Macbeth

• Macbeth: '"Vaulting ambition which o'erleaps itself and falls on the other" (Act 1)'
• Personification


  Macbeth personifies his ambition, portraying it as possessing a potency comparable to a human force that can exert influence and corrupt his formerly innocent mind
• Macbeth acknowledges his ambition's eventual "fall"

  It indicates Macbeth's awareness that his all-encompassing ambition is his hamartia (fatal flaw that leads to his downfall)
• Macbeth's "vaulting ambition"


  Positions him as a victim ensnared (trapped) by his own ambition, showcasing his introspective understanding of its fatal consequences and presenting him as vulnerable to its relentless influence
• Macbeth's struggle to control his ambitious nature

  Suggests self-deception - Macbeth believes that he is able to harness some control over his ambition, enough that he is able to transcend the societal, political and divine limitations placed upon him
• Macbeth: '"With Torquin's ravishing strides, towards his design" (Act 2)'
• Macbeth ambitiously strives to emulate Tarquin, the Roman tyrant

  So he can embody what it means to be a ruthless blood-thirsty leader
• Macbeth's ambition is further fuelled by the lingering emasculation


  He experienced at the hands of Lady Macbeth in Act 1
• For Macbeth, power becomes synonymous with brutality

  This perception is compounded by his insatiable ambition, which propels him towards a relentless pursuit of dominance through brute force
• Despite Macbeth's transgression (going against) of natural order in his pursuit of power


  The seductive allure of these temptations of power and authority obstructs him from seeing the permanent and eternal consequences he will face
• Macbeth's excessive ambition


  Causes him to justify violent and heinous acts
• Macbeth's engagements with the supernatural

  Serve as a catalyst for his ambitious aspirations, as he interprets the prophecies bestowed upon him as a mystic insight, further igniting his desire for power and fulfilment of destiny
• Macbeth's conscience, tormented by guilt


  Is a direct consequence of his insatiable ambition
• Macbeth's relentless pursuit of kingship


  Is propelled by the emasculation he faces from his wife, Lady Macbeth
• Consumed by ambition, Macbeth desperately craves a cloak of duplicity (deceitful)

  His true desires fester beneath a carefully constructed facade, a mask he desperately hopes will conceal his ruthless agenda
• Lady Macbeth: '"Make thick my blood, stop up th' access and passage to remorse." (Act 1)'
• The imperative "make thick my blood"

  Illustrates how Lady Macbeth commands for emotional restraint and a callous (cruel) indifference
• Lady Macbeth

  • A seductive and manipulative woman who can lure men into danger or sin- it is a common trope within literature and poetry
  • A femme fatale as she not only is manipulative but rejects her womanhood and motherhood-a typical trope (theme or idea) of a femme fatale
• Lady Macbeth: '"A little water clears us of this deed" (Act 2)'
• Lady Macbeth's omnipotent (all-powerful) ambitions

  Blind her to the profound mental turmoil Macbeth is experiencing
• Despite Lady Macbeth's ambitions to shed feminine traits and embrace tyrannical brutality

  She struggles to articulate the gravity (seriousness) of the heinous (evil) act, foreshadowing her descent into a melodramatic state of insanity in Act 5
• Lady Macbeth's ambitions


  Defied Jacobean norms where women were confined to maternal roles, reflecting a relentless pursuit of invincible and violent authority
• Lady Macbeth's relentless desire for absolute power

  Drives her to call on supernatural forces in her quest
• Lady Macbeth's aspirations and ambitions for cruelty and ruthlessness


  Contradict her outward demeanour, enhancing the effectiveness of her duplicity (deceitfulness)
• Lady Macbeth's aspirations for tyranny

  Require a detachment from femininity and the accompanying emotions, which she seeks to rid herself of to pave the way for her ruthless ambitions
• Banquo


  Royalty of nature (said by Macbeth in Act 3)
• Macbeth: '"He hath wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety" (said by Macbeth in Act 3)'
• 9°C Sunny
• Diction of "guide"


  Connotes leadership, revealing Macbeth's initial attempt to direct and lead his ambition. However, he succumbs to its potent influence, rendering him vulnerable. In stark contrast, Banquo emerges as a figure capable of self-guidance, steering clear of the temptations of sin
• Supernatural prophecies


  Banquo refrains from succumbing to unchecked ambition fuelled by - he abstains from indulging in the allure of these mystical prophecies, instead striving for a moral path aligned with the will of God
• Appearance vs reality


  Externally, Banquo's demeanour exudes piety and morality, a reflection of the authentic nature that lies beneath. He remains impervious (unaffected) to the allure of immorality and temptation, and has an unwavering commitment to moral principles
• Macduff: '"I have no words; my voice is my sword". (act 5)'
• Violent metaphor


  Macduff contends that the restoration of Scotland's natural order necessitates physical violence - his ambition is to rightfully restore Scotland. Thus, the initial upheaval, brought about by Macbeth's violent tyrannical means, mandates a similar force to rectify the natural order that has been disrupted
• Macduff


  • The archetype (perfect example) of the avenging hero, motivated by revenge. Despite his personal motivations rooted in revenge, the nobility of his intentions shines through. His ambitious pursuit of dismantling Macbeth single-handedly to restore order is materialising into a reality
• Short sentence


  Reflects the short amount of time that Scotland will have to continue to suffer - by slewing Macbeth Scotland can be rightly governed and flourish under divine ordain
• Violence


  Macduff's ambitions in slewing Macbeth and restoring order within Scotland shows that this necessities violence. The initial upheaval, brought about by Macbeth's violent tyrannical means, mandates a similar force to rectify the natural order that has been disrupted
• Appearance vs reality


  Macduff's does not put on a false facade, instead his intent is genuine and sincere. His ambitions and goals are characterised by an honesty and truthfulness that is dedicated to preventing Scotland from descending into anymore turmoil
• Malcolm: '"A good and virtuous nature may recoil in an imperial charge" (said to Macduff in Act 4)'
• Diction of "recoil"


  Illuminates Malcolm's recognition of the seductive nature of power and the risk of moral compromise, even for the well-intentioned
• Malcolm

  • Shrewd (good judgement) and wise as he understands the complexities of human nature - how even those divinely ordained, like himself can be swayed by the satanic temptation of power. Here, Malcolm acknowledges the fragility of faith in the face of immense ambition