Role of Ambition in Macbeth Essay

Macduff’s burning desire for revenge towards Macbeth was encouraged by many forces. As it is known, Macbeth murders Duncan which causes Malcolm to flee to England because he fears for his life. Following Duncan’s death, Macduff was the first to discover Duncan dead, and it can be inferred that he was so angry and mortified that it sparks apprehensiveness towards Macbeth’s acquiring the throne. As he realizes that he does not agree with Macbeth’s reign, he decides to leave his family behind in Fife to go to England to find Malcolm, the true heir to the throne. His plan is to conspire with Malcolm to build an army against Macbeth. Macduff was so loyal to Scotland and the true ruler that he was willing to abandon his family in the process of freeing Scotland from tyranny. As he meets with Malcolm, Ross delivers the news that

His courage and emotions showed as he hunted for fearsome Macbeth on the battlefield, “Tyrant, show thy face! If thou beest slain, and with no stroke of mine, My wife and children’s ghosts will haunt me still. I cannot strike at wretched kerns, whose arms Are hired to bear their staves. Either thou, Macbeth, Or else my sword with an unbattered edge I sheathe again undeeded.” (5.7.15-20) If anyone other than Macduff killed Macbeth, Macduff’s family’s ghosts would haunt him forever. He would rather not fight the hired soldiers. Either he would use his sword in fighting Macbeth or not use it at all. In this battle, Macduff is not only seeking revenge on Macbeth for the murder of Macduff’s family and King Duncan, but also saving his country from a tyrant. Was Macduff’s motivation purely revenge for his family’s murder or also the good of his countrymen or both? He does succeed in decapitating Macbeth and bringing “the usurper’s cursèd head” to Malcolm, the legitimate heir of Scotland. Although courageous in the battle against Macbeth, Macduff’s actions overall didn’t rise to the extraordinary level and he embodied human virtues such as love for his country and family, and and human flaws such as poor judgement in exposing his family to the evil of

Banquo’s ambition is unlike Macbeths and Lady Macbeths, his ambition does not drive him to kill. His ambition is he wants his son to become king, and he wants his son’s son to become king and so on. He does not quite know how to make his ambition successful but he knows that it is not worth killing for. Macbeth becomes jealous of Banquo’s ambition and Macbeths ambition drives him tell people to kill Banquo.

While Macduff is in England, Macbeth learns of the abandonment of Macduff's family and resolves to have them murdered. When Macduff learns of the murder of his family, he is motivated by Malcolm to get revenge. It is this that pushes Macduff to the edge and forces him to go after Macbeth himself. The power of Malcolm's taunting that he must take it like a man and his own love for his family makes him hate Macbeth to the fullest extent, and eventually he succeeds in killing him.

They enter the castle in scene seven and Macduff seeks out Macbeth, ignoring all other beings there. "Let me find him, Fortune! And more I beg not" (5.7). They finally meet and Macbeth tells him to leave, as he already has so much of his blood. Macduff says that he has no words for him and that he will let his sword be his voice. Macduff then tells Macbeth that his prophecy does not protect from him, as he had to be removed from his mother by C-section and thusly is not “Woman-born”. He then fights Macbeth to the death. He reappears in scene nine with Macbeth’s head and announces that Malcolm is now the king of Scotland.

Desperate, Macduff “ is gone to pray the holy (English)king upon his aid”. Not only is Macduff putting his own life in danger, but he is also leaving his wife and kids very vulnerable. Macduff, however being the patriotic man, chooses to do what is his best for his country and follow his conscience in extension. Although his wife and kids do perished under Macbeth’s reign, Macduff is ultimately awarded by the new title he earns from Malcolm when Macbeth is finally overthrown. This might not cover the loss of his family, but Shakespeare is implying that he and his family will be reunited in heaven. Macduff did in fact follow his conscience in making decisions that are hard costing even the lives of his family, but he is able to continue to lead a peaceful life and be reunited with his family once in heaven while Lady Macbeth, most likely, soul is forever tormented by the scorching flames.

