English 11 Pd. 2
1 January 2013
MacBeth
Ambition is what drives you to do what you need to do to get something done.
Ambition is the driving force throughout MacBeth. It is the "engine" running the whole story. A tragic hero is the great character in a dramatic tragedy that is destined for defeat. The main character, MacBeth, is the one who ambition is driving the most. He is also the tragic hero of this story. Ambition is big in three ways in MacBeth. The three ways are three witches created and added more ambition in Macbeth throughout the play, ambition drives him to commit murder, and it added to his cockiness and his feeling that he is invincible.
One way ambition was big because it was right there from the beginning. The three witches that Macbeth visited planted the seed of ambition in his head.
Lady Macbeth by George Cattermole.
English: Poster of Thos. W. Keene in William Shake...
Macbeth and Banquo with the Witches by Henry Fusel..."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" (I.iii.48-50). This was big because MacBeth believed everything after he found out the Thane of Cawdor betrayed Duncan and was being executed so MacBeth was then Thane of Cawdor. Soon after he became ambitious to become king and that was where his downfall began.
A second way ambition played a big role was how MacBeth's ambition drove him to commit murder. Not even just one murder, he committed multiple murders. The first murder he committed was when he killed Duncan. He killed Duncan because he saw no other way to become king. After killing Duncan, Malcolm and Donalbain, his sons, fled to Ireland and England fearing they will be the next ones killed. This made MacBeth king. This wasn't the end...