Macbeth: Ambition, greed, or both?
In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the main theme is based on how ambition and greed can overpower morality and overwhelm human nature. The wish of all leaders to increase their power, like Macbeth, changes through the play from wish to ambition, to greed. The natural ambition for power is what constantly changes the main character with drastic consequences. The witches constantly speak to Macbeth as if he should have all the power: “All hail Macbeth that shall be king hereafter”/ hail to thee thane of Cawdor. With his new ambition to have all the power, he grows a lust for power, which leads him to kill King Duncan and to get away with the murder. Macbeth was given an enormous boost in his confidence. He feels invincible and the greed for all the power finally gets to him and corrupts him. In his quest for power, Macbeth destroys two innocent families and kills innocent people. In the end, when it was time for Macbeth to lose his power, he could not accept to give his throne away. He was killed trying to keep his power. He who wants everything every time will lose everything anytime. The play illustrates how Macbeth goes from being a kind man who is loyal to his king, to a greedy and ambitious man who is willing to kill anything or anyone that gets on his way to power.
Killing greed
"I grant him bloody, Luxurious, avaricious, false, deceitful, Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin That has a name."
Endless power
Negavite Ambition
The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o'erleap, for in my way it lies. Stars hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires. The eye winks at the hand; yet let that be which the eye fears, when it is done to see.