Macbeth- a Man Torn Between Ambition and Conscience

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Macbeth: A Man torn between Ambition and Conscience

“Macbeth” the play, has been described by many as one of Shakespeare’s finest works. It is hard to disagree. In this term paper the author seeks to critically analyze the character of Macbeth, the protagonist in this fine play, while understanding the subtle nuances of the his character along with elaborating on the role played by his wife Lady Macbeth in his quest for the golden crown of Scotland. This paper will also include the theme of evil that makes its presence felt in the play at various instances along with the effect that it has on Macbeth.

Ambition, the drive to achieve something is certainly a good thing. It helps us push ourselves in the pursuit of obtaining our dream. We all have that cherished ambition to succeed, do well in life. But is over-ambition a bad thing. A number of philosophers have spent their entire lives trying to find the answer to that one question. I do not seek to answer it. ‘Behind every successful man there is a woman’ however clichéd that may sound we all have heard that statement an umpteen number of times. And it does apply in the case of this play too. We see that initially it was Lady Macbeth who guided Macbeth effectively in his quest for the Royal Crown of Scotland. Though it may appear in the play that Macbeth is a man who can go to any limits to achieve this ambition of obtaining the crown we see that a number of times his conscience strikes him. We have seen this happen in all our lives too. When our minds know that what we are about to do may amount to a crime there is that inner voce in our heads that keeps telling us not to do it. It is ultimately up to us on whether we want to listen to it or not. Is it Macbeth’s ambition preventing him from listening to his conscience? Is it the provocation of his wife? Or is it the influence of evil?
The play begins with

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