Ambition and power

Created by

Mimz

Cards (23)

Tragedy 
A play that must have a tragic hero as its protagonist
Tragic hero 
The protagonist of a tragedy
Tragic flaw (hamartia) 
A character flaw that leads to the downfall of the tragic hero
Hubris 
Overconfidence in one's own ambitions, a common tragic flaw in Ancient Greek tragedies
Macbeth 
The tragic hero of the play, whose tragic flaw is ambition
Punishment of tragic heroes in Ancient Greek tragedies
Tragic hero is punished by the gods for their actions resulting from their hamartia, often leading to the protagonist's death
Macbeth's ambition 
He is punished by Shakespeare in a Christian context
Macbeth abandons his morals and is corrupted by his ambition
Macbeth commits regicide, the murder of his best friend, and the murder of women and children
Macbeth is condemned to death at the hands of Macduff and to Hell for eternity
Lady Macbeth is also ambitious, and her punishment is suicide
Shakespeare is presenting a morality play to his Jacobean audience: allow yourself to be morally corrupted and act against societal norms and you will suffer the consequences
Divine Right of Kings
Kings derived their authority from God, and therefore could not be challenged
Macbeth committing regicide 
An act against God
Regicide 
A mortal sin, meaning dying without the grace of God and being condemned to Hell
A Jacobean Christian audience would have understood regicide as a mortal sin
Duncan is referred to as a "king" 
Macbeth, once he ascends the throne, is frequently called a tyrant
Kings 
Bring harmony to their kingdom, in line with God's plan
Tyrants 
Bring only chaos and disorder
The play ends with a legitimate ruler - Duncan's son and true heir, Malcolm - becoming king
Shakespeare's intention 
Upholding contemporary views about kingship
Shakespeare's intention 
Suggesting that those unaccustomed and undeserving of power will be destroyed by it
Shakespeare is suggesting that kings are legitimate rulers, but tyrants are not