theme of power macbeth essay

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Macbeth ‘Power’ Essay [Draft]

How does one get an essay done from the entire play? The answer lies in taking key scenes, getting them into a Word document and then highlighting, in yellow, the relevant short quotes that fit the need of the essay when it is done. Once you have the highlighted quotes, you then delete the rest, leaving gaps between the quotes, so you can develop links between the words spoken by one character or another.

I did this and then put an essay together for you, to show you how it is done, but being the creative writer and thinker that I am, ended up with nearly 1300 words. I think it was 1296 words to be precise. So, I had to edit the file and take out relevant bits. What began by using 3 key scenes, then became an essay using 2 key scenes, leading to an essay of 840 words. Now technically, that is 15 words over the 10% limit AQA sets for Controlled Assessments, but if that happens to you, fear not.

Here is the essay in its fullness……..enjoy and try to emulate this.

Explore the ways that power is presented in Macbeth, with reference to the power that Lady Macbeth has over her husband.

Power exists within all relationships and is usually portrayed in fiction as patriarchal, but what the Bard is famous for as a playwright, is subverting the accepted norm and bringing to the attention of the public new ideas relating to the power relationships that exist. His play, Macbeth, about the Scottish tyrant King who is affected by witchcraft and the inward desires of his own wife’s evil intentions, is a good example of this power that exists in such relationships, even regal ones.

In Act 1, Scene 5, after Macbeth has been visited by the three witches on the heath, he writes a letter to his wife back at his castle. When she receives it, the audience begin to see where the power lays in their relationship. When she says “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be what thou art promised” she is expressing her desires to see her husband crowned King, but there is a problem; the present King, Duncan, is alive and well, so she begins to plot his demise. But as she does so she knows that her husband is a man who is “too full o’ the milk of human kindness” to undertake such a task as killing the King.

Shakespeare is using the language of kindness to describe Macbeth but follows this up with Lady Macbeth summoning evil spirits to aid her in her quest for her husband to become King. She says “come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty!” Never could words uttered by any character in fiction be any more powerful than these, for she is asking for evil spirits to appear before her and make her utterly evil in every way. She wants to kill the King and feel no remorse. She wants to direct and urge her husband in the act of murder and treason because of her lust for power.

When Macbeth returns to the castle and is unsure of the plan to take over the throne, it is Lady Macbeth who tells him to “bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” when the King arrives. She is telling Macbeth that he must appear to the King as friendly and unassuming; deceptive so as to gain power. What becomes evident is that power does corrupt, even if it is in the sense of the chance of power corrupting someone who is vulnerable to temptation.

Later, in Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth doubts if he can murder the King. His soliloquy, spoken to the audience, leaves them in no doubt at all about his state of mind. He knows that he is the King’s “kinsman and his subject,” that he is related to the King as well as fond of him and this makes the act of murder harder for Macbeth to endure. He knows that Duncan “hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office” and so, says that he “will proceed no further in this business.”

At this point, Macbeth is withering under the pressure of his wife’s plan, so she has to control him. She has to be the driving force in the relationship and asks “art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valour as thou art in desire?” This shows the difference between Lady Macbeth and her husband, for just as much as he is unwilling to commit murder, she would take her baby and “while it was smiling in [her] face, have pluck’d [her] nipple from his boneless gums, and dash’d the brains out” in order to summon up the will to kill the King.

Clearly, Lady Macbeth is being controlled and is also the controlling influence over Macbeth in this play. This is further worked out as she then tells him to “screw [his] courage to the sticking-place,” so that they [will] not fail.” At this point the audience hear and see that Macbeth has been persuaded to kill, which will ultimately bring about the downfall of himself and his wife, through tyrannical leadership and revenge from Macduff and the breaking of Lady Macbeth’s mind, leading to suicide.

What is evident throughout this play is the way that Shakespeare subverts the role of the woman, creating a woman who is manipulative of her husband, in complete control of him and someone who can drive him forward, through the depths of temptation to the most hideous act of all; murder. The act of regicide becomes the catalyst for the play to continue through the reign of Macbeth, the tyrant King, to his demise at the hands of Macduff and the subsequent crowning of the next King, Malcolm of Scotland. What Shakespeare has done here is merge history with tragedy; the tragic loss of power and control and the tragedy that awaits anyone in power, for as the saying goes, “power corrupts, but absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

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Notes on the Theme of Power in Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Back to: Macbeth by William Shakespeare

The play Macbeth deals with the transfer of power and the transformation it brings along with it in the agents of such transfer. King James was the royal patron of Shakespeare so inevitably the playwright’s vision accommodates traditional monarchic order. In this play, one can primarily note how he deals with the idea of power and its various effects on both individuals and society.

