Ever felt that little itch? You know the one. That tiny voice in the back of your head whispering that you could be more, do more, maybe even have more? That, my friend, is ambition. While it can be rocket fuel for amazing achievements, Shakespeare’s Macbeth is the ultimate, terrifyingly brilliant case study of what happens when that rocket fuel spills, catches fire, and burns the whole house down.
When “Wanting It All” Goes Way, Way Dark: Macbeth’s Ambition
You know, it’s funny. When we first meet Macbeth, he’s the guy everyone wants on their team. “Brave Macbeth,” they call him, a war hero, loyal, strong. You’d probably admire him, right? But then, a little supernatural whisper changes everything. Picture this: you’ve just had the success of your life, and then someone – or in his case, three very weird sisters – tells you, “Oh, by the way, you’re destined for even greater things. Like, king-level great.”
(Act 1, Scene 3)
FIRST WITCH: All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! SECOND WITCH: All hail, Macbeth! hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! THIRD WITCH: All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!
Suddenly, that seed of “what if” starts to sprout. And Macbeth, bless his initially conflicted heart, even says, “If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir.” (Act 1, Scene 3). It’s like saying, “Hey, if I win the lottery, cool, but I’m not about to rob a bank for it.” But oh, how quickly that changes.
The thing about Macbeth’s ambition is that he knows it’s wrong. He’s got this constant angel-devil-on-the-shoulder thing going on. He famously admits:
(Act 1, Scene 7)
“I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself And falls on th’ other.”
He’s basically saying, “The only reason I’m even thinking about doing this terrible thing is my own over-the-top ambition.” It’s a stunning moment of self-awareness, don’t you think? He sees the cliff edge, but the pull is too strong. And once he takes that first bloody step by killing King Duncan, his ambition morphs. It’s no longer about getting the crown, but about keeping it. Paranoia kicks in, and suddenly, anyone who looks like a threat (poor Banquo!) has to go. It’s a horrifying spiral, watching this once-noble man become a tyrant, all because that little spark of ambition was fanned into an uncontrollable wildfire. He even says he’s “in blood / Stepp’d in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (Act 3, Scene 4). There’s a chilling resignation there, isn’t it?
Lady Macbeth: The “Lean In” Queen of a Darker Sort
Now, if Macbeth’s ambition is a slow burn that turns into an inferno, Lady Macbeth’s is like a flash fire from the get-go. When she reads Macbeth’s letter about the witches, there’s no hesitation. Her reaction is basically, “Okay, he’s gonna be king. But he’s too nice. I’ll have to handle this.”
(Act 1, Scene 5)
“Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way.”
Have you ever known someone who just goes for what they want, no holds barred? That’s Lady M. Her ambition seems less for herself directly, and more for her husband to achieve what she believes he’s destined for (and okay, she probably enjoys the idea of being queen too!). But what’s truly shocking is how far she’s willing to go. That famous “unsex me here” speech?
(Act 1, Scene 5)
“Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty!”
She’s asking to be stripped of her femininity, of everything that might make her soft or hesitant. It’s intense. She’s the one who shames Macbeth into action, questioning his manhood when he wavers (“When you durst do it, then you were a man” – Act 1, Scene 7). It’s a brutal tactic, but it works.
The irony? While Macbeth hardens as the play goes on, Lady Macbeth, who seemed so steely, completely unravels. That ambition, built on such ruthless suppression of her own humanity, eats away at her from the inside. Her sleepwalking scene (“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!” – Act 5, Scene 1) is just heartbreaking. It’s a stark reminder that you can only bottle up guilt for so long.
A Deadly Duet: When Their Ambitions Collide
Initially, they’re a team, a dark power couple. Macbeth has the name and the prophecies; Lady Macbeth has the iron will. You can almost see them plotting by candlelight, a terrifying “us against the world” vibe. She’s the strategist, the motivator.
But here’s the kicker: after that first horrific act, the murder of Duncan, things shift. Macbeth starts making decisions on his own – like ordering Banquo’s murder – without even telling her. It’s like their shared ambition, which once united them, now isolates them, even from each other. The power they craved? It tastes like ash.
So, What’s the Big Deal About Their Ambition? (Beyond the Obvious Bloodshed)
When you step back, you see how their ambition isn’t just a character flaw; it’s the engine of the whole tragedy.
- Fate vs. Free Will: Those witches, right? Did they make Macbeth ambitious, or just give a name to something already lurking? It’s that classic “chicken or the egg” scenario. You might ponder if the prophecies were just a cosmic nudge, and their own choices did the rest.
- Gender Bending (and Breaking): Lady Macbeth basically tries to shed her womanhood to achieve her goals, and she uses Macbeth’s ideas of manhood against him. It makes you think about what Shakespeare was saying about “natural” roles and the chaos that erupts when they’re twisted.
- The Guilt Trip to End All Guilt Trips: This is where the emotion really gets you. Their ambition leads to actions they just can’t live with. Macbeth hears voices (“Sleep no more!”), sees ghosts. Lady Macbeth is haunted by imaginary bloodstains. It’s a visceral portrayal of a conscience in agony.
- Masks On, Masks Off (Appearance vs. Reality): To get what they want, they have to lie. “Look like th’ innocent flower, / But be the serpent under’t,” Lady Macbeth advises (Act 1, Scene 5). But living a lie takes its toll, doesn’t it?
- The Company You Keep (The Supernatural): Those witches aren’t just spooky stage effects. They’re the spark that lights the fuse of Macbeth’s ambition. Their tricky words give him a false sense of security that his ambition latches onto.
- Good King, Bad King: What does it mean to be a ruler? Duncan is gracious. Macbeth, driven by an ambition purely for himself, becomes a paranoid, bloody tyrant. It’s a chilling before-and-after.
The Poisoned Cup of “More, More, More”
Ultimately, Macbeth shows us that ambition without a moral compass is like drinking from a “poisoned chalice,” as Macbeth himself puts it (Act 1, Scene 7). It promises everything but delivers only despair. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth get what they thought they wanted – the crown – but it brings them nothing but misery, isolation, and a whole lotta blood on their hands.
It’s a timeless warning, really. That urge for more, for power, for status – it’s a human thing. But Shakespeare, in his genius way, holds up the Macbeths as a terrifying example of what happens when that urge runs rampant, unchecked by conscience or compassion. It makes you stop and think about your own “vaulting ambitions,” doesn’t it? And maybe, just maybe, to consider the price of chasing them too blindly.
So, next time you see or read Macbeth, watch for that gleam in their eyes, that first whisper of “what if.” It’s the start of a journey into the darkest corners of human desire, and it’s a ride you won’t soon forget.
