Macbeth: Macbeth and Crown Macbeth King Essay

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If the main theme of this play is ambition then Lady Macbeth is the driving force. Do you agree?

The renowned tragedy “Macbeth” written by the famous playwright Shakespeare revolves around the main theme of blazing ambition. Lady Macbeth is a very dangerous character as her ploy to murder King Duncan reveals her inner masculinity and desire to become Queen. However Macbeth also has inner ambitions to become King and he shows initial sparks of greed and hunger for power in the beginning of the play. The supernatural witches were forthright the original evokers of this outlandish plan, they had ‘planted the seed’ in Macbeth’s mind to carry out and commit a series of brutal murders which left Macbeth an empty shell of mortal man.
Lady Macbeth’s deep aspiration to not only crown Macbeth King but for herself to benefit along with him caused more harm than good. Ultimately as soon as Lady Macbeth had received the letter from her husband she had made the bold decision to viciously murder King Duncan. She called upon the evil spirits, ‘Come, you Spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me ... top-full of direst cruelty.’ During her famous ‘unsex me here’ speech we are shown how her spitefulness can overcome her and she is able to commit the evil deed of regicide. It is also revealed that had not King Duncan resembled her father she would have committed the assassination herself ‘Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had don’t.’ Her deepest desires for marred power frayed her relationship with her husband as she cunningly manipulated his thoughts in order to receive what she wished. She preyed on his increasing pride by mockery and taunting, ‘are you a man?’ and ‘art though afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour, as thou art in desire?’ To prove his masculinity Macbeth unknowingly succumbed to his wife’s plan and in doing so had set into motion events of darkest intentions.
Macbeth’s ambition to become King caused him to commit unthinkable deeds as his need for power grew. Is Macbeth not a man? He has the right to choose his own actions, after all his destiny is at stake. But he allowed himself to be so foolishly influenced by his own wife and three horrid witches. And thus knowing the consequences of his actions, he stabbed poor, trusting Duncan into oblivion, while his conscious was plaguing him so dreadfully, ‘I heard a voice cry, ‘Sleep no more!’ Macbeth does murder sleep – the innocent sleep.’ As he was crowned King, Macbeth’s ambition grew along with his ego, he not only killed his best friend Banquo and attempted to murder his son but he also slaughtered Macduff’s unprotected family, simply because his sons were next in line to the throne and Macbeth felt threatened by this. ‘Seize upon Fife, give to the edge o’the sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.’ All the while Lady Macbeth was unaware of Macbeth’s devious plans of betrayal and homicide. Lady Macbeth was only involved in the murder of Duncan while Macbeth was responsible for the murders of the chamberlains, Banquo, the hired murderers and Macduff’s defenceless family. As Macbeth tasted the
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