"Macbeth": Ambition is Root of All Evil

It is said that ambition is the key to success. In the case of Shakespeare's "Macbeth", it is the key to his downfall. He is presented with the ambition by the supernatural power of the witches. Lady Macbeth, his wife, then pushes the ambition. After the murdering of Duncan, Macbeth has gained enough ambition himself to cause his own destruction. We can see a clear building of desire throughout the play. Macbeth is first introduced …

…morality, and builds his ambitions. At the point in which his wife dies, Macbeth seems to care very little, and after her death, seems not to care at all. Macbeth is, as expected, overthrown and killed. Through his own ambitions, the ambitions of his wife, and the prophesies of the witches, Macbeth has caused his own destruction and downfall. We can now clearly see that ambition not achieved through our own ability leads to destruction.