The Birnam Wood

Macbeth's ambition begins to be fuelled by his overconfidence, which is established when he returns to the witches for reassurance. The witches tell him beware the Thane of Fife, only a man born of women can kill you, and this can only occur when Birnam woods move to Dunsinane. However, the witches were plotting against Macbeth and thus leading him to his destruction. Unaware, Macbeth's confidence overpowers him and fuels his ambition into believing that he is unstoppable. However, Macbeth is…

The Role of Ambition in Macbeth Ambition is “an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honor, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment” (dictionary.com). Ambition can be understood and judged different ways by different people. Many people believe ambition is a positive thing to possess, but many people also believe that ambition is a negative thing that should try to be avoided. The people that believe that ambition is good often put…

When you become a king of a country there is a lot of responsibility, not only for yourself, but for the community around you as well. It also comes with consequences, like the conflict after you make decisions that are a struggle as well as things you really do not want to do. Macbeth, being the King of Scotland, that all plays into part, but he also deals with the supernatural. It is not that the supernatural wanted to come to him, but he actually put himself in that situation from all the…

The tragedy of Shakespeare’s title character Macbeth leads us to believe that there is evil in all of us. Was Macbeth acting on his own free will or was he controlled by the evil witches that seemed to toy with the protagonist and relish in his demise? Are these Witches ultimately to blame or must Macbeth take full responsibility for all of his decisions? To answer these questions we have to look at how the witches spoke to Macbeth, their own evil intentions and the apparitions that he saw. One…

reveal, “Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill Shall come against him,” (4.1.94-98). The sisters tell him do not fear those that hate you or fear you, be proud like a lion. He is told that he will not be defeated until Birnam Wood comes to him and he doesn’t think this is possible. These supernatural events and information from the sisters become comfort for…

The prophecy stated that Macbeth would only be defeated when the woods moved towards the kingdom. The use of this hyperbole makes it as if the Great Birnam wood would never be able to come against him, Macbeth seems to have nothing to worry about. However, that is not the case since Macduff’s army are disguised as the woods and are moving towards the castle. 22) "Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One; two; why, then tis time to do 't..."…

Powerful Witches, Feeble Humans In capitalist societies, ambition drives enterprising individuals to slave away until they realize their goals. Because of the arduous labor that consumes their lives, entrepreneurs often feel proud of their great accomplishments, thinking that their elevated positions in society are completely a result of their own initiative and hard work. The same can be said, perhaps, about those who wrest political power. William Shakespeare’s Macbeth tells a story that…

Ladies and gentlemen of the court, the evidence shows that, Macbeth is not an evil man; he is a good man who let his ambition get the best of him. He made a terrible mistake that anyone could make. Macbeth is responsible for the death of King Duncan, Banquo, the Macduffs, and the attempted murder of Fleance. His reasoning for killing King Duncan is so that he can become king, and he wanted to kill Banquo, Fleance and the Macduffs to protect his spot as king. Anyone else given the opportunity…

Considering carefully when taking actions is crucial for one’s future consequences that one will receive. In William Shakespeare’s story “Macbeth”, the protagonist Macbeth eventually forfeit his lives due to his unwise actions and his evil thoughts. He loses people’s trusts and ruins his own honorable status by constantly suspecting his surroundings and by using aggressive rulings. Through his endless desires, strong fear, and the negative psychological effects he possesses have suppressed on…

A play that derives from shakespearean times, Macbeth is a power struggle to see who is in control of the outcome. In Macbeth, a gifted warrior turns king, but his ambition eventually gets the best of him, and eventually leads to his downfall. While the story itself is enticing, the main problem in the play is as follows: who is really pulling the strings in Macbeth? Multiple characters shape the events that take place in Macbeth, however Macbeth himself remains the most responsible for being in…