Power is what Macbeth lusts after. Such a destabilising ambition is constantly in conflict with his conscience. Initially, Duncan is the good King of Scotland who is an apt regal way knows how to acknowledge his generals’ bravery in the battlefield and how to reward them.

Shakespeare shows us how well Duncan contains the power vested in him but at the same time, he introduces Macbeth to us, an individual filled with leaps of imagination. Macbeth is an archetypal character who breaks into an established power structure. 

In the play, we see three consecutive powerholders i.e. Duncan, Macbeth and Malcolm . The plot evolves from the power in a stable individual to it being claimed by an ambitious person whose personal quality doesn’t match the power which it seeks so much.

Lady Macbeth in the very beginning expresses her concern for Macbeth saying, you “ shall be what thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature: it is too full o’the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it. ”

Here we may note that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth mistakenly believe that power, in order to be sustained, needs certain wickedness. We come to understand by the fall of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth that such an idea of power annihilates the person itself.

Macbeth’s power comes from his capacity for extreme brutality. Lady Macbeth exceeds him in cruelty but she has an incapacity for action. “ valour of her tongue ” is her power through which she furthers her intentions. The play shows us that power acquired in such a way has severe consequences. 

When Malcolm and Macduff meet in King Edward’s court, we start having glimpses of how a legit power is conceived. Malcolm stands for power with a moral force. When Macbeth is finally slain by Macduff, the order is restored.

Power is shown to have returned to a man of regal ethics, the true heir according to the primogeniture in a monarchy. Hence, power is one of the most vital thematic concerns of the play.

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The Theme Of Power In Macbeth

• Category Literature
• Subcategory Poems
• Topic Macbeth Power

This essay is about how Shakespeare explores the theme of power throughout the play. Macbeth is portrayed as ambitious yet vulnerable because he couldn’t keep his drive for power in control. As a result, it ultimately leads to his family’s and his own death.

Macbeth’s ambitions cause him to lose his conscience and we know this when he describes himself to “have no spur To prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which overleaps itself and falls on th’ other’. The metaphor ‘vaulting ambition’ suggests he has an intense desire for power and reaches the conclusion that he has a lack of motivation, but the only thing driving him present is ambition (which is compared to as a ‘vaulting ambition’). The phrase “no spur” suggests that Macbeth has no reasonable justification to murder Duncan but it’s his ambition that wins over his conscience and it ends up being his weakness. Also, the phrase “and falls on the other side” compares him to an inexperienced horse rider who vaults so vigorously and ends up falling to the ground; this phrase tells us he is foreseeing that it’ll be a serious mistake to murder the king. We associate power and ambition with positive outcomes and achievements, but it can all backfire if you don’t keep your drive for power in control, Macbeth didn’t.

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Macbeth is first presented as a powerful figure from when the witches say “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!…So all hail Macbeth and Banquo”. The verb “hail” means to welcome or praise enthusiastically so this suggests to the audience that he is praiseworthy. “though shalt be king hereafter” means that Macbeth will be future king, after becoming thane of Glamis and thane of Cawdor which is predicted by the 3 witches. The prophecy also claims that Banquo won’t be king, but his descendants will, which angers Macbeth. The audience sense that Macbeth and Banquo are strong, ambitious figures who want the power to accomplish things.

Lady Macbeth is deemed as sly and deceitful from when she gets a letter from Macbeth and learns about the witches and the prophecies. She says to herself “though wouldst be great art not without ambition, but without the illness to attend it”. The word “illness” means to have a disease but in this context, it suggests that the illness is ruthlessness and having the ability to kill the king. Lady Macbeth suggests her husband is a great, ambitious man, but he lacks the character traits to take the crown for himself. She knows he is too good of a person so she must influence him and plan out how to kill the king. Plus, the word “holily” (mentioned later on), indicates that Macbeth wants to be a good man, but he wants something that doesn’t belong to him.

