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Macbeth - Themes - Ambition - Coggle Diagram
Macbeth - Themes - Ambition
Introduction
Ambition is seen as corrupting and causes Macbeth to lose his nobility
Plot is propelled by Macbeth's manipulative actions around their ulitmate desaire for Macbeth to become king
Both Macbeth's suffer deep remorse and guilt over their actions
Macbeth is a representation of the devastating consequences of pursuing one's ambition without any regard for morality
Macbeth
Entire play explores hie quest to fulfill his ambitions, he describes them as 'black and deep desires'
Effect of Witches
Witches don't mention murder, Macbeth's thought jump ahead to the possibility of killin ght ekind
'My thouguht, whose murder yet is but fantastical
Tragic flaw
Macbeth's insatiable ambition is his tragic flaw
Macbeth is willing to give up everything to become king
'a dagger of the mind, a false creation' shows the consequences of his ambition, it's caused him mental distress and near insanity
Murder
Macbeth's ambition leads him to murder Duncan
'I have no spur' compares his situation ot horse-riding, mabition is the metaphorical spur he, the rider, uses to motivate his horse
Lady Macbeth
Motivater of Macbeth's ambition ot usurp the crown
Relentlessly criticises his actions and lack of masculinity
This ambition contributes to her own insanity and she eventually commites suicide
Similar to Macbeth, when she hears the witches prophecy, she immediatley jumps to murder
'Art not without ambition, but without' Lady Macbeth's defining trait is her ambition when we first meet her
Contrasted with Macbeth's, when we are introduced to him, he appears to be brave and nobl
Ultimate catalyst for the plot
Lady Macbeth believes that you can only act on yout ambitions when you ignore moral compass
'Too full o' th' milk of human kindness' suggests that she doesn't think Macbeth can do this
Masculinity
Lady macbeth as a woman would have been socially pressured to appear less ambitious and hide her desires
She can be viewed as more ruthless and single-minded in her ambition than Macbeth
Lady Macbeth persists questioning his Macbeth's masculinity
Lady Macbeth use gnder norms to shame Macbeth into comitting murder, the power dynamic between then is uncommon back then
Lady macbeth's power and ruthless ambition would have led her to be viewed as a masculine character, the audience may have been inclined to view her particulary negatively on the assumption that she is untrustworthy becasued she doesn't conform to accepted gender norms
Desire for power
Shakespeare demonstrates that overwhelming ambition leads to loss and suffering
Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth end up dead, prioir to their deaths they are less powerful and less happy than they were at the beginning of the play
Ambition and desire for power corrupts both characters
Drives the plot
Guilt
Ambition is the play's central theme and guilt is the result
Apparaition of Banquo's ghost to Macbeth in Act 3 Scene 4 may be interpreted by a modern audeince as a psychological phenomenon, the projections of Macbeth's mind
Blood
Another motif which vividly symbolises sin, and thus is intimately connected to guilt and therefore ambition
'Will all great Neptune's oceans was this blood from my hand?' this rhetorical question symbolises the fact that the sin Macbeth has commited by Murdering Duncan is indelible, it won't wash away
Macbeth hallucinates blood at various points in the play, 'a dagger in the mind' this is a visual representation of his guilt
Beginning of the play
Blood doesn't symbolise sin or guilt
Represents Macbeth's loyalty and bravery as a soldier
'smoked with bloody execution' this is a commendation and a sign of Macbeth's bravery
The changing meanings of blood is a complex symbol and its caning meanings mirror Macbeth's changing character