Big Ambition In Macbeth

It is obvious that Macbeth has ambition, as most people who are in power do. In fact, ambition is often a necessary quality of people in such high standing as Macbeth is. However, Macbeth’s ambition does not just drive him to do great things. It in fact controls him

     Macbeth learns that Banquo’s son, Fleance, has escaped the murderers and fled into a safe county, so he turns to the final opposition to his reign as

Macbeth goes back to see the three witches because he wants to know more and more that what is going to happen to him in the future. The witches say they can sense something evil coming near to their cave that is Macbeth. When Macbeth ask the witches they say “Macbeth, beware he thane of fife Macduff”. But Macbeth doesn’t understand the witches and thinks that it is macduff and his family that he should be aware of. The witches also tell him more predictions like no man

By the end of the play Macbeth had become to cocky about his skills and what the apparitions told him. When he meets Macduff at the end of the play, instead of running away like he should have he taunts Macduff about the fact that he can not kill him. That is until Macduff says this:

The three apparitions which appear to Macbeth are, "Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff, Beware the Thane of Fife. / Be bloody, bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn the power of man; for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth. / Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him." Macbeth translates these prophecies as a meaning that he will reign as king until the day he dies of natural causes and will no longer have to fear Macduff for he can do no harm to him. Although he is assured by the equivocate predictions, his uncertainty gets the better of him. This can be seen in his actions; he kills Macduff 's family but leaves the man himself alive, he enters into battles screaming that no man of woman born shall ever harm him, not knowing that Macduff was born of Caesarian section, and eventually his foolish actions lead to his death at the hands of Macduff.

Macduff suspects Macbeth of his crimes and wishes to battle him. Macbeth gets another prophecy that tells him three things. The first thing is that he should be extra cautious of Macduff. The second is that nobody born of a woman can bring harm to him, and thirdly a crowned boy holding a plant tells him that he will remain King and need not worry “...until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill /Shall come against him [Macbeth]." Meanwhile, Macduff brings an army to Macbeth. Macbeth believes that Macduff can not harm him because he was born of a woman, but he had an unnatural birth so Macduff beheads Macbeth so that they are free of another tyrant.

He went to find the witches himself out of his own curiosity and they warn him: beware of Macduff, none of woman born can harm him, and he will not be defeated until Birnam Wood marches onto Dunsinane Hill (Shakespeare, 383.) After the witches inform him of this he feels as if there is no way anyone will steal his position. “When the three weird sisters greet Macbeth, they set in motion a horrible series of events” (Rogers.) The witches tricked Macbeth, because their prophecies sound impossible. But, since he got comfortable he never saw his defeat coming and all the apparitions the witches warned him of indeed happened; resulting in Macbeth’s

During Macbeth and Banquo meeting with the three witches, the witches reveal to Banquo that “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.” (I, III, 70) Meaning that Banquo will never be King but his descendants will. Macbeth is jealous at the witches prophecy of Banquo since he thinks that Banquo’s future will menace his position as the King of Scotland. Banquo’s threatening of Macbeth’s position at the throne results in Banquo becoming a target for Macbeth.

When Macbeth meets the witches for the second time they give him three prophecies that he demands for. The first of which is a prophecy about Macduff. " Macbeth! Macbeth!Macbeth! Beware Macduff; beware the thane of Fife." (4.1 76-79).

Following yet another augury where three spirits tell Macbeth how his kingship will end, “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff! Beware the Thane of Fife! Dismiss me. Enough”(Shakespeare 4.1.71-72), “Be bloody, bold, and resolute. Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth.”(Shakespeare 4.1.79-81), “Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care who chafes, who frets, where conspires are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.”(Shakespeare 4.1.90-94). Macbeth doesn’t realize what plot loops could be lurking deeply rooted into the spirit's words. As he hears that he must beware Macduff, his unsettled ways can be seen as he notices that no one born by a woman can harm him yet he still hires people to kill Macduff “just in case”. This gives into his obliviousness to the witches treachery and to his false power. By the final battle scene Macbeth is conceited as always and has no problem challenging all others as trees cannot move and everyone is born of woman. Only in his last moments did he realize his mistake as Macduff was not technically born of a

This dialogue takes place in Act V, Scene 8 of Macbeth. Macduff finds Macbeth and is prepared to kill him, in order to seek justice for his family. In the beginning of this scene, Macbeth is overcome with confidence, which he gained from the witches prophecy that, “no man born of woman” can harm him. There is a fault in the prophecy, which shakes Macbeth up and he is forced to fight for his life and honor after Macduff threatens to put him on display in a freak show. Macduff shows great loyalty to his family in this scene, where he believes that if he, himself, does not kill Macbeth, his dead family will haunt him and he will be swallowed by guilt for the rest of his life.

Macduff heard about the death of his entire castle and became committed to revenge. “But gentle heavens, cut short al intermission: front to front bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself; within my sword’s length set him; if he ‘scape, heaven forgive him too!” (Shakespeare IV.iii.66) Macbeth received a second set of prophecies that gave him a very large and false confidence. “What’s the boy Malcolm? Was he not born of woman? The spirits that know all mortal consequences have pronounced me thus: `fear not, Macbeth; no man that’s born of woman shall e’er have upon thee.’ Then fly, false thanes, and mingle with the

The witches were the first to declare Macbeth’s future throne to the king. In the first scene, the witches are seen “hailing Macbeth” and praising the “king hereafter”(I.iii.48-50). This sudden praise drives Macbeth and motivates him to become king later in the play. The witches provide a sort of strange atmosphere, foreshadowing the unfavorable way Macbeth becomes king. This foreshadowing that Shakespeare has presented allows the reader to pay special attention to Macbeth’s actions and how his mental state will evolve.

The scene shows the three witches lack of consideration of the outcome of their prophecy as they did not consult with their higher power, Hecate over whether they should tell Macbeth of his prophecy. Their thoughtless actions caused for many deaths and much corruption amongst themselves and the entire country of Scotland. The witches’ gain of power furthermore corrupted them as they did not tell Macbeth his full prophecy. When the witches first tell Macbeth of his fate the first witch states, “All hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!” (1.3. 48-50) This is then followed by the second witch claiming “all hail Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!” and finally the third witch states, “All hail Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter!” the prophecy given can be seen as false as they suggest that Macbeth is to be king for a long time when they state “hereafter”

Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Beware Macduff! Beware the Than of Fife!…Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! Be bloody, bold and resolute. Laugh to scorn the power of man, for none of woman born shall harm Macbeth…Be lion-mettled, proud and take no care who chafes, who frets or where conspirers are. Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.