Themes - Ambition Flashcards

1
Q

what is ambition today seen as

A
  • a virtue

- a good quality that betters yourself and improves your station in life

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2
Q

what were the attitudes towards ambition in the jacobean era

A
  • people had a negative perspective towards it

- as trying to rise above your status was not encouraged

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3
Q

how would the king usually reward hard work

A
  • by making a soldier a thane
  • you could not become a thane without the king’s approval
  • so it was a highly favoured title
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4
Q

who was king james the first

A
  • the king of england in the jacobean era

- and shakespeares patron

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5
Q

what did james I strongly believe in

A
  • the Divine Right of Kings

- that it was God’s will that kings ruled

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6
Q

if the divine right of kings states that it is Gods will that kings rule, what would someone that is trying to usurp the king and take his place doing

A
  • going against God’s will
  • because of this, regicide, the murder of a royal leader
  • was considered on of the highest crimes of all
  • as the king was seen as God’s representative on earth
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7
Q

how does macbeth feel after he kills duncan considering they believed in the divine right of kings at the time

A
  • as a christian

- he knows that he has condemned his soul

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8
Q

what doe macbeth show to the elizabethan people regarding ambition (the overhanging message)

A
  • ambition on its own isnt a bad thing as it drives a person to achieve what they want
  • but macbeth shows what happens when ambition is allowed to go unchecked
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9
Q

what was lady macbeths evil role within the play

A

the one who fully persuaded macbeth to kill the king

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10
Q

what is lady macbeth like as a character at the beginning but what is a sort of justification for her character for not being heartless

A
  • she is ruthlessly ambitious and extreme
  • but it seems to be directed at her husband’s success
  • so she still has the heart to care about others
  • yet she is still a rotten person
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11
Q

what quote shows lady macbeth playing upon the idea of macbeths masculinity in order to encourage him to do the deed

A

“screw your courage to the sticking-place and we’ll not fail.”

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12
Q

what do macbeth and laddy macbeth both suffer from in the end and how

A
  • their own ambition

- it takes a toll on their sanity and happiness

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13
Q

what is the irony in lady macbeths suicide

A
  • she was the most ambitious character in the whole play

- yet she was the only one who was unable to cope with her grief and ended up killing herself

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14
Q

what are some examples of lady macbeth going insane and being unable to cope

A
  • she begins sleepwalking
  • washing her hands clean of blood when there isnt any
  • always walks around with a candle
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15
Q

what does the play show as a whole regarding power

A

it shows what happens when you pursue power at all costs

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16
Q

why is there a chain of murders after duncan is killed and becomes king

A
  • because there is no end to the potential threats to macbeths new position as king
  • so he ends up trying to just kill everyone that could be in his way
  • this causes him to become sleepless and paranoid
17
Q

what quote shows that macbeth knows that he will have to carry out more murders in order to remain king

A

“i am in blood
stepped in so far that, should i wade no more,
returning were as tedious as go o’er”

18
Q

what is hubris defined as

A

excessive pride or self confidence

19
Q

where does hubris always come in the tragic genre and in macebeth

A
  • before the fall of the character
20
Q

what is macbeths hubris

A
  • macbeths hubris is dominant feature
  • he is fuelled by the prophecies given to him by the witches
  • he thinks he is unstoppable until the very end when he encounters macduff
21
Q

what is my personal interpretation of how macbeths hubris leads to his demise

A
  • it reminds the jacobean audience that humans should remain as humans
  • and the power of God and the king are above ours
  • too much pride in ones self to the point where you think that you can by-pass the imperfections of ones humanity is the road to their downfall
  • basically, ignorance of your arrogance