ambition Flashcards
1.7 “Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other”
-verb “vaulting” describes MB’s mammoth ego - his ambition is his hamartia
-personification makes his ambition appear like a human-like force, controlling + plaguing his innocent mind
-metaphor likens MB to a jockey riding his ambition - his ambition is akin to a barbaric animal
-makes ambition seem self-destructive as it “o’erleaps itself”
-friedrich nietzsche’s concept of will to power explains MB’s ambition as an insatiable drive to transcend limits and gain dominance. his desire to “o’erleap” boundaries reflects how unchecked ambition leads to chaos and self-destruction
2.1 “With Tarquin’s ravishing strides, towards his design”
-classical reference: MB ambitiously wants to emulate Tarquin, a Roman tyrant whom raped his wife, so he will be a barbaric tyrant who feels no pity
-his ambition + hubris obstructs his moral compass
-he sees power synonymous with brutality + being a tyrant
2.2 “A little water clears us of this deed”
-LMB’s overpowering ambition obstructs her from seeing the genuine distress of her husband
-she uses litotes to downplay the murder
-her tone is nonchalant - seems dismissive / apathetic
-it is laced with irony as LMB shifts to a melodramatic state of insanity + begins speaking in hyperboles as the guilt takes over
-euphemism hints at this, by referring to the murder as a “deed”
3.1 “royalty of nature”
-BQ is depicted as having an exemplary balance of ambition + respectability
-his noble + majestic nature is not overpowered by his ambition
-“royalty” connotes “power” + “status” - MB recognises BQ has maintained his power as an ambitious stoic hero whilst maintaining his status as a rational + intelligent being
-suggests MB is jealous of BQ or maybe fears him
3.1 “He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour”
-BQ is a foil to MB - MB embodies reckless power whereas BQ has self-constraint + control
-MB is envious (7 deadly sins) of BQ’s ability to restrain his ambition + refrain from over-indulgence into “deep desires”
-BQ is more shrewd than MB
4.3 “Bleed, bleed, poor country!”
-MD’s lamenting of Scotland shows that fuels his ambition to restore order - also suggests Scotland is dying under MB’s reign
-this captivates MB’s misanthropic nature, a quality which juxtaposes the role of a king
5.8 “Here may you see the tyrant”
-MD is the first character to explicitly brand MB as a tyrant - due to his motivated + ignited ambition to extinguish MB
-last thing MB hears before dying
-poignancy of MD’s words shine through - signifies an end to MB’s destruction + beginning of restoration of order
