Hey everyone, I’m Zoe, your director for today,
Being ambitious is a good thing, but what happens when it is taken too far? Lady Macbeth is a key example of when ambition for greater things turns into a disregard of a character’s moral code. She is a complex women who starts out as ambitious and cunning and decays before our eyes eventually allowing her inner demons to become too great. I want our Lady Macbeth to be seen as multifaceted woman who the audience will feel sympathy for as she devolves but also to be reminded that her actions are inexcusable. Additionally, I want our audience to see her, as well as the play, as a cautionary tale of when blind ambition corrupts a person.
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is heavy with the themes of gender, loyalty, power and ambition and Lady Macbeth shows the correlation between all three of these. The power dynamic between her and Macbeth is very untraditional for the time, when women played a much more subservient role in everyday life. Her ambition parallels that of Macbeth’s but she is much more realistic in how to get what she wants, even going as far as manipulating Macbeth into murdering the king. Her
…show more content…
The weight of committing regicide has a substantial effect on their relationship as demonstrated through the frequency of scene the pair shares together decreasing. However, even with the weight of what she has done weighing heavy on her conscience, Lady Macbeth’s love does not waver, as seen in the final scene they share together, the banquet scene. Although Lady Macbeth does not what is ailing Macbeth she does know that he will potentially say something incriminating so she desperately tries to cover for him. To the point which she sends their distinguished guests home. This scenes show that even as their relationship is breaking down, they still share a deep bond with one
While Macbeth is hesitant before and during the process of murdering Duncan, Lady Macbeth remains persistent and encourages Macbeth to “only look up clear. To alter favour ever is to fear.” (1.5.78-79). She then proceeds to say, “Leave all the rest to me.” (1.5.80). Before Lady Macbeth is aware of Macbeth’s prophecy, she is considered a pure, honest and a genuine woman. But after Macbeth shares his future, Lady Macbeth develops a greedy aspiration for being crowned Queen. In order for her dream to come true, Lady Macbeth forces her husband to carry out King Duncan’s murder by saying, hypothetically if she had made a promise with Macbeth, even if it was to kill her own child by “dash(ing) the brains out…” (1.7.62-64), she would not withdraw her promise. It is evident at this point the extreme measures Lady Macbeth is willing to pursue in order to fulfill her own selfish ambition. Lady Macbeth’s honest and pure personality transforms her into a selfish, highly driven and manipulative woman. Like Macbeth, Lady Macbeth struggles to deal with the guilt she experiences as a result of her actions, yet she is unable to disguise her guilt with selfish ambition. Her mental stability begins to diminish, which is particularly evident in Act 5. Her guilt becomes noticeable when she begins sleepwalking and sleep talking about
In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”, destruction is wrought when ambition goes rampant by moral constraints. “Macbeth” amplifies the fight amidst good vs evil, analyzing the psychological effects of King Duncan's murder. This tragedy concerned the plunge of a great man (King) from his position of nobility to humility on behalf of his ambitious pride. This pride causes the downfall of Macbeth that triggers a series of deaths down the line. Ambition is the driving force of the play.
In the Elizabethan era, women were conveyed as nurturers, Lady Macbeth forfeits these beliefs to assist with the murder of King Duncan. Men were placed above women in the social hierarchy, however in Macbeth, Lady Macbeth held more power. Macbeth was ridiculed by his wife for being weak and naïve by his wife, “My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white” (2.2.63-64). Macbeth is supposed to be a man who is courageous and undaunted. In the soliloquy, she rejects her feminine characteristics, “unsex me here” (1.5.40) and wishing that the milk in her breasts would be exchanged for “gall” (1.5.47) so that she could murder Duncan herself.
Lady Macbeth’s qualities of ambition and manipulation are more negative in comparison with her human
Ambition is often the driving force in one’s life. It can have an extremely dominant impact on not only yourself, but also many people in your surroundings. You have the ability to control if the outcomes either have a lasting negative or positive effect. When a goal requires determination and hard work to complete, personal morals often take a back seat to the aspiration of accomplishing the goal. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it is clear that like many other great leaders, Macbeth exemplifies the necessary leadership virtue of ambition. Macbeth’s ambition does not just drive him to do great things. It in fact controls him. The playwright explores the idea of how an individual’s ambition can cause them to deceive others, make irrational
Throughout history, women have often played huge roles in contributing to the success of their male partners, achieving remarkable feats, often without the support of their partner. Russia’s Catherine the Great and England’s Elizabeth I made their mark on history, often without the assistance of a man. As the character of Lady Macbeth evolves throughout William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, she also becomes the main driving force behind her husband Macbeth’s ascent to power, as well as a key reason for his eventual fall. From unwavering determination, to doubtful caution, to her final descent into madness, Lady Macbeth’s actions are the root cause of all the events that befall her husband in Macbeth.
