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MACBETH

Character List

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Act 4

Act 5

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PLAY

SHORT SUMMARY (AI)

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EXAMPLE OF AN ESSAY

Q. Ambition is a major theme in Macbeth.
Write an essay in which you describe one incident that highlights two characters' ambitious nature. For one of the incidents described, you must discuss how one character is affected by the ambition of one of the characters. Finally, you must examine how Shakespeare uses one dramatic technique to explore the theme of ambition.

Ambition is a strong desire to succeed, gain power, or achieve a specific goal. Ambition, in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, is seen in (www.bulbsoup.com) both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth; Banquo is affected by Macbeth’s ambition, and dramatic irony is used to explore the theme of ambition.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are ambitious. Macbeth’s ambition is immediately seen in his desire to become king when he returned home and realized that he had become the Thane of Cawdor. This is significant because this is the point at which he realizes that the witches’ prophecy has come true, so there is a possibility that the prophecy that he would be king could come true as well. He displays his humanity when he shows regret at the prospect of having to eliminate a good man to become king: “ This Duncan Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been So clear in his great office, that his virtues Will plead like angels”, but then his ambition is (www.bulbsoup.com) highlighted when he admits that he desires King Duncan’s the throne: “I have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself And falls on th’ other.” This ambition culminates in the fact that he ultimately kills King Duncan.
Lady Macbeth is also ambitious. This is seen when she immediately started scheming to kill the king when she received the letter from Macbeth, which detailed the prophecies. She went as far as to commit to losing all her feminine attributes to assist him in his pursuit of that position of power: “unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top full Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood. Stop up the access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visitings of nature Shake my fell purpose …. Come to my woman’s breasts, And take my milk for gall”. She would willingly give up every ‘soft’ or feminine trait to ensure that her husband becomes king of Scotland; this is the definition of a strong desire to achieve a specific goal: ambition. Her (www.bulbsoup.com) ambition culminates in her framing Duncan’s guards by placing the bloody daggers beside them, when her husband was unable to return to King Duncan’s chamber to complete the task himself.
Banquo is affected by Macbeth’s ambition. Banquo is affected by Macbeth’s ambition because he is killed to ensure that Macbeth maintains the throne. Both Macbeth and Banquo received prophecies from the witches, but Banquo’s prophecy threatened Macbeth’s position as king because he was told that his descendants, not him, would become kings of Scotland. The threat to Macbeth is evident in the fact that Macbeth alone would be king, and not his descendants: “Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown And put a barren scepter in my grip, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding”. The thought, therefore, is that if Macbeth kills Banquo, then he eradicates the chances of his sons and the descendants of his sons taking the throne. Banquo’s elimination ensures that Macbeth’s descendants can keep the throne of Scotland: “Rather than so, come (www.bulbsoup.com) fate into the list, And champion me to th’ utterance.” He would rather kill Banquo than see Banquo’s descendants seize power from his descendants.
Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to explore the theme of ambition. This is when the audience is aware of a situation in the play, but the characters are unaware of this situation and behave inappropriately as a result. Duncan is the character who behaves inappropriately, in this case, because Macbeth acts as if he is loyal to Duncan, but the audience knows that he is plotting with Lady Macbeth to kill Duncan, yet Duncan holds Macbeth in high regard: “He is full so valiant, And in his commendations I am fed; It is a banquet to me. - Let’s after him, Whose care is gone before to bid us welcome: It is a peerless kinsman.” This dramatic irony highlights the theme of ambition because it shows the reader the deceptive lengths that Macbeth was willing to go to obtain his goals. Macbeth is willing to show a ‘false face’ to King Duncan (www.bulbsoup.com) to gain his trust and appear non-threatening, while plotting his demise in the background. This proves that Macbeth would do anything to achieve his ambition to become king of Scotland.
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a study in the effects of unchecked ambition. This is the case because both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth display a high degree of ambition through their scheming and plotting to get and maintain the Scottish throne; Banquo (www.bulbsoup.com) is adversely affected, and dramatic irony is used to explore the theme of ambition.

HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY

Step 1:
Separate the question into sections. These sections will become the topic sentences for the body paragraphs of the essay.

Step 2:
Reword the sections of the essay in order to ensure that you understand what the question is asking.

Step 3:
Create a plan for each section of the essay. In an exam setting, it is recommended that you, the student, create the plan on a designated sheet for rough work.