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How does Shakespeare explore the idea of ambition in this extract (Act 1 Scene 5) and throughout the rest of the play?

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Shakespeare explores ambition in this extract through the character Lady Macbeth and her reaction to the prophecy of the witches. Ambition is also shown throughout the rest of the play through Macbeth's desire to usurp Duncan and to become King of Scotland, as well as through the role of the supernatural.

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Lady Macbeth's lust for power is used by Shakespeare in this speech to reveal the strength of her ambition. This is the first time Lady Macbeth appears in the play, immediately presenting the audience with an impression of how driven and powerful Lady Macbeth is; which would have been shocking to the audience at the time who were used to weaker women roles in plays. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to come to her so she may 'pour [her] spirits in [his] ear' to stop 'all that impedes [him] from the golden round' showing how she is immediately capitalizing on the chance to gain power, the 'golden round' being the crown. From this we can

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Laila and Laila

Shakespeare uses this soliloquy to show how ambition is linked to moral corruption. This is shown when Lady Macbeth says 'illness should attend' ambition. Shakespeare is conveying Lady Macbeth's view that ambition cannot be without corruption. The word 'illness' is used to create connotations of poor health to the audience which mirrors the poor mental health that Lady Macbeth obtains towards the end of the play: When she washes her hands repeatedly and sleep walks. Shakespeare includes this soliloquy in the play to show Lady Macbeth's responsibility of the corrupt actions  in the play. The killings

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Henry and Simon

Another way in which Shakespeare presents ambition in Lady Macbeth's soliloquy is when she is telling the audience that that she must manipulate Macbeth and convince him into killing King Duncan. She must "pour [her] spirits in thine ear". This conveys to the audience that Lady Macbeth must persuade Macbeth to kill the King. This emphasizes her lust for power and how willing she is to sacrifice anything to gain the "golden round". The figurative language of "pour my spirits" has negative connotations and creates an ominous tone. This is because the word "spirits" is linked to hell and the devil which again emphasizes how morally corrupt she has become to gain power. This shows the Jacobean audience how cruel and sinister Lady Macbeth is. This will have frightened the audience because at the time the play was written, people were very religious and believed in 'The Great Chain Of Being'. This idea suggests that only God could decide who was King and that any other idea goes against both society and God's beliefs. Furthermore this again emphasizes Lady Macbeth's eagerness for power and how ambitious she is. In this context, Shakespeare could be suggesting that it is unnatural for women to have as much power.

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Throughout the play,  Shakespeare shows Macbeth's ambition in different ways and shows how it intensifies. At the beginning Macbeth is described by Lady Macbeth as being "too full o'th'milk of human kindness/To catch the nearest way". This suggests that Macbeth is not ambitious and that he is too kind to achieve his "black and deep desires". 'Milk of human kindness' could refer to breast milk, which has connotations of babies and innocence, likening Macbeth to a child in his vulnerability and naivety. At the end of the play, Shakespeare presents a much darker and ambition-driven Macbeth, who seems much more emotionless and independent than how he was portrayed at the beginning of the play. This is shown in Act 5 Scene 8 when it says 'My soul is too charged with blood of thine.' This metaphor suggests that Macbeth's soul is corrupted by the suffering of others that he caused.  Shakespeare does this to show just how far his ambition develops throughout the play and how  it twists his character and his morality.

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Ben and Emma :P *-*

Macbeth's ambition is greatly affected throughout the play, mainly by the supernatural. Shakespeare uses supernatural activities from early on with the three witches telling Macbeth and Banquo their prophecies, saying 'All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter'. The witches informing Macbeth that he will become king, is the first trigger to Macbeth's over-ambition. The fact that the witches use the word 'shalt' shows certainty, it also increases ambition and confidence in Macbeth. The fact that he revisits the witches later in the play shows that the supernatural is taking over him and he feeds off this ambition. While he is with the witches again they tell him 'None of women born shall harm Macbeth' this also increases the ambition of Macbeth as he believes that everyone is born from a women, and therefore he is invincible. Shakespeare uses the idea of the supernatural to also scare (and entertain) the audience because in the Jacobean period, people generally believed in the power of witchcraft. Even King James had written a book about witchcraft. Macbeth's involvement with witchcraft therefore shows his ambition to be unnatural and untrustworthy.

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Shakespeare presents both Lady Macbeth's and Macbeth's ambition as ultimately fatal to both characters. After Duncan's murder, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both start to show signs of insanity and their demise. As a consequence of this the people around them become suspicious of their actions and this turns Macbeth's kingdom against him; this is epitomised by Shakespeare deliberately making Macbeth cry out at Banquo's ghost at the Coronation Feast in front of everybody. He cries "thou canst not say I did it" immediately raising suspicions. Later on in the play, in Act 5 Scene 1, Shakespeare explores how Lady Macbeth has gone insane and is controlled by her guilty conscience, even in her sleep. While sleepwalking she exclaims "Out damn spot" showing that she feels she has Duncan's blood still on her hands as a result of her ambition. As a result of her sleepwalking and her insanity, she reveals to the doctor her actions and her treachery, as well as damning evidence of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's secrets. As a result of this the doctor says, "She has spoke what she should not" and this confirms suspicions about the monarchs. After weeks of this madness, Lady Macbeth ultimately commits suicide. On the other hand, Macbeth's ambition develops later as a result of Lady Macbeth but leads to a very gruesome ending. The prophecies from the witches convince Macbeth that he is now immortal, when he is told by Hecate that "thou shalt not be slain by man of woman kind"

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Shakespeare is showing the audience that if ambition is mistreat it can become dangerous and corrupt.