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it” (I.v,18-20). Lady Macbeth says this as she reflects on her husband’s character. She knows that Macbeth can achieve their ambitious dreams, but she thinks he is unwilling to display the ruthless behavior necessary to achieve them. Lady Macbeth’s provocation enlivens the evil residing in Macbeth, and his ambition receives a new dimension: “I have no spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself/And falls on the other’ (I.vii,25-28).

This exemplifies Lady Macbeth’s philosophy of power, in which only individuals willing to set their morality aside will rise to greatness. His ambition led him to kill Banquo, a trustworthy, noble, and moral friend. This murder showed just how out of control Macbeth had gotten. At this point, he was no longer under the influence of Lady Macbeth and began to view Banquo as a threat to his advancement instead of an asset to the wellbeing of Scotland. Finally, Macbeth conducts his last central act of violence by murdering Macduff’s family after being warned that Macduff is assembling an army against Macbeth in England. This killing was wholly purposeless. Macduff was bound to attack Macbeth because he regarded him as a tyrant. He knew Macbeth was no longer suited to be in a position of authority over Scotland, and this only helped his case.

Macbeth states that “to be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus” (III.i,47-48), which reveals how his giving into his ambition and murdering Duncan has not brought him peace but rather has just left him more paranoid and anxious. The line also reveals how Macbeth’s first violent action sets off a chain reaction of him continuing to commit violent actions to maintain his hold on the power he has gained.

The Downfall and Psychological Effects

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were both deeply afflicted because of their ambition. Both of them suffered tremendous guilt due to their ambition, and Lady Macbeth eventually killed herself over it. Along with this, Malcolm knew ambition was prevalent during Macbeth’s tyranny, and he wanted to prevent it from being present in the position of the throne in the future. He ensured this prevention by testing Macduff. He lies to Macduff and tells him that his evils overbear his virtues, wanting to see whether Macduff is honorable and trustworthy toward the land of Scotland or whether Macbeth has manipulated him and has similar selfish intentions in mind.

However, ambition is most seen through Macbeth and his selfish choices. Ambition not only turned Macbeth into a selfish tyrant, but he continued to murder all those in his path without considering the consequences his decisions would have on the good of Scotland. Ambition created a change in the character’s psychological state as well. Because both were overridden by deep ambition, their cruel thoughts made them insane and clouded them with psychotic and crazy characteristics. ‘Out, out damned spot!’ (V.i,35) is what Lady Macbeth yells out after the murder has been committed. She is so overridden with guilt about the murder that she visualizes invincible blood on her hands. This exemplifies that the impact of being overly ambitious has reached Lady Macbeth, who has gone insane.

She intends to drive her husband to a more powerful position through Macbeth’s ambitions and the manipulation and constant persuasion of Lady Macbeth. Adding to that, the warnings of the three sisters meant that Macbeth seemingly had no choice but to chase his burning desires and meet his ultimate destiny. He was so overcome with thoughts and feelings that led to him being of a higher class that it seemed so easy, and it was something that had to be done. It can be concluded that Macbeth’s collapse was due to poor decisions and the overall pursuit of his ambitions to make it to the top, and his failure at the end shows that too much ambition can often lead to destruction and downfall.

References

1. Jamieson, Lee, and Stratford-upon-Avon College. “Quotes About Ambition From ‘Macbeth’.” Thoughtco., Dotdash, 21 Jan. 2019, www.thoughtco.com/macbeth-ambition-quotes-2985024.
2. LitCharts. “Ambition Theme Analysis.” LitCharts, www.litcharts.com/lit/macbeth/themes/ambition
3. Mabillard, Amanda. “Traits of Lady Macbeth.” Macbeth Glossary – Mark Antony’s Was by Caesar, Shakespeare Online, 21 Aug. 2014, www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth/sketchofladymacbeth.html.
4. “Quotes in the Play Macbeth.” A Research Guide for Students, Are Search Guide, 6 July 2018, www.aresearchguide.com/quotes-in-the-play-macbeth.html.
5. “Whose Ambition Is the Driving Force of the Play Macbeth: Mabeth’s, Lady Macbeth’s or Both of Them?” Enotes.com, Enotes.com, www.enotes.com/homework-help/whose-ambition-driving-force-play-mabeths-lady-241969.

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