Pardon Our Interruption
As you were browsing something about your browser made us think you were a bot. There are a few reasons this might happen:
- You've disabled JavaScript in your web browser.
- You're a power user moving through this website with super-human speed.
- You've disabled cookies in your web browser.
- A third-party browser plugin, such as Ghostery or NoScript, is preventing JavaScript from running. Additional information is available in this support article .
To regain access, please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page.
Macbeth Key Theme: Ambition ( AQA GCSE English Literature )
Revision note.
Ambition in Macbeth
Although it is important to stress that Shakespeare explores many other themes in Macbeth, and that you should aim to revise those other themes in some detail, it can be argued that, at heart, Macbeth as a play is an exploration of ambition and its consequences. On this page you will find a summary of how Shakespeare explores ambition in Macbeth, and also tips on how to answer an exam question on the theme of ambition.
Although understanding the theme of ambition is crucial in understanding Macbeth as a play, it is equally important to understand what other ideas Shakespeare is exploring, and how the theme of ambition relates to the principal characters in the play. See our Macbeth: Themes and Macbeth: Characters pages for more detailed revision notes on these.
How does Shakespeare present ambition in Macbeth? When we talk about “ambition” in Macbeth, we are not talking about a desire to do something or determination to succeed towards a set goal. Instead, we should understand ambition in the play as a negative character trait: not just a desire to achieve something, but an unnatural desire to achieve something at any cost . Indeed, Shakespeare has Macbeth speak the lines “vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself” in Act I, Scene VII. “Vaulting” means jumping over, suggesting that Macbeth, in order to achieve his ambition (to become king), knows that he must overcome an obstacle that stands in his way. This obstacle is King Duncan, and the only way to remove this obstacle is to murder him. To murder a king was a shocking, unnatural act in Jacobean England (for more on Jacobean society and its beliefs, see our Macbeth: Context page), but Macbeth is prepared to commit regicide to realise his ambition. Ultimately, the cost he will pay for his ambition is his own life.
Below you will find a summary of the ways in which Shakespeare explores the theme of ambition in Macbeth. For more detailed revision notes on ambition, please see the Macbeth: Themes page.
- Ambition is Macbeth’s fatal character flaw, his hamartia:
- In tragedy , a tragic hero must have a tragic flaw
- In Macbeth, as in most tragedy, the tragic hero’s hamartia is the cause of their own downfall:
- Macbeth’s ambition to gain, and retain, the throne leads to him committing more and more evil acts
- Other characters seek revenge for these acts of murder
- Macbeth’s own conscience also begins to terrorise him
- Ultimately, a combination of his own mental disintegration and avenging heroes sees him killed by the hand of Macduff
- At heart, Shakespeare is presenting a morality play to the audience:
- Allow yourself to be consumed by ambition, or hubris , and prepare to suffer dire consequences
- It can also be seen as a warning against those who seek to undermine – or overthrow – the rule of a rightful king:
- Shakespeare may also be 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
Answering an exam question on ambition in Macbeth
In order to get top marks for your essay, it is very important that you know the format and requirements of the exam paper, and the nature of the exam question. It is also vital that you know how to plan an answer in the Shakespeare exam, and are aware of what you need to include to get the highest grade. In this section you will find:
- an overview of the exam
- a plan for a question on ambition
- an ambition essay model paragraph
Overview of the Shakespeare Exam
- Your Shakespeare question would be part of Section A of Paper 1 of your GCSE
- The essay is worth 34 marks: 30 for the quality of your essay, and 4 for the level of your spelling, punctuation and grammar
- In your question paper, you will find an extract from the text of Macbeth and only one question
- You must answer the question that is set and refer to the extract, but also the rest of the play
- This is challenging because the exam is what’s called “closed-book”, meaning that you will not have access to a copy of the text (other than the printed extract) in your exam
- Therefore, in order to refer to the play as a whole, it is important to:
- revise the plot of the play
- revise some selected quotations from different parts of the play
For a much more detailed guide on answering the Macbeth question, please see our revision notes on How to Answer the Shakespeare Essay Question .
