Rise Of Ambition In Macbeth

William Shakespeare was a renowned poet and considered to be one of the greatest playwrights of all time. Shakespeare was alive during the English Renaissance, which was a cultural and artistic movement in England spanning from the late 15th to the early 17th century. In his lifetime, “The Bard of Avon”, Shakespeare, wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and 2 long narrative poems. He has many works that are considered some of the finest in English literature which include: The Tragedy of Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear. Shakespeare had a multitude of inspirations that motivated him to write the play The Tragedy of Macbeth. Holinshed’s Chronicles, a collaborative volume describing the history of England, Scotland, and Ireland, inspired many …show more content…
As Macbeth’s authority increases his ambition doesn’t waiver but gets stronger. This yearning for dominance corrupts his personality transforming him into a character without inhibitions and of lower moral quality, completely opposite from when the reader is first introduced to Macbeth. This change in character ultimately leads to his downfall and death at the hands of Macduff at the end of the play. According to Webster, “ambition” is the desire to be successful in a particular aim or goal. (http://www.merriam-webster.com). The audience begins to see this in great detail with the protagonist, Macbeth, after his first encounter with the three weird sisters, which fuels his desire for power, and to become King.
Even before the opening scene, Macbeth has had his eye on the crown. When the three Weird Sisters hail him as king, he "starts" nervously because he is shocked to hear his own treasonous thoughts spoken aloud. Compare his reaction to that of Banquo, who neither fears nor revels in the witches ' words. Macbeth is entranced by their prophecy because it is exactly what he hoped to hear. He begs them in vain to offer more details about his rise to power. Moments later, when he is named Thane of Cawdor, he assumes that this new title is simply a prelude to the kingship. (Nelson …show more content…
He starts to worry about the three weird sisters prophecies and especially the prediction about Banquo’s children becoming king. Macbeth does not want this to happen and considers his next action. “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo stick deep” (III. I. 48-49). Macbeth believes that Banquo must be dealt with to preserve his position and power as King of Scotland. Fearing that Banquo might act against him, Macbeth orders the murder of his friend Banquo and his son Fleance. “There the grown serpent lies; the worm that’s fled. Hath nature that in time will venom breed” (III. IV. 30-31). Here Macbeth states that even though Banquo is dead his son Fleance will still be a threat to his throne. Macbeth shows no remorse, he is overwhelmed with paranoia murdering his best friend and attempting to murder Banquo’s son in order to keep his position as king. Again Macbeth’s quest for power fuels his paranoia and he starts to become suspicious of someone else, Macduff. “Macduff what need I fear thee? But yet ill make assurance double sure, and take a bond of fate. Thou shall not live” (IV. I. 82-84). He then orders the taking of Macduff’s castle and the murder of his family. Once again, Macbeth’s flaw, ambition, along with his paranoia and thirst for power have led to the brutal murder of Macduff’s innocent family. Eventually this leads to Macbeth’s