Salgado 1

Melanie Salgado

English 2H / Period 5

Mr. Keegan

26 April 2017

Uncontrollable Ambition

Unchecked ambition is when a strong drive of a person soon becomes uncontrolled. In

the play, Macbeth, the protagonist deals with hiding his darkest desires but as the play moves on

Macbeths desires turn to reality. However no matter what he obtained he was always thirsty for

more. Macbeth eagerness for power creates his unchecked ambition which ultimately leaves him

unsatisfied.

At the beginning of the play Macbeth keeps his desires locked up inside of him. In the

battle against the King of Norway, an injured captain brings great news to King Duncan. The

captain delivers news about the heroic traits made by Macbeth leading them a great victory for

Scotland For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)/Disdaining Fortune, with his

brandish'd steel/ Which smoked with bloody execution/Like (valour's minion) carved out his

passage/Till he faced the slave.(I,ii, 18-22). It is seen that Macbeths heroic actions become

praised by the wounded captain who reveals to the King that Macbeth indeed is a worthy subject.

Macbeths secret ambition in the beginning hasnt revealed itself yet, proving that he is indeed is

a man who has morals and steps in when he is needed. Macbeths qualities in the beginning are

crucial due to him still having a clean mind with no wrong doings at all which demonstrates his

ambitions being nowhere near exploited, and leaving no sign of his demise. After Macbeth finds

out that he indeed is Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan himself he sends a letter to his wife,
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Lady Macbeth. Once she read the letter Lady Macbeth is confident in her husband that he will be

King, however she doubts his ability to kill the King in order to fulfill his ambition. Yet I do

fear thy nature./ It is too full o' the milk of human kindness/ To catch the nearest way. (I,v,

16-18). By Lady Macbeth revealing this of her husband it can be said that Macbeth indeed is

someone who wont easily be persuaded from a good moral to a bad one due to him being filled

human kindness. Thus is crucial due to it exemplifying that his ambition is still well-hidden and

wont be appearing anytime soon, no matter what others tell him.

Throughout the play Macbeths deepest desires are finally unlocked. Once the battle with

the King of Norway ended it was revealed the old Thane of Cawdor was a traitor to King

Duncan. It was later prophesied by an encounter with the Weird Sisters that Macbeth would take

the title along with other revelations of prosper. All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King/

hereafter! (I,iii, 56-57). The prophecy given by the Weird Sisters is one of the reasons that

Macbeth rampage for power started due to him now knowing that he will be in power. This is

crucial due to the fact that the once kind Macbeth has now gone thirsty for power after one

prophecy coming true. Thus going against what his original morals were which was to do good

and receive good. Later when Macbeth confronted Lady Macbeth of the letter they devise a plan

to take King Duncan out of the picture in order for Macbeth to be King. However right when

Macbeth is going to perform the act, he has a moment of revelation and cannot do the deadly act,

it is then that Lady Macbeth pressures him into doing the act by shaming him, What beast

wast, then,/That made you break this enterprise to me?/When you durst do it, then you were a

man;/And to be more than what you were, you would/Be so much more the man.(I,vii, 54-58)

and how she explained that she is much of a man than he is. How tender tis to love the babe
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that milks me./I would, while it was smiling in my face,/Have plucked my nipple from his

boneless gums/And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you/Have done to this. (I, vii,

63-67). Lady Macbeth demonstrates another motive of Macbeths changed ambition, by her

shaming Macbeth on how he isnt a man and how if she promised something to him she would

do it no matter who she would hurt during the process. This later becomes an issue with Macbeth

because there is a strain with the couples relationship on how their roles have switched revealing

that Macbeth is indeed a man with good morals and thinking before acting but with Lady

Macbeth by his side changes him from good to bad due to having her bad morales rub off on

him.

At the end of the play due to Macbeths past actions it ultimately leads to his downfall, in

this case death. After finally being convinced by Lady Macbeth, Macbeth finally kills King

Duncan, however Macbeth is immediately guilt stricken due to his horrendous deed, Glamis

hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor/Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more.

(II,ii, 59-60). Macbeth is now fully above what his true desire was, with so many people telling

him what to do he has lost track of what his true intentions were in the aspect of any killing King

Duncan, after performing the deed Macbeth states that he wont be able to go to sleep without

being able to see his deadly errors. By Macbeths overreactions it can be finalized that his true

intentions were never supposed to affect him in such negative ways. A little while later Macbeth

is unsatisfied of his reign still knowing that Banquos sons will be King, based on the Weird

Sisters prophecy. This then leads him to hire three murderers to kill not only Banquo but his son,

the murderers are successful with killing Banquo but Fleance escapes. Later the murderers report

the news to Macbeth who feels uneasy about his faith not being fulfilled, later in the dining hall a
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ghost of Banquo appears making him feel guilty of the deed, Thou canst not say I did it. Never

shake/Thy gory locks at me. (III,iv, 65-66). Macbeths consequences for all these horrendous

actions lead to experiencing hallucinations, from voices in his head to ghosts. This therefore

shows that he has turned away from his true morals revealing a new man who only wants more

power when what he has is not sufficed. These consequences of Macbeth ultimately lead to his

demise of death, when what he had was not enough he turned to killing to secure his faith but

that is what led him to his downfall, which was always relying on others to tell him what to do

and not being able to think for himself.

Through Macbeths actions one learns that one is never fully satisfied with what they

have until in the end where they end up losing. As human beings one automatically has this evil

desire born into them which leaves to their corruption, with their point of views clouding their

own judgment. Human society today can learn that people are indeed becoming selfish, and just

like Macbeth people's words affect their decision in the end due to constant bickering and future

expectations. Ones thirst for power leaves the person feeling empty and unfulfilled even after all

that they have achieved, which leads them to their demise.