Macbeth's Ambition Research Paper

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Irma Jara Mrs. Barnhouse English 10 29 April, 2024 Good: The Ultimate Definition Ambition. A powerful word used to describe some of history’s most influential figures: Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Theresa, and William Shakespeare, to name a few. Officially defined as “a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work” (Oxford Dictionary). Achieve something that you can do. Something to do with it. What little of a word that severely underestimates what a person with ambition risks everything to achieve. Take Macbeth, for example, “For brave Macbeth (well, he deserves that name)” (1.2.18). Initially described as a highly respected and brave individual—a general with undying loyalty to his king—he …show more content…
“My noble partner / You greet with present grace and great prediction / Of noble having and of royal hope” (1.3.57). Someone who was once a respected colleague and a close confidant has now turned into an immediate enemy due to Macbeth’s blind ambition and desire. Killing people to pave the way for his assurance is not even registered as an act of barbarity in Macbeth’s eyes. The same eyes that twist every interaction into a threat to his title, the very eyes that accompany Macbeth’s descension into madness—now eternally clouded with sinister justifications for his deeds. Everything Macbeth wants is achieved; however, no trace of the person, soldier, and man he once was is visible. Macbeth’s ambition, once a guide to protecting the kingdom he would hopefully once call his own, harshly leads to preserving his warped view of the ideal life, which ultimately leads to his untimely demise. He was aware the witches' prophecies were coming true, but his underlying fascination with authority and potency was the real falter of ambition. The abandonment of his previous treasured and praised characteristics encouraged Macduff to dethrone him and end any more