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

For instance, Macduff tells Ross, “No cousin, I will to Fife,” (II, vi, 36-37). He does not go to Macbeth’s crowning of King in Scone, instead he goes to Fife, which begins to make Macbeth suspicious. Moreover, since Macduff was already suspicious of Macbeth’s sudden success and capabilities, he should already know that Macbeth does not hesitate in killing anyone who gets in his way. With that in mind, Macduff is responsible for his wife and son’s murder because he was not aware that Macbeth has eyes everywhere. To add on, Lennox finds out that Macduff has fled to England, and is plotting with the King of England, as well as Malcom to have a war against Macbeth. Lennox tells Macbeth of the news, and Macbeth says “seize upon Fife, give to th’edge...where they are,” (IV, i, l. 158-164), he declares to ruin and kill anything that matters to Macduff. Thus, results in the death of his beloved wife and son. Macduff played a role in the death of his own family, the destruction of his castle, and the war erupting between Scotland and England. However, Macbeth’s decisions resulted in his own downfall as well as the lives of

The blood of Macduff’s family was causing him pain. It is a proof that he has been willing to sacrifice everything, even to hide his pain to reach position and the title that he wanted so much. Finally, he admits that his crimes left scarves on him. As his death is closer he is able to see what he has turned into, a cruel and evil man.There is a connection between Macbeth and the witches,because they awakened his ambition and he deeply believed to them.In the end he was brave ,because they told him that no one born of woman can hurt him.But he didn’t know that Macduff was born by Caesarean section.He realizes that the witches were misleading

At this point in the story, Macbeth’s conscience is so seared that he believes himself to be beyond repentance: “I am in blood stept in so far, that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er” (73). Macbeth desires to assassinate Macduff because of the warning of an apparition summoned from the witches’ cauldron. Upon receiving the news, Macduff is consumed with rage and declares that he will take his revenge on Macbeth. In the ensuing battle between Macbeth’s forces and the insurgent English army, Macduff confronts Macbeth, emerges victorious, and walks away holding Macbeth’s

Macduff's intelligence leans towards irresponsibility when he abandons his family without realising the danger his actions will cause them. When Macduff goes to England for help in freeing Scotland from the tyrant Macbeth, and informs Malcolm of the terrible things that have been happening in Scotland, he says; "Let us rather / Hold fast the mortal sword, and like good men / Bestride our down-fall'n birthdom" (4, 3, 2-4). There is a great sense of urgency in Macduff's words because his thoughts become obsessive with eliminating Scotland of its evil tyrant rather than focusing on his family. His suspicion grows after Macbeth’s killing of the guards and so he refuses to attend Macbeth’s coronation which leads to the murder of his family.

Before Macbeth meets with Macduff, he thinks of ways to handle Macduff so he would no longer be a problem. Macduff was considered to be a problem because he left the kingdom in order to assist an opposing force. Macbeth states “Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee? But yet I’ll make assurance double sure, and take a bond of fate.” (Act IV scn i, ln 82-84) He wants to make sure Macduff will not be a problem; he wants to keep Macduff out of his way. In this scene Macbeth is attempting to discover ways to inforce his superiority through the phrase “The castle of Macduff I will surprise; seize upon Fife; give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babies, and all unfortunate souls.” (Act IV scn i, ln 150-152) He hired men to kill Macduff’s family, so he will be depressed and will grieve; he wants to keep Macduff out of the way of him still being King. The main reason he did this, however, was to exert his leadership over Macduff and send a message. This paragraph explains how Macbeth was disloyal to Macduff and how he did anything to keep Macduff out of his way, but things did not turn out as he

Macduff is also a character that deals with guilt. He is guilty of leaving his entire family behind in Scotland which is eventually why they are killed. He uses this guilt to drive him to bring Macbeth down. If Macduff would have thought to bring his wife and children they wouldn't have died. This shows that every action has consequences and those consequences must be taken into consideration.

Macduff's only ambition is to kill Macbeth, the man who has murdered his wife and children. He has no interest in personal gain and is the first character in the play to understand that Fortune rules you, you don't rule Fortune. This is a certain indicator that he'll be the one to take down the tyrant, who is always challenging

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.