Macbeth possesses a trait that is universal to all humans: ambition. Macbeth wanted nothing more than to become king, as do many other people. Macbeth was driven to succeed in his ambition of becoming King, but he did not care about the murders and the mental breakdown he suffered.
Macbeth’s ambition is evident in his efforts to become King of Scotland, a goal he pursued with great passion. Macbeth listens to witches out of desperation, and they are notoriously deceptive and nefarious. Macbeth states in the text: “This supernatural soliciting can’t be bad or good. If it were ill, why has it brought me success in the beginning, starting with a truth, if at all? “I am Thane Cawdor”. Macbeth acted out of ambition by committing wrongs against people who trusted and idolized Macbeth. Macbeth commits a crime that is the most serious, regicide. This involves killing his beloved king. Macbeth declares, “Go and it’s done. The bell calls me. Duncan, don’t listen, because it is only a bell that calls you to either heaven or hell. Macbeth loses his humanity in this event. Macbeth will kill Duncan in the near future and has no remorse.
Macbeth is also a psychopath because of his ambition. Macbeth doesn’t seem affected when Lady Macbeth suffers from mental health issues. Macbeth says: “Macbeth, she should have been dead hereafter. It would have been the right time to say such a sentence”. Readers can understand how an average person would feel if their partner had just died. Macbeth doesn’t give a damn.
Macbeth let ambition overwhelm him, leading him to make decisions that were not rational to his character. This included giving the witches an audience, killing a person he greatly admired, King Duncan, as well as losing his morals to a point where he felt no shame or guilt. Readers can learn that ambition is a powerful emotion and can cause you to do things which are not morally right and may have irreversible consequences.