‘Macbeth’ is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare in the sixteen hundred, it dramatizes the physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who seek power through the character of Macbeth. ‘The Pursuit Of Happyness’ likewise is a film directed by Gabriel Muccino who portrays a man named Chris Gardener who through his hard work and dedicated ambition goes from living on the streets to a rich stockbroker. In Macbeth and pursuit of happiness, both authors explore how ambition can…. (thesis). Macbeth's ambition is portrayed in a negative light as it is aimed to gain power and status, however, Chris ambition is pushed by his desire to gain happiness and a better future for him and his son. Similarly, both characters endure toxic spousal relationships that help them to tap into their ambition but it leads to different portrayal of ambition. Macbeth and Chris eventually both face the outcome of their ambition for Macbeth it being his doom where else for Chris it being his success. Shakespeare and Gabriel Muccino explore the theme of ambition through the protagonists of both plays.
Macbeth is willing to give everything in his life in order to maintain his position as King. His hunger for power and growing ambition outweighs his desire to please his wife, thus creating inequality within their relationship. The destruction of natural order that is a result of Duncan’s murder is paralleled in the destruction of the Macbeths’ marriage. Further demonstrating the unnatural elements present within this play is the gender role reversal between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth’s ambition to attain the kingship can be seen in her desire to rid of her feminine traits.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth focuses on the subject of ambition and its psychological burdens. He makes it clear that Macbeth did commit to his hateful deeds responding to the psychological burden of his sins. A respected Thane, who has shown great loyalty to King Duncan, goes from a vigorous and worthy soldier to a shameless murderer presents himself as Macbeth
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the title character Macbeth and his wife are both exceptionally ambitious, often taking rather radical measures to accomplish their goals. While this ruthless drive to power is seemingly prosperous at first, it quickly crumbles to naught as guilt infects their minds with grim consequences to follow. Macbeth transforms from a noble general to a guilt-ridden and despaired murderer, while Lady Macbeth’s usually stoic and masculine persona deteriorates into a pitiful and anxious shell of her former self. The feeling of remorse quickly plagues the two characters and overpowers ambition through manifesting itself through nightmares, ghosts, and paranoia, and ultimately leads to their demise.
Lady Macbeth is a complex and intriguing character in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. She is a difficult character to embody as her personality seems split between two sides, one that is pure evil, sly and conniving in contrast to her softer, vulnerable, weak and feminine side. In the play we see her in these two main ways. The reader may feel a certain animosity towards Lady Macbeth throughout the first few acts as her personality appears more and more distasteful, in spite of this towards the end she has a serious breakdown over the guilt that torments her, even in her sleep, regarding her hand in Duncan’s untimely death.
The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare recounts Macbeth's meteoric rise as a soldier and promising future leader whose megalomaniacal ambition led to his tragic downfall. In addition to Macbeth's ambitions, which initially enable him to be strong leader and soldier, he is influenced heavily by his wife, Lady Macbeth, and the three witches that prophesize his ascent to the throne, as well as warn him of his eventual demise. It can be argued that it is Macbeth's ambition that allows him to succeed in his endeavors, however the goals to which he is working toward influence the results of his hard work. Macbeth's ambitions help him to become a war hero, and as his goals change, his ambitions drive him to become a tyrannical villain.
Ambition is a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. In Williams Shakespeare 's Macbeth the characters Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have a strong desire to ascend the throne and they are determined to do whatever it takes in order to achieve this goal, including deceiving and killing those they are closest to. The zeal of ambition predominately persuades both characters actions in Macbeth. Lady Macbeth portrays how the forces of ambition strike her to instil a powerful drive in her husband, also how she demonstrates an overweening pride and lack of morals in order to reach a goal and lastly how ambition leads Macbeth to betray those cares about most.
Many Shakespearian dramas, like Macbeth, are inspired by the ancient Greek notion of tragedy and the fall of man; much of which is powered by one’s lust for greater gains. Correspondingly, the play reveals how ambition creates the capability of deteriorating a man’s morality and world. This is presented through the titular character and his “dearest partner of greatness” (P. 23) and the consequences of their actions.
In perhaps the most pivotal scene in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s motives are truly revealed in her manipulation of Macbeth to show how humans have a desire for power and once they get a taste of it, they will go through any lengths to have it, no matter the effect on others. Her lust for power is showcased through how she persuades Macbeth by insulting his masculinity and using emotive language to counter his logical reasoning. This section of the play illustrates the tipping point of each character’s morality with Macbeth having second thoughts about the planned murder and Lady Macbeth diving straight in.