Macbeth

 William Shakespeare

He was born 26 April 1564 and died 23 April 1616 was an English playwright  poet and actor widely regarded as the English language and the worids greatest dramatist . He is often called England's national poet and the Bard of Avon. His extant works , including collaboration consist t some 39 plays 154 Sonnets three long narrative poems and a few other verses some of uncertain authorship . His translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other palywright . They also continue to be studied and reinterpreted.

Macbeth short summary

Three withes tell the Scottish general Macbeth that he will be king of Scotland Encouraged by his wife . Macbeth kills the king becomes the new king and paranoia .Civil war war erupts to overthrow Macbeth resulting in more death.

The Politics of Aloofness in Macbeth:

Full tittle the Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare,it is thought to have been first performed in 1606 . It dramatise the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those who sake power for its own sake of all the plays that Shakespeare wrote during the reign of James  I who was patron of Shakespeare's acting company Macbeth most clearly reflects the playwrights relationship with his sovereign. It was first published in the Folio of 1623 possibly from a prompt book and is Shakespeare's shortest Tragedy.

A brave Scottish general named Macbeth recives a prophecy from a trio of withes that one day he will become King of Scotland consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife. Macbeth murders king 👑 Duncan and takes the Scotland throne for himself.

The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death .

Shakespeares source for the story is the account of Macbeth king of Scotland Macbeth and Duncan in Holinsheds Chronicles a history of England Scotland and Ireland familiar to Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

In the backstage world of theatre some believe that the play is cursed and will not mention it's tittle aloud. The Scotland paly over the course of many centuries the play has attracted some of the most renowned actors to the roles of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth . It has been adapted to film television opera novel comics and other media.

Macbeth's Ambition :

   Ambition is the driving force of William Shakespeares tragedy Macbeth more specifically it is about ambition that goes unchecked by any concept of morality this is why it become a dangerous quality. Macbeth's Ambition inspires most of his actions and that result in the death of numerous characters and the ultimate downfall of both himself and lady Macbeth.

The Sources of Ambition in Macbeth:

Macbeth's Ambition is driven by a number of factors for one he has a deep internal desire for power and advancement . However that is not exactly why he turns to crime. It takes two outside forces to ignite this hunger and push him to take violent action to obtain power.

Prophecies :

Throughout the play the Macbeth witches make a number of prophecies including that Macbeth will become King 👑. Macbeth believes them each time and often used the predictions to decide his next actions such as killing Banquo.

Lady Macbeth :

The witches may have planted the initial seed in Macbeth mind to act on his ambition but his wife is the one who pushes him to murder. Lady Macbeth's persistence encourages Macbeth to put aside his guilt and kill Duncan  telling him to focus on his ambition not his conscience.

Controlling Ambition :

Macbeth's ambition soon spirals out of control and forces him to murder again and again to cover up his previous wrongdoing . His first victims of this are the Chamberlain who are framed by Macbeth for the murder of king 👑 Duncan and killed as " Punishment".

Balancing Ambition and Morality:

We also see a more honorable take on ambition in Macbeth to test Macduffs loyality Malcolm pretens to be greedy lustful and power hungry .

Consequences :

The consequences of ambition in Macbeth are dire not only are a number of innocent people killed but Macbeth's life also ends with him being known as a tyrant a significant downfall from the noble hero he begins as.

Does violent Ambition end with Macbeth :

At the end of the play , Malcolm is the victorious king and Macbeth burning ambition has been extinguished . But is this really the end to over reaching ambition in Scotland.

Macbeth short