To sum up the play, Macbeth is consumed with ambition and influence and murders King Duncan to take the Scottish crown for himself; however, he is hit with guilt and fear and eventually ends up being brutally murdered by Macbeth. Shakespeare wrote this play as a tribute to King James and wanted to include topics such as witchcraft, power and ancestry. Shakespeare also may have written Macbeth to support the natural order of events, which if disturbed, would inevitably lead to disaster.  

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Themes - AQA Ambition and power in Macbeth

Macbeth introduces us to the savage and superstitious world of medieval, feudal Scotland. However, some of the themes that Shakespeare highlights are still relevant in the 21st century.

Part of English Literature Macbeth

Ambition and power in Macbeth

Shakespeare set Macbeth in the distant past and in a part of Britain that few of his audience would have been familiar with. Scotland is shown as a wild and savage place ruled over by a weak king (Duncan) who relies on his warrior thanes close thane A Scottish nobleman. to keep control. However, through the character of Macbeth, Shakespeare goes on to show that having too much ambition and total control of power is just as bad. By the end of the play Malcolm has become King and it seems likely that he will be much fairer and treat his people justly.

How is this shown in the play?

In Macbeth , William Shakespeare examines the good and bad aspects of ambition and power. Some of the key aspects are:

• the fatal flaw close fatal flaw In tragedy this refers to a defect in someone's character that leads them to a bad end.

Analysing the evidence

Who is more ambitious, Macbeth or Lady Macbeth?

Show answer Hide answer

• Macbeth has natural ambition but this is reinforced by his meeting with the Witches and by his wife's persuasive powers.
• Lady Macbeth is ambitious for herself but also on her husband's behalf.
• For Duncan's murder, most of the plan's details are created by Lady Macbeth. Macbeth carries out the actual murder but Lady Macbeth deals with the cover up.
• The Macbeths act very much as a single unit, though their ambitious natures and their shared guilt eventually tear their marriage apart. Shakespeare leaves the audience to decide who is more ambitious.

More guides on this topic

• Plot summary - AQA
• Characters - AQA
• Form, structure and language - AQA
• Dramatisation - AQA
• Sample exam question - AQA

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How Macbeth Addresses Power and Ambition

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare that was first performed back in 1606. Macbeth dramatizes the psychological and physical damaging effects caused by the political ambition of those who look for power just for their own sake.

The driving force in this tragedy is the ambition, or more specifically, the ambition that goes unbridled by any theory of morality. And that is why the theme of ambition in Macbeth starts to look like a dangerous quality. We did some research on this topic and went through some of the free paper and essay examples on https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/macbeth-ambition/ . And many of the students who have written Macbeth essays on ambition state that all of his actions were inspired by his ambitions, and that led to horrific punishments and deaths of many characters, it even caused the downfall of both Lady Macbeth and him.

The source of Macbeth’s ambition

Macbeth’s ambition is driven by various factors. To begin with, he has a deep desire for advancement and power, although that is not the only thing that made him turn to crime. It took two other factors that forced that hunger and made him take various violent actions just to obtain power.

• The three witches were the ones who initially made Macbeth act on his ambition. Still, his wife, Lady Macbeth, was the one who gave him ideas and pushed him to murder. She was constantly telling him to focus on his ambition and not pay attention to his conscience. She encourages him to feel free and put aside his guilt, and murder Duncan.
• Throughout the whole tragedy, the witches make many prophecies, and Macbeth believes them every time and allows the prophecies to influence his next actions. As an example, Macbeth kills Banquo just because he was a threat to the throne. The prediction always ended up being true. However, it is unclear whether they are truly predictions of fate or simply were self-fulfilled due to the manipulation of Macbeth.

Controlling Ambition

The ambition of Macbeth starts to get out of control and makes him repeatedly kill, just to cover up his previous murders. His first victims are the people that he framed for the murder of King Duncan. He killed them as a “punishment.” Later, his fear of Macduff makes him murder Macduff and his family. That unnecessary murder of Macduff’s wife and his children clearly showed that Macbeth lost control over his ambition.

