Ambition Essay

Shakespeare’s “Othello” is a whirlwind of a story as it follows the emotional roller-coaster of an army general in the midst of love. The role-character, Othello, is an articulate, passionate and intelligent African-American who finds himself blinded by the love he has for his wife, Desdemona. Although Othello seemed to many as the epitome of strength and confidence, every superman has their kryptonite. Othello was punctual, knew just the right words to say at the precise moment, he was a…

Macbeth is aware of the threats of his obsessive ambition saying: I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself / And falls on th’other” (25-28). But witches’ prophecy places a seed of strong temptation in Macbeth’s soul that he was unable to control and eventually succumbed to it. When Macbeth doubts killing King Duncan, Lady Macbeth demands: Was the hope drunk / Wherein you dressed yourself” (35-36)? Ironically, Lady Macbeth must herself…

Throughout the play we see how ambition grows so much it becomes Lady Macbeth’s worst nightmare and Macbeth’s worst enemy. Macbeth's ambition didn't only led him to killing Duncan in order to get the throne also everyone who got in his way. In the beginning of the play we see how the three witches make three prophecies, two for Macbeth and one for Banquo. Macbeth’s prophecies said that he shall be named as Thane of Cawdor then king; on the other hand, Banquo will father the future generations…

In chapters four through six, the themes of ambition and obsession are common. Frankenstein has ambition for learning and an obsession with philosophy and chemistry. In chapter four, Frankenstein says that he became so “ardent and eager that the stars often disappeared in the light of the morning whilst I was yet engaged in my laboratory”(Shelley 41). Victor was so eager and had so much ambition too work in the lab and create new goals that it soon became his obsession. His obsession with…

Macbeth he illustrates the danger of ambition through the downfall and self destruction of the Macbeth’s. Their ambition sparks at the beginning with the idea of killing Duncan. It is then shown increasing through the entire play with the death of Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family. At this point their ambition consumes them, their humanity is gone and all of their poor decisions start to have consequences that ultimately lead to their destruction. Macbeth’s ambition is first seen in the…

Ambition is a key theme that is present in the novels Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus and The Windup Girl by their respective authors, Mary Shelley and Paolo Bacigalupi. The two novels follow a protagonist that is confronted by the benefits and disadvantages of being ambitious. Both highlight the inherent momentum and hubris of ambition and how it exists in their ambitious characters’ lives. The two authors both use their non-human characters and deuteragonists to emphasise the downfall…

flaw. Due to our sinful nature, everyone has flaws and one can say that some flaws are worse than others. For Macbeth, his ambition was his hamartia, his fatal flaw. Being ambitious is not a bad quality to possess, it means that you have determination to work hard towards your goal however; Macbeth had unchecked ambition that turned into greed. Macbeth had unchecked ambition that turned into greed and insanity, causing him to make choices that harmed himself and those around him. Although…

“Ambition creates success in the hands of the right man, but destroys those with blind hands.” This quote explains how even the most kindhearted of people can collapse and fall to selfish desires. Throughout the play Macbeth’s ambition to rise to power consumes his light, turning a well-respected noble man to a beast despised by all. Macbeth’s ambition is nurtured by the three witches’ prophecies and visions, and later on strengthens by his wife lady Macbeth. In Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses…

Ambition is something everyone has. Your ambitions strives and makes you achieve your goals. However, too much ambition can corrupt and destroy a person. Ambition is like a drug, small amounts can make you feel great, but too much can kill you. Shakespeare clearly portrays the negative effects of too much ambition throughout his play The Tragedy of Macbeth. He uses the main character, Macbeth, to show us how excessive amounts of ambition can lead someone to their doom. In the beginning of…

The second edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published in 1831, recalls the ambition of Victor Frankenstein, an ardent lover of natural sciences and the creator of the creation, to reanimate life. In the novel, Shelley includes three male narrators telling their perspectives on the events that occur. Initially, Robert Walton, a man who has the desire to discover a quick route to the North Pole, explains his goal through a series of letters to his sister, Margaret Saville. It is through…