When reading Macbeth by William Shakespeare, one can come to the conclusion that Macbeth's tragic lack of ambition leads to his ultimate downfall. Many individual factors such as one's personality traits, motivations, and influences from other characters must be fully examined to prove this argument. It is evident that from the beginning of the play, the character of Macbeth possesses ambition. However, his earlier ambition was used positively to defeat a rebel noble, the Thane of Cawdor (this title would later come to symbolize dishonesty). As time passes and the prophecy of the strange sisters gets to his head, his ambition begins to transform and make him a corrupt man. It could be argued that this transformation of ambition is reinforced and modified by the influence of Lady Macbeth. Throughout the play, different prophecies are presented to many characters, including Macbeth. Once the prophecy is offered, it is up to the individual whether or not to act. In Macbeth's case, he actually carries out the prophecy because of his "leap" ambition. This decision ...