Ambition, in modern American culture ambition, the drive for success, is nearly exalted in praise, ambition increasingly perceived as an exceedingly positive trait. Yet in Shakespeare's landmark Gothic tale Macbeth, it is not the eponymous anti-hero's lust for power that distinguishes the play but his wife lady Macbeth's ambition ultimately the character's downfall, her tragic flaw. Whether it be the ruthless plotting of murder of a king or even loyal allies, lady Macbeth's thirst to gain power, her seemingly inhuman ambition rapidly characterizes the character, this ambition her tragic flaw enhancing the ultimate meaning of the play.
With the news of prophecy, the potential that her husband, Macbeth, is fated to be king by means of killing the current king Lady Macbeth without thought or hesitation begins plotting. Even though they have achieved even higher rank as thane of Cawdor, even though king Duncan is a virtuous, magnanimous ruler, lady Macbeth's lust for power is unquenched she boding and eventually forcing Macbeth's hand, murdering the king in his sleep. Indeed the sheer lack of any remorse blatantly characterizes lady Macbeth's ambition. Her facade of fainting at the discovery of Duncan's corpse, her willingness to deceive her loyal allies and ridicule her hesitant husband only vilifies and serves as blatant indicator of lady Macbeth's lust for power ambitions.
"With water are hands are washed clean" with this line lady Macbeth initially characterizes her lust, ambition for power but Shakespeare utilizes this line in particular as a means of irony to enhance the meaning of his work. In the Elizabethan England time period of Shaksepeares dwelling the murder of a king is high treason subsequently it can be argued the entire play is a metaphor cautioning ambition. Subsequently as lady Macbeth washes her hands clean of Duncan's blood of remorse and guilt for king killing, Shakespeare utilizes the literary technique of irony as lady Macbeth eventually stirs from her sleep skin ripping raw from the repeated washings of her hands. Shakespeare uses irony of the aforementioned line to depict at first Lady Macbeth's inhuman lust for power but so to later on her downfall as the character commits suicide racked with disillusion and guilt indeed ambition her tragic flaw, enhancing the theme of the work as a whole cautioning against excessive ambition.
In many ways Macbeth is a Greek tragedy. Lady Macbeth's lust for power, her willingness to kill a kind and virtuous king, her ambition, like the Greeks of myths, like brutus or caesar, ambition her tragic flaw. Shakespeare employs Lady Macbeth as a means of cautionary warning against excessive wants utilizing literary techniques such as irony to enhance the meaning of the work: high ambitions have high consequences. Ambition ultimately lady Macbeth's downfall, tragic flaw.
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