Ambition Flashcards
How is Macbeth driven by ambition?
prophecies:
the witches prophesize that macbeth will become king.Macbeth believes them and the various prophesies are realized through out the play.However it is unclear whether these prophesies are preordained
How is Macbeth driven by Lady Macbeth?
she is almost the catalyst that encourages macbeth to overcome his strong sense of guilt and take action on the prophecies
What does Macbeth ambition make him do?
Spirals out of control and forces him to murder again to cover up his previous wrong doings.Macbeth kills king Duncan .Banquo’s murder soon follows once Macbeth fears that the truth could be exposed
How is ambition shown through out the play?
presented as a corrupted force
it seems to work alongside the supernatural and ultimately encourages betrayal
prophies of the witches seem as a vehicle which drives them to violence
Macbeth succumb to these prophecies
Analyse the quote “my thought whose murder…smothered in surmise and nothing is but what is not”
A1 S3
Confused by reality and fantasy and wishes to believe the prophecies of the witches and is so shaken he considers to murder Duncan
“smothers in surmise”-contemplates and is disturbed by the fantastical in this instance regicide he is hoping fate will take it out his hand
foreshadows the rest of the play how he is confused between fantasy and reality (When he sees Banquo ghost)
What does LM say after reading Macbeth letter
“Glamis thou art.. it is too full.o’th milk of the human kindness”
Analyse “Glamis thou art…it is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness
LM immediately turns to murder subtly reminds us of Macbeth in A1 S3-both jump straight to murder
LM is worrid M has ambition but doesn’t have the nerve to see it through whereas LM does and creates the plan and has the present of mind and the calm and confidence
Analyse “it is too full o’th’milk of human kindness”
metaphor
insult to him as she says he was feminie quality to suggest that despite his reputation as a brave warrior, Macbeth also has a strong sense of compassion. Milk is mild, natural and, importantly, white. We associate this with purity, yet as the play progresses, Macbeth will be increasingly linked to the contrasting red of blood.
Give a quote that suggest Macbeth is being honest
“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition …falls on the other”
Analyse “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition …falls on the other”
extended metaphor that his only reason for committing this deed is his own “vaulting ambition”.The metaphor refers to horsemanship and horses
suggest an inexperienced and rather ridiculous rider who tries to vault onto a horse and vaults so vigorously that he goes right over the saddle and falls in a heap on the ground
How does the the horse falling relate to macbeth?
as far as it relates to Macbeth’s ambition he is foreseeing that it will be a serious mistake foreshadowing to murder Duncan because he has no excuse for doing so and because it leads to his hamartia.
The horse riding so fast shows his drive for ambitions until he stumbles
