Macbeth Ambition Research Paper

In the tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare portrays the theme of ambition within the story. Ambition can be shown in many different ways, many of them being good. But Shakespeare showed it differently in Macbeth, a more murderous way. It can be argued though that his ambition to become king is caused by different people. Once the three weird witches tell Macbeth his future, “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis! All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor! All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” (1.3.51-53), he got the taste of power and had a motive to kill whomever got in his way of becoming king.
Lady Macbeth also plays a big role in Macbeth’s desire to kill. Lady Macbeth is the one who made Macbeth kill Duncan, because at first Macbeth was about to back out of the plan until Lady Macbeth got really furious with him. Lady Macbeth says, “But screw your courage to the sticking place and we’ll not fail” (1.7.70-71). Lady Macbeth doesn’t care about her husband’s weaknesses, once she wants something done, she would do anything to get it done.
He introduces it by having Macbeth say, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, shakes so my single state of man that function is smothered in surmise, and nothing is but what is not” (1.3.152-155). In this scene, Macbeth and Banquo are talking about what the three weird witches have predicted for their future. Aside, Macbeth says that he has to kill the king, although there are many other ways that the deed of becoming king can be done. The witches don’t even say that killing was his only way up, this proves that Macbeth has always had an evil side to him. That side just never came out until he had the ambition to become king and murdering just happened to be his only way