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Hemann APLAC 8 21 November 2008 Ambition forms destiny In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare it is not Macbeths destiny that ultimately crowns him king, but the choices he makes driven by his ambition that lead him the crown. This idea of ambition leading to destiny is supported by Joseph Epstein in his essay, The Virtues of Ambition. The choices consume him, and cause him to focus primarily on himself. It is his ambition that separates him from others. He takes control of his destiny when others do not and that leads to his inheritance of the thrown. While there are consequences to ambition, without it decisions to better ourselves and strive for greatness would be lost, and ultimately everyone would be destined for the same monotonous life. In the first act of the play, after the witches tell him he will be king Macbeth says, If chance will crown me king, why chance may crown me without my stir (1.4.57-59). This choice by Macbeth, however, doesnt last long. He later makes the choice to kill the king in an attempt to be crowned. This proves it was his ambition to be king that guided him to the crown because when fate didnt crown him he took matters into his own hands. He didnt just sit back and wait to be crowned, instead he killed Duncan to achieve is dream. As Joseph Epstein said, In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is all about (Epstein). This states that nothing is predetermined, and a person eventually decides their own life. Ambition is what drives these choices and the choices lead to what people possess in their lives and what their lives become. If a person merely sits and waits for fate to decide their life they would be

Duff 2 unsuccessful because they would have no goals to work towards and no reason to work hard. Macbeths destiny is formed with his choice to kill the king, and it was his ambition that lead him to this choice. In the play once Duncan is killed strange occurrences including, screams of death, voices predicting catastrophe, and the earth shaking, can be found all over the kingdom (2.3.61-69). These happenings show the universes opposition to the king being killed. Had it really been Macbeths fate to become king the world wouldnt have reacted so violently to the death of Duncan, but he wasnt supposed to die yet and Macbeths choice, not his destiny brought him the crown. Epstein says, The true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. This proves that its not destiny that killed Duncan, but the choices made by Macbeth. Macbeths actions were quite successful in reaching his dream and becoming king, and he didnt just sit back and wait for things to happen. Macbeth takes action and that is why he is crowned king. As Epstein said, As we decide and choose, so are our lives formed (Epstein). This rings true of Macbeth who chose ambition, and because of this choice made decision that formed his life and shaped his destiny. Our lives do not have a fixed plan, and it is through choices influenced by ambition that we decide our lives and as a result of destinies. While Macbeth thrives on his ambition, Banquo contrasts him with his distrust of it. It is this distrust that stops Banquo from utilizing his own ambition and working for the thrown for his sons. He says, May they not be my oracles as well, and set me up in hope? (3.1.9-10). While Macbeth took action to achieve the predicted events of the witches, Banquo merely reflects on whats been said and hopes for the best. It is Banquos suspicion of ambition that stops him from proactively working to put his children in the position of king. Had Banquo held the same views of ambition as Macbeth he would have turned on Macbeth to secure the crown

Duff 3 for his children and the ultimately would have saved his own life. Instead Banquo doesnt operate because of ambition and as a result he places his destiny in Macbeths hands instead of his own. Epstein reaffirms this idea of ambition being suspicious saying, Many people are naturally distrustful of ambition, feeling that it represents something intractable in human nature (Epstein). This perfectly explains Banquos avoidance of his ambition. He doesnt trust ambition and the things it forces men to do. While Banquo may have sacrificed his life by not having the same dedication to his ambition as Macbeth, he kept his values fully intact by choosing the right thing over his own personal interest. Banquo doubts Macbeths success and fears that he achieved it through dishonest means (3.1.1-3). He envisions what Macbeth did to become king and he wants to avoid this path and simply wait for the predictions to come true. After seeing what Macbeth does, he doesnt want any part in striving for goals based on personal ambition. His distrust of ambition and the consequences that come from ambition lead Banquo to avoid it, and in doing so he doesnt strive for what he truly wants. When we make the choice against going after what we want we put our destiny in other peoples hands just as Banquo let his destiny be decided by Macbeth when he chose to not act on his ambition. Macbeths thirst for power, driven by ambition, ultimately leads to a selfishness that causes him to put more and more focus on whats best for him rather than every person around him. His disregard for everyone can be seen several times throughout the play but it is most obvious when he is told of Lady Macbeths death and says, She should have died hereafter (5.5.20). This shows extreme selfishness because he isnt deeply saddened by the death of his wife, hes merely inconvenienced. He is so focused on controlling his destiny that he is consumed by his ambition and unable to care about anyone but himself. Epstein says, The ambitious man or woman sees the world as a battle (Epstein). To Macbeth, becoming king and

Duff 4 reaching his predicted destiny is the only thing he can see. He then focuses only on his ambition and the world around him and everything in it is seen only as an obstacle he must fight. It doesnt matter who or what is standing in the way because he only wants what he feels is best for him and he no longer feels anything for the entire world around him, including friends and family he once loved. It is ambition and controlling his destiny through ambition that brings him to care only about the path he is on, and stops him from caring about anyone else. In William Shakespeares Macbeth, it can be seen that our destinies are ultimately what we make them and ambition is the deciding factor of our destines as stated by Joseph Epstein in The Virtues of Ambition. As Macbeth makes choices fueled by his ambition he achieves the destiny that was prophesized for him. Without this ambition and choices he made he would not have become king, because his choices decided his destiny to become king.

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Works Cited Epstein, Joseph. "The Virtues of Ambition." 75 Readings: An Anthology . 2 ed. New York: McGrawHill. 1989. 132-137. Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992.