Shakespeare's Ambition In Macbeth

Abraham Lincoln once said that “all men can stand adversity, but to reveal their true nature, the only essential element is to grant them power.” An excellent example of this can be found in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. When Macbeth battles between his integrity and desire for the throne, Lady Macbeth shatters his depleted loyalty by questioning his masculinity. After Duncan’s death and the coronation of Macbeth, the soliloquy in Act 3 suggests that what distresses him even as a king is the fear of witches' prophecy also coming true for Banquo, therefore forcing him to pass on the crown. From here, his valiant nature as a warrior completely devours into a hypocrite who denies any possibility of losing authority. However, what he did not expect was that the crown will soon shatter him. Shakespeare reconstructs Macbeth as a scheming character through strong diction and irony to introduce the theme of how one’s blind ambition can lead to their demise. Through his powerful word choice, Shakespeare delivers the main idea of the soliloquy along with a better insight of Macbeth’s characterization. While lamenting about having no children to inherit the throne, he says that “Upon my head they plac’d a
However, it is also a crucial element for engaging the audiences, proceeding the plot and developing the theme. This soliloquy illustrates the darkening of Macbeth, the twisting of his moral values, and the transformation from a respected warrior to a merciless murderer. Whatsmore, it proves that avaricious desires can never be gratified, but only lead to destruction. However, it is not fair to critique Macbeth’s actions from a third-person perspective. After all, without acknowledging the thorns hidden beneath the crown, would one truly choose the sense of justice over the temptation of