Balancing Morality and Ambition

We also see some honorable examples of ambition in Macbeth . Malcolm decides to test the loyalty of Macduff. So he starts pretending to be lustful, greedy, and power-hungry. However, Macduff condemned him and cries out for the future of Scotland. With that, he showed his allegiance to the country. Macduff’s steps and Malcolm’s decision to test him demonstrate that the moral code is a powerful position that is more important than just ambition to get there.

Consequences

The consequences of the ambition in this play are dire. Many innocent people are killed, and Macbeth dies known as a tyrant, which is a significant downfall because he started as a noble hero. Also, neither Macbeth nor his wife get the opportunity to enjoy the things that they gained. Thus, forming a summary and telling the readers that it is more fulfilling to achieve your goals in a fair way than achieve them through corruption.

Macbeth and his wife see how their ambitions made them cross many moral lines that lead them to their downfall. Once Macbeth killed Duncan, his ambition to hold the title of a king becomes very intertwined with his paranoia, and he becomes obsessed with maintaining the power that he got instead of enjoying the fruits of his ambition.

Macbeth’s ambition can be contrasted with the ambition of Banquo, who also listens to the witches’ predictions and had many ambitions for his sons. However, Banquo’s morality didn’t allow him to pursue his goals at such a terrible cost. At the end of this tragedy, Macbeth had achieved everything that he wanted but was left without anything. With Lady Macbeth’s death, he had no hopes of producing a prince, so he finally understands that his ambition made him lose all that he holds dear.

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Hi! I really like your thoughts and the way you expressed them so clearly. However, there seems to be a problem in the text: the passage “his fear of Macduff makes him murder Macduff and his family” seems to be wrong, since Macbeth does not kill Macduff. It is quite the opposite, actually. Thank you for sharing your ideas!

The ambition, or more especially the ambition that is unrestrained by any idea of morality, is the driving force behind this catastrophe. And for this reason, Macbeth’s theme of ambition begins to seem like a potentially deadly one. Razones por Divorcio en Estado de Nueva York Abogados de Divorcio de Rochester Nueva York

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The Theme Of Power In Shakespeare's Macbeth

Show More Power can transmute the way a character devolves and grows throughout a piece of literature. In the play Macbeth, Macbeth becomes power hungry and changed him into a demanding dictator. His need for power affects his relationship with other characters in the play. The other characters get to the point where they feel the only way to stop him is to slain him. The power changes Macbeth throughout the play to the point where he doesn’t even know who he has become. The theme of power throughout the play affects not only the plot, but also his relationship with Lady Macbeth and his desire to kill. The plot throughout the play Macbeth is impacted by the theme of power. An example of this is when Macbeth wants to kill Duncan so that he will be …show more content… Macbeth had no intentions of being the king, “The Thane of Cawdor lives a prosperous gentleman, and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief” (Shakespeare 1.2.75-77). He didn’t even believe that he was good enough to be king. The witches are the ones that introduced him to the idea of being king through their prophecies. Lady Macbeth was not mentioned in the play until the witches’ prophecies were introduced. This shows that Lady Macbeth is power hungry as well as Macbeth. She convinces him to kill Duncan so he can be king. This will ultimately make her Queen of the land. Macbeth changes into a mean and dark spirited character throughout the play. At the end of the play Macbeth is willing to fight for his every last second of rule, ““I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hacked. Give me my armor... Send out more horses. Skirr the country round. Hang those that talk of fear. Give me mine armor” (Shakespeare 5.3.38-43). In the beginning of the play Macbeth was an innocent character that was scared of the witches, but at the end of the play he is a power driven maniac. He is willing to march straight into battle against a whole English army. He gets very hostile and demanding, which affects his relationship with Lady Macbeth. Macbeth gets very hostile and aggressive with Lady Macbeth till the point where she looses …show more content… Macbeth wanting to spill blood and take lives is directly proportional to the power he endures. For example “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red” (Shakespeare 2.2.79-81). At the start of the play Macbeth is very innocent and without much power. He is scared to spill the blood of Duncan and murder of him. While towards the end of the play he has no thought to execute MacDuff’s family. For example “From this moment the very firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand…The castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon his fire, give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword. His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line” (Shakespeare 4.1.164-173). He has no consideration that he is killing women and children to send a message to the fled Macduff. By the end of the play he kills to send messages, this is very powerful. Since he is the king of the land he feels he can do anything to keep his dynasty and rule going. Therefore the symbol of blood throughout the play of Macbeth is directly proportional to the power he feels over his

