Manipulations Of Ambition In Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'

Macbeth:
Manipulations of Ambition

Jane Doe
ELA B10
Mr. Smith

In “Macbeth”, Shakespeare uses the concept of ambition to explain the deterioration of Macbeth’s morality and his choice, with the manipulation of Lady Macbeth, to work out a plan to kill Duncan. Shakespeare also explores the influential factors of why Macbeth’s ambitions become destructive. The three witches in the beginning of the play prophesize that Macbeth will become king. Macbeth wanted to fulfil this prophecy due to his high ambitions. However, the prophecy was fulfilled because Lady Macbeth led her husband through the barriers of his doubt and morality. It is Macbeth’s wife who caused the death of Duncan.
Lady Macbeth’s high expectations
of her husband are a large factor in Macbeth’s ambitions to murder Duncan. For example, as Lady Macbeth states “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou art promised: yet I do fear thy nature; It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness…” (Shakespeare 1.5.14-16); here she states that her husband would never be capable of murder.
She decides to control the procedures involved in Duncan’s murder. Lady Macbeth is clearly willing to do whatever it takes to seize her throne and she calls upon her masculinity “unsex me here / . . . / . . . Come to my woman’s breasts, / And take my milk for gall”(Shakespeare 1.5.39-46). She is implying that her womanhood represented by breasts and milk, is preventing her from performing acts of violence and cruelty; she believes that violence and cruelty are qualities inherent of men and masculinity. Macbeth is uncertain whether it is righteous to take the life of such a great king, “First, I am his kinsmen and his subject,” (Shakespeare 1.7.13). Despite Macbeth doubting whether or not he should accept the murder of Duncan he is always convinced otherwise by his wife. Lady Macbeth is aware of her
husband’s weaknesses and uses those weaknesses to harass him into killing Duncan. Macbeth criticises the idea of killing a good king and believes that the killing should not proceed “We will no further in this business: He hath honour’d me of late; and I have bought Golden opinions of all sorts of people…” (Shakespeare 1.7.33-35). Lady Macbeth persuades him to kill by saying offensive words and questions Macbeth’s love for her, Macbeth’s masculinity and criticises Macbeth’s desire to be king. These three statements offend Macbeth because he wants to prove his manhood, his love for his wife and his desire to be king, he agrees to murder Duncan. Also, after the murder, Macbeth is worried and conscious of his guilt. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth is calm about the murder. When Macbeth believed that his hand was bloodstained earlier in the play, Lady Macbeth had told him, “A little water clears us of this deed” (Shakespeare 2.2.65). Lady Macbeth shows her true dominance in their marriage because of Macbeth’s willingness to follow her orders during the murder of Duncan; it is Lady Macbeth who gives him the instructions. If Lady Macbeth had been absent from the play, the murder of Duncan would not have taken place and thus showing Lady Macbeth’s influences in Macbeth’s desires and ambitions.
Macbeth is influenced by the witches in committing the murder of Duncan.
The motivation to become king originates from the prophecies of the witches. The concept of having a good chance to gain the throne is brought to Macbeth when the witches address him as “Thane of Glamis….Thane of Cawdor…[ and] king hereafter” (Shakespeare 1.3.50-53). The final address is the prophecy that Macbeth will be king. The witches’ prophecies are also the beginning of Macbeth’s long journey towards seizing the throne. Macbeth believes in the prophecies of the witches after he gains the title, Thane of Cawdor. The audience learn about the witches’ supernatural powers when they send wind to force a woman’s sailor husband to face a tough journey because the woman has upset the witches, “But in a sieve I’ll thither sail, and like a rat without a trail” (Shakespeare 1.3.9-10). The witches possess unnatural powers so it is logical in some ways to believe that they can prophesize the future. Therefore, it is also logical for Macbeth to gain trust in the witches’ prophecies. Due to the fact that Macbeth believes in the witches’ prophecies, his motive to become king is brought up by the witches. He may have thought of taking over Duncan’s throne, but it is the witches that give him the idea that he has the chance obtain the throne, therefore, the witches influence Macbeth’s murder of Duncan and further
ambitions.
Macbeth’s own ambitions do not drive him a significant distance towards committing the murder of Duncan because he needs a “spur” (Shakespeare 1.7.25) to push him into murdering Duncan, he admits that his only reason for committing the murder is his “vaulting ambition” (Shakespeare 1.7.27). His ambitions alone do not get him to kill Duncan, Macbeth decides that his ambition to be king is to be achieved by luck, without his efforts as he states “…upon this bank and shoal of time, We’d jump the life to come.” (Shakespeare 1.7.6-7). Macbeth’s ambitions only put him on the road towards getting the throne however, after Macbeth had committed the murder and had tasted power, he was willing to do anything to keep it. Macbeth’s ambition soon spiraled out of control and forced him to murder again and again to cover up his previous mistakes. Macbeth’s first victims were the Chamberlains who he blamed and killed for the murder of King Duncan and Banquo’s murder soon followed when Macbeth feared that the truth would be exposed. In the end, Macbeth puts his personal desires and ambitions over the good of his country and was slain as a tyrant by Malcolm, putting an end to his burning ambition. Ambition is presented as a dangerous quality and causes the downfall of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth which triggers the series of murders in the play. The murder of Duncan was an act of Macbeth’s ambitions influenced by Lady Macbeth’s manipulations, introduced by the prophecies of the witches. The dominance of Lady Macbeth is the most influential factor of Macbeth’s murder of Duncan. Macbeth’s ambitions give him the idea of becoming king, while the witches’ prophecies notify Macbeth that there is a large probability for him to become king. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth had a choice to define right from wrong but he did not decide to make the choice himself, instead he allowed the influences to cloud his better judgment. Without the ambitious manipulation of Lady Macbeth and the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth’s own ambitions would not have caused him to commit the murder of Duncan. Shakespeare conveyed the true nature of humans through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, violence and power go hand in hand with ambition to show the audience how far a determined person will go to achieve their goals.

Bibliography
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Toronto: Harcourt Canada Ltd. 2001. Print.