William Shakespeare's Play - Macbeth Essay

William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, was particularly enjoyable for me because the main character, Macbeth, helped me understand the idea of unchecked ambition and its consequences. This was portrayed through the experiences that Macbeth encounters, and how he changes from a brave, loyal soldier to a corrupt, murderous tyrant. Shakespeare's intention in writing ‘Macbeth', was ultimately for peoples' enjoyment but also to inform people about the corrupting powers of unchecked ambition and also to force us, as readers, to consider what we would do if we were in his position.

When we are first introduced to Macbeth, it is clear that he is a "brave" and "noble" soldier who has a high reputation and a lot of respect amongst his countrymen. He is even respected by the ruling monarch of Scotland, King Duncan. We can see this in the quote said by the king, "For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name - " This respect and trust is further proven when the King Duncan promotes Macbeth to the Thane or Cawdor. Many people in Macbeth's position would be satisfied with the new title and King's approval, however it is obvious that Macbeth is very ambitious and wishes to further his position. Although he is not naturally inclined to commit evil deeds, Macbeth is prepared to go to great lengths in order to achieve his ambitious goals. There can be no doubt that Macbeth considered the possibility being king some day, and the three witches' prediction that he will be the king brings him joy, but it also creates inner turmoil. Macbeth acknowledges that the only reason he has to kill King Duncan is so that he can become king himself. This can be seen in the quote, "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself/And falls on th' other –" At first Macbeth is against the idea of murdering the king, however Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband with great effectiveness by questioning his manhood, "When you durst do it, then you were a man." Macbeth eventually kills King Duncan in order to prove himself to Lady Macbeth and afterward stews in guilt and paranoia. This shows how the corrupting influence of unchecked ambition is beginning to take over Macbeth because while he is remorseful afterwards, he still performed the deed. It surprised me that Macbeth caved into his ambitious goals and killed the king because, being a good soldier, I believed that he would have been more loyal to the king. It also forced me to consider how external factors, for example Lady Macbeth and the three witches, influence our decisions and actions.

I was interested to see how after the murder of King Duncan, Macbeth's character changed greatly, as be he became more ambitious and began to push everyone he was once close with, away. Before the murder, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth