Ambition Macbeth

Point 1 Shakespeare uses the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to explore the corrupting influence of unchecked ambition

When Duncan made Malcom his heir in in Act 1 scene 4 Macbeth reveals that “Stars hid your fires let not light see my black and deep desires”

-Macbeth wants to hide his dark feelings, he wants his secret yearning for the throne to remain covered in darkness,especially that fact that he’s willing to do anything including murdering Duncan, the rightful king, to achieve his ambition.

-Rhyming couplets aligns Macbeth with the witches.The contemporary audience dislike Macbeth for thinking of commiting regicide/it’s a shocking thought.

-Macbeth is conflicted as he yearns for power, but does not want to go againt the divine rights of kings.The juxtaposition between “stars”,”fires” “light” with black and deep emphasises the choice Macbeth must take between his ambition(his hamartia) and morality

-Macbeth is suggesting he’s not a noble character for Duncan’s attributes of “stars” but Macbeth is hiding the noble elements of his character.This further shows the audience the degeneration of Macbeth into evil.

-The colour imagery personifies “deep desires” advocating evil inside him is not his own but the work of the ‘evil spirits’ and could imply that the witches have heavily influenced Macbeth through the rhyme pattern as Shakespeare reserves rhyme for evil characters.Deep literally is something difficult to understand so the audience may found it difficult on why someone will want to upset the natural order/Great chain of being.

This is further reinforced with ‘vaulting ambition… “falls on th’other ACT 1 S7

-Macbeth acknowledges that ambition is his only motivator for murder, indicating that he lacks any moral rationale for his actions.

-The metaphor of ‘vaulting ambition’ suggests that ambition is akin to a horse leaping over an obstacle, emphasizing the potential for overreach and disastrous consequences.

-Shakespeare choice of words reveals Macbeth’s inner conflict, his ambition propels him forward, yet he recognises its perilous nature. This duality illustrates the destructive potential of unchecked ambition.

-Shakespeare claims that Macbeth ambition isn’t enough and he lacks ‘intent’. This intent comes from elsewhere, perhaps his bloodlust or fragile masculinity and suggests that ambition is not his hamartia after all.

-Written in 17th century, Macbeth reflects the social anxieties surrounding ambition, especially concerning the divine rights of kings and the moral implications of seeking power

-Audience feels a sense of foreboding as they realise the implications of macbeths ambition. This evokes a combination of sympathy and horror,prompting moral cost of ambition.

-Shakespeare aims to illustrate the dangers of ambition, encouraging audience to consider the consequences of unchecked desires.

Lady Macbeth ambition amplifies the destructive consequences of their shared ambition “Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here” Act 1 Scene 5

-Lady Macbeth delivers a soliloquy alone on stage, a type of scene usually used for a man. This indicates a rejection of sterteoryotical gender norms and shows how ambitious she is.

-The imperative phrase “unsex me here” signifies that her belief that ambition necessitates the renunciation of traditional roles, portraying ambtion as a catalyst for her moral corruption.

-Shakespeare critiques the patriarchal society that equites power with masculinity, revealing that lengths to which an individual goes to achieve ambition.

-Shakespeare wants to present how duplicitous and cunning LM is. As she’s aligning herself with the devil by calling.

-The ‘tend on mortal thoughts’ cretes the idea of tempting people away from god and embracing sin.

-Her chilling plea creates a powerful impression, evoking unease as the audience witnesses her willingness to forsake her humanity for ambition

Point 2 Shakespeare uses the character of Macbeth to show that achieving ambition does not bring happiness “O full is scorpions is my mind, dear wife?” Act 3 Scene 2

-Mental degregation. Macbeth mind feels poisoned by guilt and sin. The double stress of “o full” breaks the iambic pentameter and highlights Macbeths agony.

-“dear wife” has connotations of expensive: Macbeth perhaps blames his wife for the ‘expensive’ mistake of deciding to kill the king.

-“full of scorpions” Macbeth is not blaming himself, he is not admitting to his responsibility. He’s plagued by guilt the contemporary audience would feel relief that Macbeth is being mentally punished

another quote “Will all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” Act 2 Scene 2

-Hyperbolic language. Neptune is a Roman god so Macbeth is rejecting Christian imagery. Macbeth is consumed with guilt which is Shakespeare’s teaching to the audience the consequences of regicide. This flatters King james

-‘wash blood’ perhaps links to Christian imagery of baptism. Macbeth wants to feel pure and ‘clean’ again.

Point 3 Shakespeare presents ambition as a characters fatal flaw that causes Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s downfall “out damned spot” Act 5 Scene 1

-Christian belief- LM is being ‘damned’ and punished because she has exercised her free will by committing regicide and emasculating herself.

-The spot of blood could symbolise the sinful act of regicide. God has marked LM as sinful since she killed a king, the worst sin of all as the king was appointed by god due to the divine rights of king.

-Shakespeare is emphasising the awful fate of those who plot against the King: this flattens King James as it links to the gunpowder plot.

-This quote at the end shows the character total transformation from Machiavellian King-maker to a guilt-ridden wreck fearful of eternal damnation

-The repetition of out and imperative shows LM attempting to grip on to any power but struggles

-Metaphorically the washing of her hands present guilt and torture Lm is suffering .

“All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” Act 5 Scene 1

-Feminine language of “perfume” and “little” implies that LM no longer wants to be “unsexed” and wants to be conform to the expectations of Jacobean women.

-LM believes she should punish herself for emasculating herself and being ambitious so she commits suicide

-There was Christian belief that if you committed suicide you went to Hell. LM could smell the blood, symbolising that God an omniscient being, will always know of her sins and LM can never escape Gods judgement

-Shakespeare is warning his audience that committing regicide is a mental torment, worse than physical torment of hell. This flatters king James due to the great chain of being.

“life’s but a walking shadow” Act 5 Scene 1

-Macbeth has had an epiphany(a moment of realisation) and that life has no real substance to it- it’s simply a “shadow”

-The use of the metaphor depicting life as a “shadow” suggests life is empty and has no meaning- it also has associations with following(our shadow follows us around) as if we are simply following someone else’s plan. The use of “walking” implies life is a journey but not a dynamic,energetic one.Walking is not the powerful,physical action seen in earlier acts,nor the dynamic action expected of a King.