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The Theme of Power in Macbeth Essay Example

Influencers are people who have the ability to greatly affect other people’s decisions and actions, however, not all influencers are good. Macbeth is a very ambitious man in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and will do anything it takes to hold all of the power. However, Macbeth was not always this way. Macbeth’s realization of the power he could hold started when he was given 3 prophecies, 2 of which were about becoming king as they started to come true, Macbeth realized his full potential. Throughout Macbeth’s journey to become king, his wife, Lady Macbeth, had influenced his decisions the entire time. It was not originally Macbeth’s idea to become king, but when his ambition started to cloud his judgment, his actions began to get a little out of hand. Macbeth becomes a monster through his own growing ambition and the influence of others.

Macbeth’s tyrannic behavior began when he was blinded by his ambition for power. Macbeth was given a 3 prophecies of what will happen in his future. So far, 2 of them came true, so Macbeth thinks that the others will come true now. Reflecting on the witches prophecies, it is said that, “Thou has it no king, Cawdor, Glamis, all. As the weird women promised, and I fear. Thou played’st most foully for ‘t” (Macbeth 3.2. Lines 14-17). Macbeth played foully to become king because of the amount of ambition and impatience he had. Because Macbeth believes that the rest of the prophesis will continue to come true, he has great ambition to make them come sooner. Macbeth’s ambition and impatience leads him down a dark road. Healthy ambition can be good for people, but when it becomes to overpowering  “Our entire notion of moral and legal responsibility is thrown into doubt” (Illing). Macbeth’s ambition caused him to make wrong decisions because of how it erased all of his morals and responsibilities. Ambition heavily impacted Macbeth’s judgement, causing him to act foully and unfairly, in ways he would not have acted before. 

Lady Macbeth ultimately influences Macbeth to commit violent acts. Lady Macbeth plays a big role in Macbeth’s decision-making. She taunts and shames him until she can make him do what she wants. Lady Macbeth insults Macbeth by asking, “As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem” (Macbeth 1.7. 41-43). Lady Macbeth is calling Macbeth a coward, which motivates and influences him to prove her wrong. Macbeth is embarrassed and aggravated by Lady Macbeth’s taunting, which influences him to commit so many of these murders. Lady Macbeth’s influence is constantly surrounding Macbeth, pressuring him to act in ways he would not act himself. Our actions are “often driven in subtle, and in surprising ways, by people around us” which can cause people to make decisions that are not necessarily our own (Qtd. in Berger). People’s opinions, words, and actions can all influence how the people around them think and make their own decisions. Both of these quotes talk about how influence can heavily impact one’s life.

Macbeth was too heavily influenced by the people around him, which ultimately impacted his decisions.The people that someone is surrounded by, good or bad, will have a huge impact on their decisions, which Macbeth learned the hard way. Ambition was also a factor that caused Macbeth’s actions. Macbeth’s ambition was something so strong and blinding that Macbeth could only see his goal, and nothing else. With influence, and added ambition, Macbeth’s goal was not very hard to achieve. Although he achieved his goal, Macbeth became a monster, commiting many villainous acts to achieve his goal. Having bad influence and overpowering ambition can drastically change a person, their personality, and their journey through life.

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Macbeth – A* / L9 Full Mark Example Essay

This is an A* / L9 full mark example essay on Macbeth completed by a 15-year-old student in timed conditions (50 mins writing, 10 mins planning).

It contained a few minor spelling and grammatical errors – but the quality of analysis overall was very high so this didn’t affect the grade. It is extremely good on form and structure, and perhaps could do with more language analysis of poetic and grammatical devices; as the quality of thought and interpretation is so high this again did not impede the overall mark. 

Thanks for reading! If you find this resource useful, you can take a look at our full online Macbeth course here . Use the code “SHAKESPEARE” to receive a 50% discount!

This course includes: 

• A full set of video lessons on each key element of the text: summary, themes, setting, characters, context, attitudes, analysis of key quotes, essay questions, essay examples
• Downloadable documents for each video lesson 
• A range of example B-A* / L7-L9 grade essays, both at GCSE (ages 14-16) and A-Level (age 16+) with teacher comments and mark scheme feedback
• A bonus Macbeth workbook designed to guide you through each scene of the play!

