Summary
Highlights
Ambition, defined as the desire for success, is the most significant theme in Macbeth. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are ambitious for power, specifically the crown. The play serves as a warning about the dangers of unchecked ambition, as their desire for power leads to a series of murders and ultimately their tragic downfall. Shakespeare portrays ambition as a force for evil, corrupting honorable individuals and dissolving societal fabric.
After hearing the Weird Sisters' prophecy that he will be king, Macbeth initially considers letting 'chance may crown me without my stir'. However, his caution quickly changes when Duncan names Malcolm as his successor. Macbeth views Malcolm and Duncan as obstacles, expressing his 'black and deep desires' in an aside, revealing his treasonous thoughts and concern for secrecy.
Lady Macbeth, upon learning of the prophecies, assesses her husband's lack of 'illness' or morality needed to murder Duncan. She calls upon evil spirits to 'unsex me here' and fill her with 'direst cruelty', seeking the masculine resolve to convince Macbeth to commit treason. Her ambition and willingness to challenge gender norms would have been shocking to a Jacobean audience. When Macbeth hesitates, she chastises him, comparing him to a 'poor cat in the adage' to spur him into action.
After the murder, Lady Macbeth becomes queen but finds little satisfaction, noting 'our desire is got without content'. The power dynamic shifts as Macbeth, now consumed by ambition, orders Banquo's murder to secure his lineage on the throne, demonstrating the corrupting nature of his unbounded ambition. Shakespeare emphasizes that Macbeth is willing to murder his best friend to maintain his position.
As the play nears its end, Lady Macbeth succumbs to guilt and dies, while Macbeth loses all humanity. His emotionless response to his wife's death, articulated in a soliloquy comparing life to a 'walking shadow' and a 'tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,' illustrates his desperate state. This highlights Shakespeare's message: ambition leading to immoral behavior results in a loss of purpose and no happy ending, ultimately causing downfall.