Plan for a question on ambition in Macbeth
Below you will find a template for a plan for the following exemplar question on ambition. It is always worthwhile spending a good deal of time planning an answer at GCSE, with examiners repeatedly reporting that the highest marks are awarded to those students who have clearly set aside time to plan their essays. For more information on planning a response, and approaching the Shakespeare question in general, see our comprehensive revision notes here .
Exemplar question
‘Macbeth’s ambition proves to be his downfall’
Starting with this moment in the play, explore how far you agree with this view.
Write about:
- How Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s ambition in this extract
- How far Shakespeare presents Macbeth’s ambition as the reason for his downfall in the play as a whole
AO4 [4 marks]
Act I, Scene VII
Macbeth is contemplating whether or not to go through with the plan to murder King Duncan
If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly: if the assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease success; that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'd jump the life to come. But in these cases
We still have judgment here; that we but teach
Bloody instructions, which, being taught, return
To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice
Commends the ingredients of our poison'd chalice
To our own lips. He's here in double trust;
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself. Besides, this Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against
The deep damnation of his taking-off;
And pity, like a naked new-born babe,
Striding the blast, or heaven's cherubim, horsed
Upon the sightless couriers of the air,
Shall blow the horrid deed in every eye,
That tears shall drown the wind. I have no spur
To prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself
And falls on the other.
| While it could be argued that external factors play a part in the downfall of Macbeth – the witches’ trickery, Lady Macbeth’s manipulation – ultimately, it is Macbeth’s own character flaws, and particularly his ambition, that causes his downfall. Shakespeare could be suggesting that a person’s own characteristics determine their fate, and Macbeth’s death is, therefore, a direct consequence of his own evil actions. | ||
|
|
|
|
| Although he is ambitious, Lady Macbeth’s evil influence is the reason he commits regicide | “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent” | Act II, Scene I where Lady Macbeth attacks Macbeth’s masculinity and persuades him to kill Duncan |
| Macbeth knows the religious consequences of regicide, but his ambition means he proceeds with the murder anyway | Semantic field of Heaven and Hell: “damnation”, “angels” etc. | “That summons thee to Heaven, or to Hell” |
| As the play progresses, Macbeth’s ambition to remain king sees him commit more and more heinous crimes, which lead to his death | His kindness – and sympathy for Duncan and his comrades – evaporates | Assassinations of Banquo, Macduff’s family, lack of remorse, wilful trusting of the witches |
| Conventions of tragedy; characterisation | ||
| The Great Chain of Being; regicide and Christianity | ||
Ambition in Macbeth Essay Model Paragraph
Despite the fact that Macbeth is clearly aware of the dire religious consequences of regicide, his ambition means he proceeds with the murder of King Duncan anyway, indicating that his ambition overrides all other sensibilities. In this scene, Shakespeare uses the semantic fields of religion throughout Macbeth’s soliloquy: he refers to “Heaven”, “cherubin” and “angels”, as well as “damnation”. Ostensibly, this language is being used because Macbeth is discussing King Duncan’s prospective life after death. However, it could also be argued that this language betrays Macbeth’s own acknowledgement that committing the planned act of regicide (a mortal sin in the Jacobean era) will instead send him to eternal “damnation”. Indeed, later on in the play, Shakespeare has Macbeth speak the lines: “That summons thee to Heaven, or to Hell”, again, on the face of it referring to Duncan’s passage to the afterlife, but in reality speaking about his own fate. Indeed, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth use the language of Heaven and Hell throughout Act I and the beginning of Act II, suggesting that they are both – on a subconscious level at least – mortally concerned for their future should they commit the sacrilegious act of murdering a sitting monarch. It can be argued that the regicide of King Duncan is the catalyst for Macbeth’s ultimate downfall. In terms of tragedy, this is the inciting incident, after which a tragic hero’s fate is sealed. Therefore, the language that Shakespeare has Macbeth use prior to the murder is very illuminating. Before the murder, Macbeth admits in this soliloquy that – despite the acknowledgement of his own eternal punishment – that it is “only vaulting ambition” which is tempting him to overthrow the king. This is indeed Macbeth himself identifying that his ambition is the “only” reason that he himself identifies to commit the murder, and by extension, it is his ambition that sets the wheels in motion for his ultimate demise.