For more help with Macbeth and Tragedy, read our article here .

MACBETH EXAMPLE ESSAY:

Macbeth’s ambition for status and power grows throughout the play. Shakespeare uses Macbeth as an embodiment of greed and asks the audience to question their own actions through the use of his wrongful deeds.

In the extract, Macbeth is demonstrated to possess some ambition but with overriding morals, when writing to his wife about the prophecies, Lady Macbeth uses metaphors to describe his kind hearted nature: “yet I do fear thy nature, / It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness”. Here, Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a more gentle natured being who is loyal to his king and country. However, the very act of writing the letter demonstrates his inklings of desire, and ambition to take the throne. Perhaps, Shakespeare is aiming to ask the audience about their own thoughts, and whether they would be willing to commit heinous deeds for power and control. 

Furthermore, the extract presents Macbeth’s indecisive tone when thinking of the murder – he doesn’t want to kill Duncan but knows it’s the only way to the throne. Lady Macbeth says she might need to interfere in order to persuade him; his ambition isn’t strong enough yet: “That I may pour my spirits in  thine ear / And chastise with the valour of my tongue”. Here, Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as a manipulative character, conveying she will seduce him in order to “sway “ his mind into killing Duncan. The very need for her persuasion insinuates Macbeth is still weighing up the consequences in his head, his ambition equal with his morality. It would be shocking for the audience to see a female character act in this authoritative way. Lady Macbeth not only holds control of her husband in a patriarchal society but the stage too, speaking in iambic pentameter to portray her status: “To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great”. It is interesting that Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth in this way; she has more ambition for power than her husband at this part of play. 

As the play progresses, in Act 3, Macbeth’s ambition has grown and now kills with ease. He sends three murders to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, as the witches predicted that he may have heirs to the throne which could end his reign. Macbeth is suspicious in this act, hiding his true intentions from his dearest companion and his wife: “I wish your horses swift and sure on foot” and “and make our faces vizards to our hearts”. There, we see, as an audience, Macbeth’s longing to remain King much stronger than his initial attitudes towards the throne He was toying with the idea of killing for the throne and now he is killing those that could interfere with his rule without a second thought. It is interesting that Shakespeare presents him this way, as though he is ignoring his morals or that they have been “numbed” by his ambition. Similarly to his wife in the first act, Macbeth also speaks in pentameter to illustrate his increase in power and dominance. 

In Act 4, his ambition and dependence on power has grown even more. When speaking with the witches about the three apparitions, he uses imperatives to portray his newly adopted controlling nature: “I conjure you” and “answer me”. Here, the use of his aggressive demanding demonstrates his reliance on the throne and his need for security. By the Witches showing him the apparitions and predicting his future, he gains a sense of superiority, believing he is safe and protected from everything. Shakespeare also lengthens Macbeth’s speech in front of the Witches in comparison to Act 1 to show his power and ambition has given him confidence, confidence to speak up to the “filthy nags” and expresses his desires. Although it would be easy to infer Macbeth’s greed and ambition has grown from his power-hungry nature, a more compassionate reading of Macbeth demonstrates the pressure he feels as a Jacobean man and soldier. Perhaps he feels he has to constantly strive for more to impress those around him or instead he may want to be king to feel more worthy and possibly less insecure. 

It would be unusual to see a Jacobean citizen approaching an “embodiment” of the supernatural as forming alliance with them was forbidden and frowned upon. Perhaps Shakespeare uses Macbeth to defy these stereotypical views to show that there is a supernatural, a more dark side in us all and it is up to our own decisions whereas we act on these impulses to do what is morally incorrect. 

If you’re studying Macbeth, you can click here to buy our full online course. Use the code “SHAKESPEARE” to receive a 50% discount!

You will gain access to  over 8 hours  of  engaging video content , plus  downloadable PDF guides  for  Macbeth  that cover the following topics:

• Character analysis
• Plot summaries
• Deeper themes

There are also tiered levels of analysis that allow you to study up to  GCSE ,  A Level  and  University level .

You’ll find plenty of  top level example essays  that will help you to  write your own perfect ones!

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Mr Salles Teaches English

Grade 9 Essay: How does Shakespeare present the theme of ambition in the play?

What is the shortest essay which can get full marks.

