Ambition Of Duncan And Lady Macbeth In William Shakespeare's Play

In life, negative choices lead to dire consequences on both a moral and psychological level. In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Macbeth deteriorates morally while Lady Macbeth loses her sanity because of their misguided ambition and quest for power. Both characters approach the decision to go for the crown differently, and react uniquely to the strain of the murders. However, Macbeth’s decline is the more dramatic of the two. Before killing Duncan, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have very contrasting personalities. The captain of the army makes reference to Macbeth’s valor when he declares, “For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name” (1.2.16). He is a good man, and has friendships with both Duncan and Banquo. He has a positive relationship with his wife, exhibited when he writes her a letter informing her of his whereabouts and refers to her as his equal, unusual for that time period. He is initially very weary of killing Duncan, noting reasons like the fact that they are friends and he ought to be loyal to him, that Duncan is a great man who has earned love from everyone, and that he fears the repercussions that may arise if he kills him. He is also very troubled by a conjured vision he had of a dagger. Originally, Macbeth wishes to gain the crown naturally, not by his own force. A weakness Macbeth has, though, is his ability to be easily persuaded. Comparatively, Lady Macbeth is interested in fighting …show more content…
Macbeth was initially a brave, loyal man who was a good friend to Duncan, Banquo, and his wife. As his thirst for power grew, he betrayed all of them – killing Duncan and Banquo and keeping secrets from his wife. He used to require her guidance and pressure, but ended up leaving her out of plans as he became more insane. He originally had no desire to force his kingship, explaining this when he