You've read 0 of your 10 free revision notes
Get unlimited access.
to absolutely everything:
- Downloadable PDFs
- Unlimited Revision Notes
- Topic Questions
- Past Papers
- Model Answers
- Videos (Maths and Science)
Join the 100,000 + Students that ❤️ Save My Exams
the (exam) results speak for themselves:
Did this page help you?
Author: Nick
Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.
Macbeth Essays
There are loads of ways you can approach writing an essay, but the two i favour are detailed below., the key thing to remember is that an essay should focus on the three aos:, ao1: plot and character development; ao2: language and technique; ao3: context, strategy 1 : extract / rest of play, the first strategy basically splits the essay into 3 paragraphs., the first paragraph focuses on the extract, the second focuses on the rest of the play, the third focuses on context. essentially, it's one ao per paragraph, for a really neatly organised essay., strategy 2 : a structured essay with an argument, this strategy allows you to get a much higher marks as it's structured to form an argument about the whole text. although you might think that's harder - and it's probably going to score more highly - i'd argue that it's actually easier to master. mainly because you do most of the work before the day of the exam., to see some examples of these, click on the links below:, lady macbeth as a powerful woman, macbeth as a heroic character, the key to this style is remembering this: you're going to get a question about a theme, and the extract will definitely relate to the theme., the strategy here is planning out your essays before the exam, knowing that the extract will fit into them somehow., below are some structured essays i've put together., macbeth and gender.
Macbeth Essay on Leadership
Quick Reply
Related discussions.
- gcse aqa urgent please help
- can someone mark this macbeth essay
- Gcse advice
- English lit Macbeth questions <3
- AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 1 (8702/1) - 17th May [Exam Chat]
- Gcse aqa english lit
- Can someone mark my English Lit GCSE essay?
- National 5 English - Critical Essay
- Gcse english revision
- Help For Macbeth Context - GCSE English Literature
- Could someone please mark my Macbeth essay and give feedback?
- english lit 2024 paper 1
- macbet practice answer
- gcse english literature help
- English Lit Macbeth
- Please may someone mark my Macbeth English essay
- A Christmas Carol Predictions 2024 AQA GCSE
- GCSE English Lit/Lang
Last reply 18 hours ago
Last reply 6 days ago
Last reply 1 week ago
Last reply 2 weeks ago
Last reply 3 weeks ago
Last reply 4 weeks ago
Last reply 1 month ago
Last reply 2 months ago
Articles for you
Best video resources for revising GCSE or A-level English
Finding a university place in Ucas Clearing 2024: 10 top tips to help you get ready
Top 10 tips for Ucas Clearing 2024
Bringing business people into the classroom: what students learn from industry professionals
Home / Essay Samples / Literature / Macbeth Power / Leadership, Power, And Masculinity In Relation To Gender Roles In Macbeth
Leadership, Power, And Masculinity In Relation To Gender Roles In Macbeth
- Category: Literature
- Topic: Macbeth , Macbeth Power , William Shakespeare
Pages: 2 (956 words)
Views: 1392
- Downloads: -->
--> ⚠️ Remember: This essay was written and uploaded by an--> click here.
Found a great essay sample but want a unique one?
are ready to help you with your essay
You won’t be charged yet!
Metamorphosis Essays
Things Fall Apart Essays
The Things They Carried Essays
Antigone Essays
Their Eyes Were Watching God Essays
Related Essays
We are glad that you like it, but you cannot copy from our website. Just insert your email and this sample will be sent to you.
By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.
Your essay sample has been sent.
In fact, there is a way to get an original essay! Turn to our writers and order a plagiarism-free paper.
samplius.com uses cookies to offer you the best service possible.By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .--> -->