Ambition/Macbeth Flashcards
“o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’other”
Macbeth knows that the only argument for killing Duncan is to satisfy his ambition. He also knows that blindly obeying ambition will end in disaster. The phrase “o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’other” suggests ambition makes people think illogically, so that they overestimate their own abilities and get ahead of themselves. Additionally, it portrays ambition as self-destructive. It “0’erleaps itself” rather than having someone or something else make it “o’erleap”.
Macbeth knows that the only argument for killing Duncan is to satisfy his ambition. He also knows that blindly obeying ambition will end in disaster. The
phrase “o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’other” suggests ambition makes
people think illogically, so that they overestimate their own abilities and get ahead of themselves. Additionally, it portrays ambition as self-destructive. It
“0’erleaps itself” rather than having someone or something else make it “o’erleap”
In the metaphor, Macbeth sees himself as both jockey and horse. Shakespeare
could be implying that Macbeth is trying to control his ambition, but feels like his
ambition will end up controlling him. As he is reduced from the jockey to the
horse, he becomes more animalistic.
This reflects the way the Jacobeans believed the only thing that separated
humans from animals was reason or logic. If a man lost his reason and acted
irrationally, he was a beast. Macbeth is aware that ambition can make him act
mindlessly, in the same way an animal would.
“Out, out, brief candle! / Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player / That struts and frets his hour upon the stage / And then is heard no more. It is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.” - Macbeth (A5S5)
Macbeth knows his end is near at this point in the play. The change in tone and
the pathos (feeling of pity and sadness) this whole soliloquy evokes gives the
impression that Macbeth has suddenly awakened from his stupor. His wife is
dead, his kingdom is falling apart, and he is truly alone. All his ambition and
sacrifice has been for nothing.
“a dagger of the mind, a false creation”
One characteristic of Shakespearean tragedy is that all protagonists have a tragic or fatal flaw (translated from the Greek word hamartia). Characters’ tragic flaws set in action a chain of events in which felicity is changed into disaster. Macbeth’s insatiable ambition is his tragic flaw. Macbeth is willing to give up everything to become king. The murders that he and his wife commit cause both to grow mad with guilt. One reflection of Macbeth’s madness is when he begins experiencing visions of the bloody knife: “a dagger of the mind, a false creation” (A2.S1), which shows how the consequences of his ambition has caused him mental distress and near insanity.
“I have no spur // To prick the sides of my intent, but only // Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself // And falls on the other”
Arguably, it is Macbeth’s ambition which ultimately leads him to murder Duncan: he sees it as the only option to continue on his ambitious path. In the final scene of Act One, Macbeth admits that it’s only his ambition for power that leads him to wanting to kill his King: “I have no spur // To prick the sides of my intent, but only // Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself // And falls on the other” (A1.S7). He compares his current situation to horse riding; ambition is the metaphorical spur he, the rider, uses to motivate his horse (i.e. make his plans a reality). However, as he notes, ahorserider may overestimate their ability when trying to clear an obstacle and consequently fall down. Macbeth’s admission foreshadows his tragic end.
“Gainst nature still! // Thriftless ambition, that will ravin up // Thine own lives’ means!” (A2.S4).
Upon discovering Duncan dead in Act Two, it’s implied that Duncan’s children are the murderers, and Ross exclaims: “Gainst nature still! // Thriftless ambition, that will ravin up // Thine own lives’ means!” (A2.S4). Therefore, Duncan’s children are going a “[a]gainst nature” in killing their father, simply in the pursuit of their supposed ambition. The audience is obviously aware that it was in fact Macbeth who killed Duncan; so it questions whether it is also against nature for Macbeth to kill someone he respected and was indebted to, just in the hope of fulfilling his ambition. Ross’ exclamation also implies that ambition is an unnatural phenomenon. He justifies all his actions in Act Three, arguing that they’re “For mine own good” (A3.S4).
