In William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth's path to greatness leads to the deterioration of his character and his ultimate death. First, he listens to the witches' prophecies, developing his ambition and unleashing his evil thoughts to break the great chain of being by killing Duncan, the King of Scotland. Second, he incorporates the advice of his wife (“partner in greatness”) to provoke and “spur” him to achieve his dreams, giving him and his wife too much to handle. Ultimately, the paranoia of his position on the throne leads him to betray his colleagues and best friends, causing a revolution in his army. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth lets his great ambition to become King of Scotland lead to betrayal of the royal family, the death of his wife, and his brutal disappearance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The prophecies of the three witches provoke Macbeth to imagine the power he will have on the throne. The three witches have hailed him as the "Wheat of Cawdor" making him question whether the other prophecies about himself are true. First, Macbeth and Banquo have just returned from speaking with the witches and hearing the prophecies they were given. Macbeth has a significant part "two truths are told" where he has terrible thoughts about killing the king "come what may", stating that what happens between him and his prophecies is destined to happen. He cannot control destiny and the supernatural remains out of his hands. He urges the stars to hide his “deep, dark desires” (making him appear deceitful). The witches had already foreshadowed that Macbeth would eventually become Lord of Cawdor and King. And now Macbeth is only the Lord of Glamis. Macbeth is so confused and at the same time afraid for his future. He doesn't know how these things can happen. He knows he is not allowed to climb the social ladder to achieve greatness. "Being king is not within the scope of faith." It is not possible for someone like Macbeth to suddenly become noble without a certain chain of events. Macbeth knows that for this to potentially happen the king would have to be removed. Macbeth then thinks about the possibility of the king's murder "my thought, whose murder is still fantastic." He went from being loyal to the king to wanting his crown. Ross later tells him that he is the Thane of Cawdor after the former thane's betrayal. This means that the first part of the prophecy has come true, making Macbeth feel that his ambition is not just inside his head but physically possible. His vaulting ambition begins to run wild and he begins to think that he can actually achieve this goal. However, Macbeth still has his moral conscience and rejects these thoughts, showing how he is still a good person. Secondly, when Duncan speaks of the former thane of Cawdor, Macbeth enters the scene. Duncan states that Malcolm will be his heir. Macbeth has an aside in which he states that he knows that Duncan and Malcolm are in his way. He feels as if he must take destiny into his own hands to fulfill the prophecy by removing them from his way. Realizing that the witches are telling the truth, Macbeth feels as if it is his responsibility for her progress. This attitude can and will influence his behavior in the future. Macbeth feels as if the prophecy is slipping away and realizes the steps he must take to overthrow Duncan. It is at this point that the audience sees his ambition once again. Macbeth is shocked! He thought he would wear the crown on his head. He knows that it must be his destiny to become King, as it has been prophesied that he will become the"Wheat of Cawdor" and hereafter will be. His ambition now faces two obstacles; he needs to overcome them to become king. “On which I must fall, or leap, for it lies in my way.” Either he will fail in this attempt or he will have succeeded. Thanks to his ambitious nature he is willing to take the opportunity. He is aware of this and knows that if he wants to become king he must kill Duncan and then kill Malcolm. Macbeth becomes so ambitious that instead of letting nature take its course and reclaiming the throne through natural means, he takes it upon himself to fulfill the prophecy by his own strength. He cannot simply let the opportunity slip away and must break the great chain of being. He wants to climb the ladder and violate the accepted social boundaries set by God. He wants to be the best and greatest, so much so that he contemplates doing what is wrong and betraying his master. The whole scene is very ironic as Duncan describes Macbeth as a just man and trusts him. Indeed, Duncan cannot “find the construction of the mind in the face.” Duncan makes the audience feel pathos as he is seen as a good person caught up in a bad situation. It completes Macbeth's ambition by forcing him to take the next steps. Macbeth will use this confidence to his advantage later in the play to attempt to kill Duncan. Finally, Macbeth hallucinates a dagger that invites him to kill the king. Macbeth's mind is full of bloody affairs. Macbeth wants to take charge of the situation and not leave it to fate. In the dagger soliloquy, the ambition he possesses leads him to hallucinate with a dagger in his hand. The dagger is the result of his guilt and the “bloody deal” he is about to commit. His vision is blurred and it is this vision that is leading him towards Duncan's room. "You will guide me on the way." The ambition he has is clouding his vision, changing his