Essay On The Theme Of Ambition In Macbeth

Malcolm responds: “He’s worth more sorrow [than you have expressed] / And that I’ll spend for him” (5.11.16–17).Malcolm’s comment shows that he has learned the lesson Macduff gave him on the sentient nature of true masculinity.

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There are always potential threats to the throne—Banquo, Fleance, Macduff—and it is always tempting to use violent means to dispose of them.

Characters in Macbeth frequently dwell on issues of gender.

Ultimately, the play does put forth a revised and less destructive definition of manhood.

In the scene where Macduff learns of the murders of his wife and child, Malcolm consoles him by encouraging him to take the news in “manly” fashion, by seeking revenge upon Macbeth.

Lady Macbeth’s behavior certainly shows that women can be as ambitious and cruel as men.

Whether because of the constraints of her society or because she is not fearless enough to kill, Lady Macbeth relies on deception and manipulation rather than violence to achieve her ends.Under him, subjects are rewarded according to their merits, as when Duncan makes Macbeth thane of Cawdor after Macbeth’s victory over the invaders.Most important, the king must be loyal to Scotland above his own interests.Ambition also causes peoples actions to change in the heat of the moment. When Shakespeare wrote 'Macbeth ', he had a message he wanted to portray.Even in times like the Elizabethan period, ambition causes people to go against the social norms and act in a different way.In order to test Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland, Malcolm pretends that he would make an even worse king than Macbeth.He tells Macduff of his reproachable qualities—among them a thirst for personal power and a violent temperament, both of which seem to characterize Macbeth perfectly.Macbeth, by contrast, brings only chaos to Scotland—symbolized in the bad weather and bizarre supernatural events—and offers no real justice, only a habit of capriciously murdering those he sees as a threat.As the embodiment of tyranny, he must be overcome by Malcolm so that Scotland can have a true king once more.Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, pursues her goals with greater determination, yet she is less capable of withstanding the repercussions of her immoral acts.One of Shakespeare’s most forcefully drawn female characters, she spurs her husband mercilessly to kill Duncan and urges him to be strong in the murder’s aftermath, but she is eventually driven to distraction by the effect of Macbeth’s repeated bloodshed on her conscience.