Macbeth Untamed Ambition

The corrupting of power for untamed ambition
By Ruben Manopla

In the plotline of Macbeth, we find that the main theme can be expressed as wretched destruction through the selfish ambitions of others that seem to have no moral constraints. These ideas are most evident and powerful in the book’s two main characters – Macbeth, a Scottish general who is not naturally inclined to commit violent deeds, while deep down, has a strong desire to advance in status and power. As a result of his lingering evil intentions, he kills Duncan against his original moral judgments to quench his thirst for power, and is later tormented by guilt and paranoia regarding the violent act of murder he committed. Toward the end of the play, he boasts out in
However, she is less capable of receiving the recoil of the cruel deeds committed by her ‘beloved’. She forcefully spurs her husband Macbeth into killing Duncan as a result of her impulsive ambitions. In fact, she made Macbeth become the killer that he is by using his masculinity against himself. Macbeth, a noble general didn’t want to be seen as a coward inn the eyes of his wife, so he was in a way ‘forced’ to commit the murder for the sake of his reputational status. Although Lady Macbeth urged Macbeth to keep calm and stay strong during the stressful aftermath of the murder, his bloodshed and worrisome ‘vibes’ soon got the best of Lady Macbeth’s conscience/ subconscious behavior and thought. As a result, she was tormented with dreams that she was unable to wash the blood of Duncan off her hands. She becomes ill, "not so sick my lord, but troubled with thick coming fantasies that keep her from her rest" (Macbeth,V,iii,) likely due to the guilt from her selfish, unconstrained thirst for
When Macbeth had that first thought of evil intention implanted into his mind, courtesy of the witches’ radical prophecies, it grew like a well watered seed. Branches of other uncontrollable thoughts sprouted from that one original idea. While Macbeth was able to control most of his conscious thoughts, his subconscious was growing with ideas by the second – whether or not he was actually aware of it. As a result, the subconscious implantation eventually spread into his conscious to the point where he can only see the personal gain for himself from killing Duncan, while completely ignoring all the other possible consequences he might face from the murder. In other words, from one simple idea, it just shows how one can be turned from a naïve, yet noble general to an infected mind full of murder, personal gain, narrow-mindedness, selfishness, ignorance, and