#MACBETH AMBITION QUOTES FULL#

#MACBETH AMBITION QUOTES FULL#

It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness When she receives Macbeth’s letter and learns about the witches’ prophecy she says: “Yet do I fear thy nature She seems to understand her husband well and displays her own philosophy of power, where only those who are able to set aside morality can rise to greatness. Lady Macbeth reflects on her husband’s character and acknowledges that he may have ambitious dreams and could be king, but thinks that he is too gentle and not willing to display the ruthless behaviour to make those dreams come true. The events of Act 1, Scene 5, display the ambition of both Macbeth and his wife. Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see.”

Let not light see my black and deep desires. On which I must fall down, or else o’erleap,įor in my way it lies. Macbeth goes on to describes his wish to become king as ‘black and deep desires’, which suggests he is struggling with the acts he will need to undertake to fulfill his ambition: “The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step The eagerness with which he speaks these words suggest his ambition is front of mind, even though he understands he will need to commit a heinous, violent act in order to become king – thoughts which at this point he seems to refuse to consider acting upon: “Two truths are told When Macbeth realizes that one of the witches’ prophesies has come true (he has become ‘Thane of Cawdor’, a title of Scottish nobility) he immediately begins to wonder whether it could be true that he will become king. He realizes his path to the crown will likely require violence, but shows that he is uncomfortable with the evil thoughts that are starting to fill his head: “Why do I yield to that suggestionĪnd make my seated heart knock at my ribs, He asks them to reveal more to him of how he will ascend to power but they disappear without telling him, leaving him in a state of suspense. It is clear that the witches’ words have stirred some ambition in Macbeth. Shakes so my single state of man that function He wonders how it might occur, and foresees undertaking an evil deed to get there: “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, They are both initially skeptical about the prophecies, but Macbeth is intrigued by the prospect of becoming the most powerful man in Scotland.

When Macbeth and Banquo encounter the three witches, they are told a number of prophecies, including that Macbeth will one day be made King of Scotland and that Banquo’s children will sit on the king’s throne. On this page, we run through the most significant quotes from Macbeth about ambition, each with an explanation giving some context. Macbeth is a play steeped with the theme of ambition, and as such there are plenty of Macbeth ambition quotes to choose from. Each Shakespeare’s play name links to a range of resources about each play: Character summaries, plot outlines, example essays and famous quotes, soliloquies and monologues: All’s Well That Ends Well Antony and Cleopatra As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Coriolanus Cymbeline Hamlet Henry IV Part 1 Henry IV Part 2 Henry VIII Henry VI Part 1 Henry VI Part 2 Henry VI Part 3 Henry V Julius Caesar King John King Lear Loves Labour’s Lost Macbeth Measure for Measure The Merchant of Venice The Merry Wives of Windsor A Midsummer Night’s Dream Much Ado About Nothing Othello Pericles Richard II Richard III Romeo & Juliet The Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Timon of Athens Titus Andronicus Troilus & Cressida Twelfth Night The Two Gentlemen of Verona The Winter’s Tale This list of Shakespeare plays brings together all 38 plays in alphabetical order. Plays It is believed that Shakespeare wrote 38 plays in total between 15.