I’m writing a guide to how to write essays at each grade for Macbeth. My Ultimate Guide to Macbeth shows you how to understand the whole play, scene by scene, to above grade 9. It also shows you how to write about each scene at grades 6, 7, 8, 9 and beyond grade 9.

I’ve written over 20 guides and it is the best guide I have ever written.

But, what if you are a student who just wants a grade 5, or just wants a grade 7, or you want a grade 9, but you want it as quickly as possible. You don’t want to read an Ultimate Guide to Macbeth - that’s going to have a lot of Mr Salles brilliance in it but, no offence Mr Salles, English isn’t even in my top 5 subjects.

I want the maximum marks, with the minimum effort.

So, that’s why I’m writing a series of new guides, showing you ‘just’ what you need for each grade, and no more.

How I wrote the essays in the essay writing guide (out in September)

I found all the essays I could which had been marked by a senior examiner.

I rewrote them, changing all the words, but keeping every idea and technique, and every quote.

Then I counted the features of each essay. Exam criteria are vague and open to interpretation. So I wondered, are there features of each essay I can count, which are not open to interpretation? And then, if we do count these features, will they predict the right mark?

Let’s find out.

This is an extract from the guide. Normally, my comments, and the examiner comments, follow the essay. Here, I have put the comments first so you can see what the examiner is looking for before you read the essay.

Response 24

Thesis Statement Yes Explanations 9 Quotes 5 Named Methods 5 Society/era/patriarchal/Jacobean/contemporary/ historical reference etc 3 Shakespeare 4 Exploratory Could, Might, May, Perhaps, Probably 0 Conclusion Yes Paragraphs 7

My Comments

Well, well, well. I was not expecting that mark. (It scored 25/30).

It doesn’t have anywhere near the number of references or quotations I was expecting for AO1.

It introduces the idea that ambition will affect ‘reason’, but never actually proves it –there are many easy examples and quotes revealing the mental state of Macbeth – is this a dagger, murdered sleep, never shake they gory locks, my mind is full of scorpions etc - and Lady Macbeth sleepwalking. The original essay included mistakes in identifying adverbs and nouns, which I’ve got rid of, because even naming them correctly adds no marks. There is very little context used to back up interpretations.

So, what has impressed the examiner?

There are both a thesis statement and a conclusion, so it becomes a well-constructed argument. The student has quoted from the end of the play right at the beginning, to show that they are dealing with the whole text. Although they don’t give many examples from the rest of the play, they do move through it chronologically, so it is a well-constructed argument. This, and very specific language to describe it, helps the student look at Macbeth’s character arc, his ‘journey’, showing how Macbeth changes. The answer looks at the structure of the play in two ways. First by viewing Macbeth’s life in two parts – a rise and fall. Secondly, by exploring Banquo as the antithesis to Macbeth in his ambition. These two ideas mark the answer out as thoughtful and different from most students’ essays.

Examiner Comments

The answer focuses on ambition right from the start and with every point. The thesis statement and next paragraph make it clear that the student is dealing with the whole text. The essay is thoughtful and developed. The student embeds quotations and references to illustrate their ideas. The student’s comments about Shakespeare’s intentions throughout the essay show that they realise his choices are deliberate. In order to get into level 6 the student should explore more of Shakespeare’s ideas.

Write down the other ideas you could put into this essay.

Find references or quotes to back these up.

Write another 350 words to add in to get 30/30.

Thank you for reading Mr Salles Teaches English. I want every student to be able to go up by several grades. Please share this post to help me reach that goal.

The 420 Word Essay!

Shakespeare reveals ambition as the dominant theme in the play, because it is Macbeth’s overpowering ambition which leads to his immoral murder of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth and the witches can only influence Macbeth in this because his ambition is already so great.

In this extract, Shakespeare explores how ambition influences even the most honourable. This is why he gives Lady Macbeth the perspective that Macbeth’s character is “ too full o’th’ milk of human kindness ”, which is her real perception because Shakespeare reveals it in SOLILOQUY. We associate “ milk ” with innocence and purity, which implies that Macbeth is too noble to act on his ambition. Yet, once he has reigned as king, he is viewed as a “ butcher ”, because he has become both cruel and indiscriminate in his killing.

