ambition Flashcards
overview
Ambition is the driving force early on for the actions of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as they let ambition overrule their moral conscience. Macbeth’s ambition is sparked by the prophecies given to him by the witches and are what lead him to kill King Duncan. In the end, ambition is what leads to Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s downfall as they are punished for their actions in the play.
A1
- Prophecies are Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King. Macbeth gets the title TOC which causes him to trust in the witches and ask himself why he ‘yields’ to the ‘horrid image’ of killing Duncan to become King. This suggests how he knows this level of ambition is unnatural and shouldn’t act on it but he’s ‘yielding’ to it anyway.
- However, he hopes ‘chance may crown me without my stir’ – he doesn’t want to do anything to become King and hopes he just gets the title.
- LM is more ambitious than M – once she reads the letter she fears that he doesn’t have the ‘illness’ to kill him as he’s not evil enough. She considers his kindness as weak and incompatible to ambition.
- To help M she calls on evil spirits because she wants to be evil enough to help kill Duncan. This suggests she will do whatever it takes to help M.
- When LM and M meet in person she tells him to ‘look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t’ – she is commanding him to hide his true desires to pull of the murder. LM is two faced.
- M uses a metaphor of a horse that has ‘vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other.’ This suggests how he recognises how ambition is the only thing driving him forward but that this ambition could lead to his ruin or ‘fall.’ However, LM convinces him to kill Duncan by the end of the scene.
A3
M becomes King but realises he is not safe in his position because of Banquo. His fears in Banquo ‘stick deep’ and the painful imagery suggests that he is truly frightened of Banquo’s suspicion. He is now motivated by fear.
- The consequences of being King means that he now has a mind ‘full of scorpions’ which suggests how he is being punished for his ambition because of his mental pain. This leads M to kill Banquo out of fear.
A5
- The doctor explains how she has a light by her ‘continually’ because she is afraid of the dark. This links to when she called on the evil spirits and asked for darkness. She no longer embraces the darkness.
- LM is rubbing her hands to try and get rid of the blood on them which act as a symbol of her guilt. LM says how ‘all the perfumes of arabia will not sweeten this little hand.’ This suggests how even the sweetest smells can’t get rid of the stench of blood and her actions will always be there.
- LM language breaks up. Her words used to be her weapon and allowed her to manipulate people but now she speaks in prose and her words are broken up. She has lost all power.
- LM dies and no one cares.
- M has lost all respect by the end of the play. He is only referred to as a ‘tyrant’ which suggests how he has become a monster due to his ambition. He is also suicidal and says how he has ‘liv’d long enough’ therefore he doesn’t care if he dies in battle.
