What Is The Theme Of Ambition In Macbeth

“When ambition ends, happiness begins” the late Thomas Merton once said. William Shakespeare's Macbeth portrays the main character, Macbeth, a Scottish warrior, whose ambition soon spirals out of control and forces him to continue to do wrong. Macbeth's ambition guided his kind nature, which then led him to breaking all moral boundaries. The theme of ambition in Macbeth can be best explained by analyzing the witches, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth himself. The witches controlled Macbeth in ways that seemed innocent because they never mentally or physically convinced Macbeth to murder anyone throughout the play. Macbeth is first introduced by the witches with three titles: Thane of Glamis, which Macbeth is aware of; Thane of Cawdor, which is true and King, which is not yet true. Macbeth states, “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”(I.iii.139-142). The witches have not mentioned anything about King Duncan's murder, yet Macbeth’s first thought is murder. Instead, the witches possibly had awakened Macbeth's murderous ambition that had been brewing inside of him all
Although he often would suffer from guilt, when he had to make a decision about ending a character's life, Macbeth did not consult his morals that he once had. Once Macbeth was in a power, it seemed that he no longer need Lady Macbeth to make careless decisions. As Macbeth's independence grew, so did his ambition. His coming into power corrupted him in the way that he turned from an invincible warrior that wanted to serve and protect Scotland, to an ambitious murder that desired power. Macbeth clarifies his actions by stating that he is doing it “For mine own good” (III.iv. 135-138). Ambition did not just mold Macbeth into a selfish ruler, but a relentless murder that did not consider the outcome that his choice would