Macbeth Ambition : Important theme throughout the play of ‘Macbeth.’ is Not only Macbeth ambitious but also his wife, Lady Macbeth
Ambition has been humanity’s driving force since the beginning of time. But that drive has not always played out to be positive. Throughout history, there have been numerous examples of a man abusing his power and position to achieve things they did not deserve.
The extreme obsession with power and uncontrolled ambition portrayed in the Shakespearean play Macbeth introduces us to an extreme ambition that leads towards a bloody path of greed. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main personality Macbeth shows a link with the themes “Great ambition leads to loss of humanity” and “Paranoia eats away a person’s soul.”
Macbeth’s character is a good, courageous, and beloved man at the start of the play, and after finishing his latest battle, he was given a new title. However, fate seemed to have different plans for the fine, brave, ambitious Macbeth. Macbeth was told by the three weird sisters that he will one day become king. Thus lighting up the fire of greed within Macbeth, head-starting his descent into madness and the guilt he feels towards the acts he has committed.
Lady Macbeth is very similar in the sense that once she was aware of Macbeth’s ambition, it planted her deep-rooted desire for the crown as well. However, their various similarities end with Duncan’s demise and the way they both experience guilt over what they did. Lady Macbeth uses her husband’s drive and ambition to orchestrate the current king, Duncan’s murder so that Macbeth can rule as a king. But despite his lust for the position, Macbeth’s ethic and morality stopped him. Therefore, Lady Macbeth proceeded with the king’s execution alone to help her husband reach his ultimate goal.
Though Lady Macbeth wasn’t entirely the reason behind Duncan’s murder, her evil ambition causes her to proceed with her evil act. Lady Macbeth’s ambition overrides her husband’s, and she convinces him to murder the current king. One could say that without Lady Macbeth, the murder would not have taken place. When Lady Macbeth criticizes Macbeth accusing him of not loving her and doubting his manliness, his ambition increases, and he also wants to prove that all the things he is accused of is false.
Though the story revolves around Macbeth, his wife, and their ambition to get the throne, three witches made the initial strike. Their influence may have introduced the sinister idea into Macbeth’s psyche and giving him the ambition to take over the kingship. You would think that both the characters’ overarching ambition was seizing the throne by getting rid of Duncan. But it’s not the major reason why he does it. Initially, it was his ambition that drove him to do anything for him to attain the throne. But later, it was his manly ego and ambition to prove his wife, his masculinity, and love.
In the end, three sources ultimately led towards the murder of Duncan. Macbeth’s ambition, another is Lady Macbeth’s influence and ambition, and lastly, it is the witches’ influence that led Macbeth to think about becoming the king. The story wouldn’t have taken place if it was not for the overarching ambition of the characters.
