Shakespeare frequently portrays the destructive link between ambition and power throughout his play The Tragedy of Macbeth. Macbeth's approach to power is clearly influenced by the ideas in the Elizabethan era, where witches were thought to be real and where the Great Chain of Being was to be obeyed. One main objective Shakespeare pursued was to teach his audience about the dangers of fuelling the want/need for power with destructive ambition. Additionally, Shakespeare addresses the benefits of living a life of free will as it helps overcome obstacles and lets you think freely as living through fate does not, as shown through Macbeth and his destructive downfall through living off the fulfillment of fate. Lastly, Macbeth displays the idea of ambition triggered guilt throughout the play, additionally portraying the way in which a guilty conscience has led to the downfall of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, both physically and mentally.
Shakespeare explores the destructive link between individual ambition and absolute power through the character of Macbeth. Throughout the five acts of Shakespeares' tragedy, Macbeth, the audience experiences brave Macbeth's downfall as his ambition leads him to commit a number of murders in order to gain and sustain the title of King of Scotland. When we first meet Macbeth, he is the worthy thane of Glamis, a small village in Scotland. As a result of his loyalty to the crown and leadership in battle, Duncan (King of Scotland) rewards Macbeth by naming him Thane of Cawdor. Before Macbeth officially receives this news from the King, he comes across 3 witches that predict his future, informing him that he will become Thane of Cawdor and King Hereafter. By telling him this before Duncan's messengers, the witches manipulate Macbeth s ambition, leading him to murder the king and commit the murder of many other characters, thus leading to his downfall. As well as the Witches, Macbeth is initially largely controlled by his wife, Lady Macbeth, who questions whether he is a man when he refuses to murder the King, hence pressuring him into committing the murder by playing with his ego. Although Macbeth was influenced by others to pursue his ambitions, Shakespeare shows his audience that Macbeth chose to act the way he did, referencing the fact that destructive, ambition-driven actions come with great consequences.
Shakespeare explores how free will can both be linked and affected by one's ambition, he does this through various characters such as both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth in turn, leading to their destructive downfall. The idea of one's fate being predetermined by God was a widely accepted idea during the Elizabethan era, it was thought that everyone was born with a purpose and lived actions determined by God throughout their whole life, and this could not be changed by one's free will. Free will involves one controlling what one does without being forced or determined by something else and is decided by the individua...
