An Analysis of Ambition in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

An Analysis of Ambition in Macbeth by William Shakespeare In Macbeth, a play set in Scotland, William Shakespeare wrote a tragedy of a man s ambition. In the play, Macbeth is described as a man who has ambitions of becoming king. After the first part of the prophecy by the witches whom he has met returning from battle comes true, he begins to think the second part may also come true, supernatural soliciting cannot be ill, cannot be good. The witches have predicted that Macbeth would first become Thane of Cawdor and then king of Scotland. Encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth, he murders King Duncan who stays as a guest in his castle. Macbeth then becomes king of Scotland. According to his critical essay on Macbeth, Shakespeare and the Hazards of Ambition, Robert N. Watson comments that ambition becomes the enemy of all life, especially that of the ambitious man himself, in this play. In Macbeth, Shakespeare interprets a man s lifelong ambition that seems to be fulfilled, but causes consequences that his mind cannot handle. Macbeth s desire to gain wealth and status completely overpowers him. Macbeth becomes more ambitious as his wife and the witches make him question himself and his desires. Lady Macbeth is the biggest encouragement to his ambition, since she uses her husband s trust to change her own future. In Act I, Scene iii, the witches and their prophecies influence Macbeth s ambition as he begins to consider murdering Duncan, If good, why do I yield to that suggestion/ whose horrid image doth unfix my hair/ and make my seated heart knock at my ribs,/ against the use of nature? Macbeth strongly believes witches words. Also, the apparitions who are called by the witches influence Macbeth by making him believe that he is invincible in Act IV, Scene I, rebellion s head, rise never, till the wood/ of Birnam rise, and our high- placed Macbeth/ shall live the lease of nature, pay his breath/ to time, and mortal custom. In Act I, Scene v, Lady Macbeth also influences Macbeth s ambition, Hie thee hither,/ that I may pour my spirits in thine ear,/ and chastise with the valour of my tongue/ all that impedes thee from the golden round,/ which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem/ to have thee crown d withal. She tries to influence him to kill Duncan. She says, Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it, meaning that Macbeth is not without ambition, but lack of ruthlessness that is needed. When Macbeth decides not to continue with their plan to murder Duncan, his wife urges him to act on his desires or he will think of himself as a coward. She says, Art thou afeard/ To be the same in thine own act and valour/ As thou art in desire? (Act I, Scene iv) She then makes sure he will perform the deed by taking an active role in preparing for the murder: his two chamberlains/ Will I with wine and wassel so convince, ( Act I, Scene vii) and cleaning up afterwards give me the daggers: the sleeping, and the dead/ Are but as pictures; tis the eye of childhood/ That fears a painted devil. If he do bleed,/ I ll gild the faces of the grooms withal, / For it must seem their guilt. (Act II, Scene ii) As Macbeth worries about failing to carry out the plan, Lady Macbeth tells him to screw up his courage and they wouldn t fail. Although Macbeth becomes king of Scotland after killing King Duncan, he cannot have peace. Duncan s sons escape to England and try to avenge their father. Also, the witches predict that his friend Banquo s descendants will be kings of Scotland. Macbeth orders his men to kill Banquo and his son. During the course of the play, Macbeth changes from a person with some moral sense to a man who will stop at nothing to get and keep what he wants. By the play s end, he has lost all emotion. He cannot even react to his wife s death saying that life is only a tale/ told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ signifying nothing. In Macbeth, ambition is the fatal flaw that causes his downfall. The play shows that one may get easily influenced by other people when he/ she is over- ambitions. After becoming king, his endless ambitions lead him into misery and tragic ending. Being obsessed by the witches prophecy, he even tries to control his future, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour/ to act in safety. There is none but he/ Whose being I do fear; and under him/ My genius is rebuked, as it is said/ Mark Antony s was by Caesar. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown,/ And put a barren scepter in my gripe,/ Thence to be wrench d with an unlineal hand,/ No son of mine succeeding (Act III, Scene I). Macbeth considers Banquo and his son Fleance as threats to his security as King. Although outwardly friendly to Banquo, Macbeth is jealous and fearful of him. Throughout the play, it is Macbeth s ambition that destroys his good nature and forces him to break all moral boundaries. Until he meets the three witches, he is loyal to his king, to his wife, and to his friends. If he had not desired to become king, the three withes prophecy would not have changed his life. All of the problems start to develop when he decides to murder Duncan. He commits the murder because he is too ambitious. If he weren t so ambitious and determined to become king, he would not have to kill Duncan. After all, the witches prophecy influences his fate by turning his ambition into a tragic reality. Although he is initially led to evil by the witches prophecy, he does not hesitate to commit crime. After killing Duncan, he kills Banquo and Macduff s family. Macduff flees to England and then gathers an army to overthrow Macbeth. Lady Macbeth becomes a sleepwalker and finally dies in pain. At the end of the play, Macduff kills Macbeth in battle. Duncan s son, Malcom then becomes the king of Scotland. If Macbeth patiently waited for his time, he would have become king peacefully and have had a chance to enjoy it. The play, Macbeth, shares themes with other stories, with historic and current events, and with individual, personal experiences with which one can identify. Ambition which is one of Macbeths themes can be traced to the issue of corruption in national politics, in sports, and in a terrorist government. The Watergate scandal, the 1988 and 1994 Olympic Games, and Haiti s historic civil unrest are examples of abused power, scandal, and violence in which the players are motivated by ambition.

The Differences in Performance Between Various Companies Research Paper

The Differences in Performance Between Various Companies - Research Paper Example There are a number of Work/Life events where employees at SAS get guidance on other matters that may affect their productivity at the workplace. During these events, all the employees interact and share the problems as a collective unit. All these activities give the employees motivation to work hard as well as creating a cohesive group. According to Thibaut and Kelley’s classic (1959) interdependence theory, alternatives give rise to options. As such, if the costs are more than the rewards, they are likely to leave the group, but if the rewards are more than the costs, they are likely to stay on and work hard to ensure that there is a success in the group (Attractions). The work environment at the SAS Company is unique making the employees motivated from the rewards within the group. This makes them stay in the company and work hard towards its success. Another successful company that deals in computer software are Cisco. The company provides high salaries to its employees in comparison to other companies. Cisco communicates the long-term strategy indicating that the work, which employees do, is more than just a job (CNN, 2011). They, therefore, strive to change the way employees work and live by giving them a comfortable pay. This gives the employees motivation since they work hard hence the success of the company. Further insight into Thibaut and Kelley interdependence theory highlights the issue of rewards and costs comes in place (Attractions). The salary, which the employees at Cisco Company receive, is high thus their allegiance to the company. The Company trains its employees on the culture to embrace.

Discuss this question(showing in the Details set) more likely to Essay

Discuss this question(showing in the Details set) more likely to discuss philosophy knowledge and opinions no source are needed) - Essay Example In this case, relativists are advocates of cultural tolerance. By holding that everything in the world is contains some relative truth and that all positions are equal, it can be concluded that the cultural aspect in the world is also among the equals. In this case, there is no culture that is superior or other that are inferior. By this, one can deduce that different culture defines the diversity of people. Similarly, all people have equality in all aspect and hence, the issue of cultural tolerance has its place in the relativist school of thought. Cultural tolerance refers to the situation where every person acknowledges and respects cultural diversity. As such, each cultural should be treated with dignity and equality. As per the definition, cultural diversity is all about equality of all people despite their cultural orientation. All this is hypothesized by relativists as they advocate for unconditional equality. In this case, we can conclude that the relativists universally are committed to cross-cultural