Ambition

• What drives the plot of Macbeth forward?

  The Macbeths' manipulative ambition
• How do the Macbeths' actions relate to their ambition?

  They exploit those around them to improve their social position
• What ultimately happens to Lady Macbeth as a result of her ambition?

  She suffers deep remorse and guilt, leading to her suicide
• What psychological consequences does Macbeth face due to his ambition?

  He loses his nobility and becomes intensely violent
• When was Macbeth most likely written?

  In 1606
• What societal structure was important during the Jacobean period?

  A rigid class system and intricate social hierarchy
• Why does Macbeth take the Witches' prophecies seriously?

  Because societal status was intensely important at the time
• How is ambition viewed in Jacobean and Elizabethan England?

  As a dangerous quality to possess
• What is the Great Chain of Being?

  A hierarchical structure of all beings in the universe
• What happens to those who try to rise above their rank according to the Great Chain of Being?

  They are believed to be going against God
• What does Macbeth's ambition lead him to consider after meeting the Witches?

  The possibility of murdering the King
• What is Macbeth's tragic flaw?

  His insatiable ambition
• How does Macbeth's ambition affect his mental state?

  It causes him mental distress and near insanity
• What does Macbeth compare his ambition to in Act One, Scene Seven?

  A horse rider using a spur
• What does Ross imply about ambition when he exclaims about Duncan's children?

  That ambition can lead to unnatural actions
• Who is seen as a motivator of Macbeth's ambition alongside the Witches?

  Lady Macbeth
• How does Lady Macbeth view her husband's ambition?

  She doubts his capacity to act on it
• What does Lady Macbeth's famous quote reveal about her character?

  Her defining trait is her ambition
• How does Lady Macbeth manipulate Macbeth into committing murder?

  By questioning his masculinity and resolve
• What does Lady Macbeth equate evil with in her soliloquy?

  Illness
• How does Lady Macbeth's ambition differ from societal expectations of women?

  She is more ruthless and single-minded
• What power dynamic exists between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?

  Lady Macbeth wields power over Macbeth
• What does Shakespeare demonstrate about ambition in Macbeth?

  It leads to loss and suffering
• What is the central theme of Macbeth?

  Ambition
• How does guilt manifest in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth?

  It torments them and undermines their sanity
• What does the apparition of Banquo's ghost represent?

  A psychological phenomenon caused by guilt
• What does blood symbolize in Macbeth?

  Sin and guilt
• How does Macbeth's perception of blood change throughout the play?

  It shifts from representing loyalty to symbolizing guilt
• How does Macbeth's character evolve from noble to tyrant?

  His hallucinations of blood reflect his guilt and changing character
• What quote tells us what Macbeth thinks of his own ambition as?

  ”black and deep desires" - Act 1 Scene 4.
• What quote shows off the beginning of Macbeth’s ambitious thoughts in response to the witches?

  "My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical // Shakes so my single state of man // That function is smother'd in surmise /l and nothing is but what is not" - Act 1 Scene 3
• What quote shows how Macbeth’s ambition has caused him mental distress and near insanity?


  ”a dagger of the mind, a false creation" - Act 2 Scene 1
• What quote shows how ambition for power is the only reason for him wanting to kill the king?

  ”I have no spur // To prick the sides of my intent, but only // Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself // And falls on the other" - Act 1 Scene 7
• By using a metaphor of horse riding to explain his ambition, what does Macbeth show?

  1. Ambition is his metaphorical spur that he, the rider, uses to motivate his horse (i.e. make his plans a reality).

  2. However, as he notes, a horse rider may overestimate their ability when trying to clear an obstacle and consequently fall down. Macbeth's admission foreshadows his tragic end.
• What quote shows the unnaturalness behind Duncan’s sons allegedly killing him?

  ”Gainst nature still! / Thriftless ambition, that will ravin up // Thine own lives' means!" - Act 2 Scene 4
• What does the quote “Gainst nature still!…” suggest about Duncan's children?

  It suggests that they are going against nature by allegedly killing their father for ambition.
• How does dramatic irony function in the context of Macbeth's actions?

  It allows the audience to question if Macbeth's killing of Duncan is also against nature.
• What does Ross' exclamation imply about ambition?

  It implies that ambition is an unnatural phenomenon.
• How does Macbeth justify his actions in Act Three?

  He argues that they are "For mine own good."
• What does Macbeth's justification of his actions reveal about ambition?

  It shows how ambition can lead to selfishness.