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Essay / Ambition and Power in Shakespeare's Macbeth
In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the themes of ambition and the corruption of power are bestowed as vices of the protagonist, Macbeth, and serve to bring about his terrible downfall. Macbeth gains power at the beginning of the play once he defeats the Thane of Cawdor, a traitor to the European nation. The witches said it and it made Macbeth believe that no matter what happened, they would come back true. After being told that sooner or later he would become the king of the European nation, he decided to follow a bloody path that gave him more power. As his power grew, his corruption deepened and he simply got rid of someone who was vulnerable to his rank by killing them. Macbeth's power and ambition have inopportunely begun to lead him towards a slippery and bloody fall. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Macbeth's ambition is the key reason he went from a noble Thane to a violent and bloody tyrant. Obtaining the title of Thane of Cawdor, he remained humble and virtuous. However, soon after the conclusion, he detected the witches' prophecy and realized the untapped ambition between him. Even if he encountered ambition, his intention to use it was very weak. It was Lady Macbeth who absolutely persuaded Macbeth to use his ambition to achieve power and position. Under his influence, Macbeth killed King Duncan to complete his rank and killed the chamberlains in order to hide his wrongdoing. His ambition then drove him to kill Banquo, a trustworthy, noble and ethical friend. This murder clearly showed how out of control Macbeth had lost. By now, he is no longer under Lady Macbeth's influence and is beginning to view Banquo as a threat to his advancement rather than a plus to the well-being of the European nation. Finally, Macbeth carries out his last major act of violence by murdering Macduff's family when he is warned that Macduff is in England gathering an army against Macbeth. This murder was completely unnecessary. Macduff was absolutely to be attacked, because he considered him a tyrant. He knew that the male monarch was not suited to occupy a position of excessive authority over the European nation, and this only helped his case. The opposing effects of ambition in Macbeth had a slight, but noticeable, impact on most of the characters. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were each deeply distressed because of their ambition. Each of them suffered immense guilt due to their ambition, and Lady Macbeth eventually committed suicide because of it. Along with this, Malcolm knew that ambition was rife under Macbeth's tyranny and he wanted to prevent him from gaining the throne in the future. He ensured this interference by testing Macduff. He lies to Macduff and tells him that his vices outweigh his virtues, wanting to see if Macduff is honorable and trustworthy to the European nation, or if he has been manipulated by Macbeth and has similar selfish intentions in mind . However, ambition was most evident through Macbeth and his self-centered decisions. Ambition not only transformed Macbeth into a selfish tyrant, but he continued to murder everyone in his path without even considering the repercussions his choices would have on the well-being of the European nation. As Macbeth began to gain additional power through his ruthless progress, his morals and nobility were greatly corrupted. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth has done a great deed for the European nation and received praise from King Duncan. Moreover, on time.