and quit my sight...Which thou dost glare with!”, a quote that displays Macbeth running in an endless stream of self-doubt and conflict over the death of Banquo. Many believe this scene to be one that of the king’s last sense of morality, the feeling of pain and hallucination of fearing the loss of power that murdering a friend seems justifiable. The lack of honor Macbeth held for his subjects continued on, his interests never aligning with the responsibilities of the crown, but who to be rid of in order to maintain it. Not even in the last few moments of his life did Macbeth hold honor toward Scotland or the respect that is entailed by his majesty. “Then yield thee, coward,” Macduff began in the final fight scene.
For example, in the poem “Ozymandias”, the king/ruler probably became too concerned with his power and he forgot about the prior goals he set. This most likely led to the destruction of his “works”. Macbeth somewhat demonstrates the same qualities as the ruler in the poem. Macbeth becomes too overly concerned with power and he forgets why exactly he is taking these actions. An example of this is his lack of any legitimate reasons for killing King Duncan and obtaining the throne except for his own ambition and greed to become king.
Macbeth himself quotes, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting Ambition, which o'er-leaps itself and falls in the other." The words, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition..." shows that Macbeth knows and admits to us that the only reason he does the terrible deed of murdering the king was for his own personal gains. This shows Macbeth has already become a victim of ambition. The words "vaulting" and "o'er-leaps itself and falls in the other" indicates to us that Macbeth wants his desires to jump ahead of itself, as he is very ambitious. However, this also indicates that his ambitious desires can lead him to a possible downfall.
Macbeth’s ambition to become king, which is a position of great control over scotland’s affairs, causes him to lose control in his own life. In order to attain the throne, Macbeth commits murder, and the resulting guilt overwhelms and takes over his life. He becomes paranoid, and as he attempts to secure his throne by removing anyone whom he suspects to be a threat, he neglects Lady Macbeth, who had ultimate control over him so that he lost control in his life when Lady Macbeth distanced from him and died. Even at the beginning of the play, Macbeth had become submissive to the fate that the witches had prophesized for him, such that he did not account for the choices that he makes in life anymore and lost control. Macbeth becomes victim to guilt when he kills Duncan for the throne, and guilt then takes over his life, leaving him without control of his own behaviors.
In some cases, this delusion may be the only thing that keeps one continuing on through life. It’s human nature to avoid conflicts and issues that we cannot handle, therefore one would surely go mad if faced with all the turmoil burdening life. At times when one feels unloved, vanity can be a wonderful thing. Seeing oneself as great, when no one else does, can be all one has. Vanity is the building up of oneself, boosting the ego and confidence, in order to make one feel more important.
Although Macbeth was terrified and against the idea of killing the king, one night he went into Duncan’s room and stabbed him to death. When the kingdom came to know about the death of the king, everyone was dazed. Furthermore, Macbeth began to regret the sin he had committed. “I am afraid to think of what I have done; Look on’t again I dare not.” (II.ii.66-67). After Duncan’s burial, it was discovered that Macbeth had been pronounced king.
Macbeth has allowed his false sense of security to cloud his judgement, which is exactly why no one but himself can be blamed for his tragedy. Upon killing Young Siward Macbeth says, “Thou wast born of woman. / But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn, / Brandish’d by man that’s of a woman born,” (V, vii, 16-18). Macbeth’s over-confidence blinds his thinking, and so with the thought that he cannot be harmed by any man of woman born, he overlooks the possibility of a man born of caesarean section, and instead just assumes that he is invincible. This over-confidence and sense of
In part of the play, Macbeth even admits to his ambition, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself, and falls on the other." As a result, many decisions were influenced negatively. His choice to kill the king was made too quickly, and had begun the snowballing effect of killing innocent people. After the witches had told Macbeth the four apparitions, he felt as though Banquo needed to be killed, since he was in the way of Macbeths becoming king. Other Characters in the play greatly influenced Macbeth.
Ambition is usually defined as a strong desire to do or achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work. Having too much ambition can lead to ones downfall when that person is selfish. There isn't a problem with having a goal, but ambition soon becomes a dreadful fixation when one is blind- sided. The play Macbeth wouldn't be as popular and tragic as it is considered today. Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth both had ambition that was unchecked by morals; there ambition led to the destruction of themselves as well as others.
Success has more equal vision and less prejudice than the positive thinking theory promoted by some people. I don’t have to try to change my thinking about myself. “The important thing is to love your negativities, not to judge them, and to learn to use them to raise you up” (C.-N. Chu, Thick Face-Black Heart). The only thing I should do is free myself from the trap that says, “Change comes before success.” If I think I will win, there are chances I can. If I think I will lose, I positively will.