Theme: Ambition

Main Characters:

• Macbeth

  • Kills Duncan driven by ambition

  • Descends into madness

• Lady Macbeth

  • Mercilessly spurs Macbeth to kill Duncan

  • Driven to distraction by guilt

Ambition and Violence:

• Macbeth's Ambition

  • Drives him to commit atrocities

  • Difficulty in stopping once violence starts

• Lady Macbeth's Ambition

  • Equates masculinity with aggression

  • Leads to chaos in the political order

Downfall of Ambition:

• Macbeth's Downfall

  • Obsession with power and paranoia

  • Loss of all he holds dear

• Banquo's Contrast

  • Ambitious but moral

  • Rejects pursuing goals at any cost

This mind map illustrates how unchecked ambition leads to destruction in Macbeth through the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the equating of ambition with violence, and the ultimate downfall of characters like Macbeth compared to morally guided ambition like Banquo's.