This change from excessive kindness to tyranny is a surprising journey, which warns the audience of the danger of ambition. Moreover, Shakespeare portrays ambition as a force which will overcome morality and reason. He gives Lady Macbeth the view that Macbeth is “ not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it ”. The COMPARISON of ambition to “ illness ” implies that it is destructive, and also that this destruction can turn on the ambitious person themselves, attacking their sense of morality and ability to be kind.

Macbeth lists every reason not to murder Duncan, before focusing on his “ vaulting ambition ”. This METAPHOR implies that his ambition is more powerful than his conscience, so he will overcome his moral objections.

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The rest of the answer is below the line.

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The Theme of Power in Shakespeare'S Macbeth

In Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” there are many themes that are still relatable to today’s society. The way Humanity acts has not changed much since Macbeth was written. No matter how much time goes by people will still have the same feelings and actions as they did back then. Common similarities are greed, jealousy, and violence. These can be found in Macbeth and amongst people in today’s society.

In Macbeth greed is shown throughout the whole play. Macbeth was the Thane of Glamis and the general of the army. But that didn’t seem enough for him with all the power he had he still wanted more. He was thriving for the throne and it wasn’t just him showing greed for the throne but his wife Lady Macbeth was also thriving for it. “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way” (1.5.15-20). They are getting so greedy they are willing to commit murder to get more power. Greed is still in today’s society where people are never happy with what they have and want more. There are many examples of it in today’s society such as people being so greedy were they go out of there way to steal from others. Another source of greed today is people that gamble because they can win once and get greedy and keep on doing it to the point where they lose everything. Greed is still in today’s everyday life just like it was in Macbeth.

Violence is a common occurrence in today’s society and in Macbeth there were many acts of violence that took place. The book starts with a battle and contains deaths of men, women, and children. In today’s society, you will see wars and men, women, and children dying some things never change. You will also see the murders, and assassinations take place all things you can see in today’s society. It shows how we never learned from Macbeth’s society to stop the violence.

If we look at everyday occurrences in today’s life you can see many similarities to Macbeth. Macbeth was a very brutal book but at the same time, it has a lot of things in common to today’s life. We both show the same emotions and act the same because that’s just what human nature does. Macbeth and modern society share natural human traits and similar actions.

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supremestudy.com. (2021). The Theme of Power in Shakespeare'S Macbeth . [Online]. Available at: https://supremestudy.com/the-theme-of-power-in-shakespeares-macbeth/ [Accessed: 4-Apr-2024]

The Theme of Power in Shakespeare'S Macbeth. (2021, May 20). Retrieved April 4, 2024 , from https://supremestudy.com/the-theme-of-power-in-shakespeares-macbeth/

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Lady Macbeth Power Essay

Isabella Ragone Mrs. Sheehan English II H- Green 12 March 2024 Lady Macbeth: a Paradox of Power Within the vast expanse of civilization, a perennial and unyielding desire for power imbues the human spirit; it acts as a transcendent force, motivating each person and shaping the contours of human history. Yet, in this timeless quest, a captivating paradox often emerges— where outward displays of strength veil intricate internal webs of vulnerability. William Shakespeare exemplifies this delicate dance between power and fragility through his seventeenth-century tragic play The Tragedy of Macbeth. This drama, set against the backdrop of eleventh-century, war-ridden Scotland, is set into motion when titular character Macbeth meets three witches …show more content…

A prime example of this torment is Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking. As the ruinous consequences of her and her husband’s despicable machinations permeate her conscience, Lady Macbeth becomes riddled with guilt and consequently trapped in a psychological labyrinth. She is condemned to exist in an eternal state of sleep, where she acts and feels as though she is awake, yet imagines she is stuck in the fiery depths of hell. As a part of this disordered slumber, Lady Macbeth believes that her hands are dripping with blood, though they are completely clean. As she desperately tries to wash the crimson stains of guilt from her fingertips, she bellows, “Out, damned spot! Out, I say...... Who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (Shakespeare 5.1.29-30). The repeated insistence to purify her blood-soaked hands accentuates the profound remorse that now governs Lady Macbeth’s life. She is so consumed by guilt that she yearns to undo her previous misdeeds, tirelessly scrubbing her sin-stained hands and calling out into the night. She even contemplates Duncan’s murder, seeming utterly horrified as she reflects on the gory sight of his

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