Macbeth-Ambition 2

• • "With Tarquin's ravishing strides, towards his design" (Act 2)

  Contextual link: Macbeth ambitiously strives to emulate Tarquin, the Roman tyrant whom raped his wife, so he can embody what it means to be a ruthless blood-thristy leader.
• • Macbeth's ambition is further fuelled by the lingering emasculation (using his masculinity against him) he experienced at the hands of Lady Macbeth in Act 1. For him, power becomes synonymous (closely linked) with brutality, and this perception is compounded by his insatiable ambition, which propels him towards a relentless pursuit of dominance through brute force.
• • Connotations on "design": The diction "design" connotes intentional creation, mirroring Macbeth's intentional crafting of his desired position as King through ambitious pursuits. Despite his transgression (going against) of natural order in this pursuit, the seductive allure of these temptations of power and authority obstructs him from seeing the permanent and eternal consequences he will face.