Macbeth's Ambition Essay

Ambition is a common downfall for those who seek and gain power. In literature, authors portray the harmful effects of ambition through their characters. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the main character Macbeth changes from a kind-hearted warrior to an egotistical ruler because of his ambition. The poem Ozymandias, by Percy Bysshe Shelley, tells the story of a traveler who comes across an old ruined statue. The inscription on the statue says My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings, Look on my Works ye Mighty and Despair. This is ironic because everything around the statue, or the works are in ruins. Both of these pieces of literature show the flaws of ambition.

One flaw of ambition is that sometimes people can be overly ambitious. When one is too ambitious, ambition gets the better of a person. For example, in the poem Ozymandias, the king/ruler probably became too concerned with his power and he forgot about the prior goals he set. This most likely led to the destruction of his works. Macbeth somewhat demonstrates the same qualities as the ruler in the poem. Macbeth becomes too overly concerned with power and he forgets why exactly he is taking these actions. An example of this is his lack of any legitimate reasons for killing King Duncan and obtaining the throne except for his own ambition and greed to become king. The prophecies that Macbeth receives from the witches seem so true that he relies on the words of these predictions alone, instead of taking action himself to secure the works of the prophecies. Macbeth let his ambition blind him; as did the ruler in Ozymandias.

Another consequence of ambition is loneliness. Ozymandias and Macbeth had so much ambition that they put themselves above all of their peers and former supporters. When all was said and done Macbeth and Ozymandias had no one left to support them, therefore, not only did Ozymandias statue metaphorically crumble but so did both of these mens establishments and achievements. One could go so far as to compare the statues trunkless legs to the rulers supporters and because Ozymandias became so ambitious, all that was underneath him, (i.e.- the legs) collapsed.

Ambition can be viewed as a very positive aspect to posses but if it is taken too far it can lead to major destruction. Macbeth and Ozymandias were overly ambitious and soon forgot what it was that they were striving for in the beginning. This led to the crumbling of their political and peer alliances. Man seems to have been made ambitious creatures therefore, it is unfortunate that both of these works of literature foreshadow the eventual fate of all human beings.