Greed And Ambition In Macbeth

Superior Essays
If a person’s choices involve being greedy or ambitious, things will not turn out well. A person’s tragic downfall is caused by his or her own free will and is enhanced by fatalistic imagery. Blood imagery, clothing imagery, and hand imagery are what help enhance the tragic downfall of Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. Macbeth is a noble person that becomes a cruel king due to his greed and ambition. Excessive ambition and greed will change a man’s personality. The sight of blood tempts a noble person to do greedy and dishonourable deeds. Macbeth is an honourable man, having being recognized as a trustworthy and brave man by the King. The thoughts and plans of murdering King Duncan have made him guilty, however, he still continues …show more content…
When one is overly ambitious, it can lead to his subconscious goal. Macbeth’s subconscious goal is to become King. The night King Duncan’s murder is when Macbeth sees a dagger with a handle pointing to Macbeth’s hand and the blade pointing to the King’s room; “Is this a dagger which I see before me, / The handle toward my hand?” (II.i.40-41). All of a sudden, the dagger starts bleeding and it was not like that before. His subconscious ambition shows his wishes and begins to start clutching at the air because of the illusionary dagger. The way he is clutching it could be how he stabs King Duncan during the murder. Macbeth does not realize this desire of his because he is a good and noble person, but he wants to take the throne. Subsequently, impulse decisions caused by greedy ambition are illogical. Macbeth did not have to have thoughts about kill Banquo and Fleance. There was no need to get rid of Fleance because Fleance could have been the King after Macbeth has died, so Macbeth has nothing to do with him. Macbeth was having a fruitless crown anyways, since his wife is barren. It was fixed that way. It is not reasonable that Macbeth wants to get rid of Fleance because it will ruin his chances of becoming King. Macbeth says, “with thy bloody and invisible hand / Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond / Which keeps me pale!” (III.ii.53-55). The hand is invisible because it is not his hands that are physically setting off to murder Banquo and Fleance. He is successful in killing Banquo, however, trying to kill the both of them was unnecessary. The murder actually shed blood, so it is a bloody and invisible hand that tore Banquo and Fleance apart due to Macbeth’s greediness. Macbeth wanted the throne to himself; his desires are illogical and unjustifiable. Furthermore, one does not have the ability to sense reason and judgement. Macbeth’s hands will do whatever his

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