character, and he is fully poised to take Duncan's crown. This act would finally give him peace of mind "The curtain would sleep." Through his ambition, he would fulfill this prophecy; making the witches happy with what he is about to do. He is aware that this ambition will lead him into trouble and he is aware that his life is about to change, for better and for worse. “I go and it's done: the bell invites me. Do not listen to it, Duncan, for it is a death knell calling you from heaven to hell. Therefore, his desire for the throne was always in his head; it just required someone to provoke reality. Lady Macbeth uses her strong and ambitious nature to "desexualize" herself to provide Macbeth with the confidence to fulfill his prophecy. This prophecy, added to their ambitious nature, has a huge impact on Lady Macbeth's character. First, Lady Macbeth greets her husband almost like the witches, conveying the same confidence to him. By reading the letter of her “fellow greatness” she releases her motivated and strong character to help her husband conquer the throne. She is determined to make him king. To do this, however, he says that he wouldn't cheat to win, but he wouldn't mind winning by cheating. She appeals to evil spirits to “cancel sex” on her because she needs to be more aggressive. She knows that this same supernatural force has presented the prospect of Macbeth becoming king and can help her become powerful enough to persuade her husband. He knows that deep down Macbeth wants to complete the task, he just needs a push in the right direction; just as the witches planted that persuasive seed in his head. However, his work makes Macbeth so irritated and ruthless that he acts to protect his throne as much as possible. So much so that he pushes his wife away, leading to a complete contrast in his character. In his soliloquy, he hassent evil spirits towards Duncan for misfortunes. It's ironic because she's the one living in fear and Duncan is the one in eternal peace. Second, he realizes his “hamartia” and quickly expresses his intentions to remove everything that prevents him from following through on his temptations. He wants to progress in a non-evil way. She knows that her husband is too good to do evil (kill the king). However, she identifies her (very ambitious) husband's tragic flaw, demonstrating that she knows her husband extremely WELL. He says his face is like a book because he looks like he's about to do something unpleasant. Macbeth has the “seem the innocent flower, but be the serpent beneath.” This is an allusion to the biblical story of Adam and Eve. She is seen as a courageous character, willing to do anything in her power to win. This shows how hard she is willing to work to become a queen. At this point, she's so ambitious; it seems like she wants the prophecy to come true more than Macbeth. She reassures him to remove all the doubts and fears in his head; thoughts that prevent him from not getting the crown. Macbeth follows this advice and uses it to overcome all aspects of opposition to his throne. It is at this point that his moral values ​​that have made him so strong are turning against him. That night, Duncan is supposed to be at their castle but he will never leave. Towards the end of the play Lady Macbeth doesn't seem so happy about being queen. It becomes clear that Lady Macbeth is ultimately responsible for his death. She thinks she will be completely ruthless but in the end she won't be able to hide her guilt. During the show, she mentions how being queen isn't what she thought it would be. “Nothing has been, everything is spent, where our desire is obtained without content: it is safer to be what we destroy than to dwell with destruction in doubtful joy. She would rather be dead than feel guilty for her actions, foreshadowing the end of the story. Finally, Lady Macbeth questions his manhood and desire to the point that Macbeth feels the need to prove himself to her. Macbeth has a soliloquy that outlines five reasons why he should not kill the king. In this soliloquy, Macbeth admits his “hamartia”, meaning he is too ambitious. At the end of the soliloquy, Macbeth states that he has "no spur." This is ironic when Lady Macbeth enters the scene as she will be his “spur” for committing murder. Macbeth tells his wife that “we will proceed no further in this matter.” Lady Macbeth knows that she must bring Macbeth on board to gain power. She exposes her strong nature to make him feel guilty. Lady Macbeth calls her husband a coward and tries to convince him to kill King Duncan. He says: 'You would have what you consider the ornaments of life, and live cowardly in your own self-esteem, letting the 'I dare not' serve the 'I would,' like the poor cat in his adage.' He questions his ambition and loyalty to her. Macbeth is still in doubt, he tries to take a step forward. He begins to outline a detailed and resourceful plan to achieve his goal. Lady Macbeth is so ambitious that he doesn't see how he could fail; Macbeth sees his wife's trust and belief. Since they are "partners of greatness", Macbeth agrees with the plan and says "I am settled", Macbeth knows he has the confidence to kill the king and do the deed. However, Lady Macbeth does not have the same confidence/manliness in the end. She seems broken and broken. The audience does not fear her but feels pathos contrast to the powerful women he appeared to be. The ambitious nature of remaining king, allows Macbeth to commit harmful acts in contrast to the person who.