Exam (elaborations)
GCSE AQA 'Macbeth': Ambition Essay.
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Explore how Shakespeare presents ambition in Macbeth.Write about:
How Shakespeare presents ambition in this speech
How Shakespeare presents ambition in the play as a whole
Throughout the extract and the rest of the play, Shakespeare presents the theme of
ambition as a negative asset. Shakespeare utilises the character of Lady Macbeth to further
explore the theme of ambition and to portray to the Jacobean contemporary audience, the
negative consequences of extolling ambition. Through us ‘Macbeth’ as a microcosmic play,
Shakespeare was appealing to King James I by portraying the consequences of committing
regicide and usurping the throne. Macbeth’s ambition is his hamartia and Lady Macbeth
acts as a catalyst encouraging her husband to adopt an ambitious persona and ultimately,
commit regicide.
Initially, Shakespeare portrays the theme of ambition through the character of Lady
Macbeth. The dynamic verb ‘chastise’ with its determined sibilance makes clear Lady
Macbeth’s plans and aims for her husband as she is deliberately trying to exert power over
him in order to force him to commit regicide. In addition, perhaps the notion of whispering
in her husband’s ear highlights the extent of her ambition. Typically, whispering in people’s
ears was stereotypically associated with the Devil attempting to manipulate them. So
perhaps this notion aligns Lady Macbeth with the Devil, further highlighting ambition as a
negative facet of character. Shakespeare deliberately presents her as an Eve-like character
attempting to lure Macbeth into committing regicide to satisfy his ambitious demeanour.
Furthermore, Shakespeare continues to present the theme of ambition through Lady
Macbeth. She uses the archaic modal verb ‘shalt’ to reinforce her ambitious to make the
prophecy happen. Coupled with the metaphor, ‘too full o’th’milk of human kindness’, we
see Shakespeare presenting kindness as the antithesis of ambition. Therefore, overreaching
ambition is depicted as a negative and evil quality. This curried favour with King James
because he experienced a plot to overthrow him and therefore, regicide is deliberately
presented as sinful and a crime against God. Therefore, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s
ambition is portrayed as evil, akin to Eve being tempted by the Devil.
Throughout the rest of the play, Shakespeare exposes our protagonist’s ambition to
convincingly convey ambition as a negative facet of character, ‘vaulting ambition, which
o’erleaps itself, And falls on the other’. The dynamic verb ‘vaulting’ exposes Macbeth’s
hamartia. The choice of the explosive verb ‘vaulting’ shows that ambition is so powerful it
outweighs all the other persuasive reasons not to commit regicide. The Jacobean audience
believed overreaching and extolling ambition as a negative quality. As a result, Macbeth
acknowledges his actions are sinful and eventually, we see the strength of conviction is so
strong that Macbeth is prepared to be punished for eternity in Hell.
It is evident that Shakespeare presents ambition as Machiavellian and devious. We see her
cunning and unscrupulous behaviour as she reveals she would have committed infanticide
to further her ambition to become a Queen. Her choice of verbs gives us an insight into the
strength of her ambitious and her violent desires. ‘Plucked her nipple … dashed the brains
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