Macbeth

Macbeth

Everyone is ambitious at some point in their lives, some more than others. Letting that ambition fuel you to get what you want is ideal. However, when you are overly ambitious to the point where the decisions you make affect others negatively so that you may benefit, you may lose more than you gain. In Macbeth, William Shakespeare reveals, through the plot of the story, the characters, and the story’s poetic just, that being overly ambitious can lead to one’s own destruction.

The events of the play are strung together taking Macbeth from a stable and respected lord to a paranoid and hated king. The story begins with Macbeth’s victory over the rebellious Macdonwald and the traitor, the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth is seen as an honorable war hero and is well liked by many. After the battle, Macbeth and Banquo run into three witches who predict that Macbeth shall become Thane of Cawdor and King. Macbeth did not know that he had already been named Thane of Cawdor before the prediction and believed that it was coming true once he got the official word. The prediction planted a seed in the mind of Macbeth, and his wife, that began to grow when he believed that the prediction was valid. He and Lady Macbeth decide to take matters into their own hands and make the prediction happen instead of waiting. Through his greedy ambition, Macbeth kills Duncan, hires a few poor criminals to kill Banquo, and has Macduff’s entire family slaughtered. Macbeth’s lust for power was so great that he killed innocent people and took out anyone that he believed could bring his wrongdoings to light. The guilt that he felt from dispatching all those innocent people began to break him down until eventually; he reveals that he is guilty of the murders. After his evil deeds surface, a revolt is launched against him lead by Macduff and Duncan’s eldest son Malcolm.

Another way Shakespeare reveals the consequences of being too ambitious is through the use of characters. Macbeth was built up in the beginning of the story and portrayed as great and happy for the most part. After the prediction and the several murders he commits or has committed, he begins to break down. All the killing was done so that he could become king. Although he was King of Scotland, he could not enjoy the power he obtained. He became more and more paranoid; irrational even as he visualized Banquo’s ghost. Macbeth was at his wits end and turned to the witches for consolation. “Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn