In the play Macbeth, ambition, strength, and madness play a major role in how the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth behave and react. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth exhibit these three behaviors at one point or another in the play. However, these behaviors evolve in very different ways. As Macbeth becomes stronger and more ambitious, Lady Macbeth does the opposite. She starts out strong and ambitious but becomes weaker and more reserved. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is cautious and somewhat suspicious of witches. He only begins to really think about the idea that they might be telling him the truth when they hail him as the thane of Cawdor, and soon after he learns that he has been appointed. When the witches tell him he will be king, he is surprised but does not seriously consider killing Duncan until Lady Macbeth tells him about it. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, is strong and very ambitious at the beginning of the play. From the beginning, she controls Macbeth. When she reads the letter about the prophecies and Macbeth's soon return home, she immediately begins planning to kill King Duncan. She is pleased with Macbeth's newly acquired title to the throne of Cawdor. This shows how much ambition she has in the beginning. The fact that she can so easily convince Macbeth that he must kill Duncan proves that she is the stronger of the two in the first few acts. Even in the middle of the play, Macbeth is the weaker of the two characters. When they plan to kill King Duncan, Macbeth initially tries to avoid getting into trouble, but Lady Macbeth once again easily convinces him to go along with the plan, killing Duncan, she is still the character the strongest. He fears the dead so much that he hallucinates and sees the dagger floating in front of him. Instantly begins to appear around this part of the room in the form of Macbeth's hallucination. It takes a lot of time and courage for Lady Macbeth, for Macbeth to be able to give her enough courage to kill King Duncan, this also shows that he is still very weak and looking for ambition. Although Lady Macbeth is even stronger and more ambitious than Macbeth, the murder of King Duncan is the point where the gap begins to narrow. She calls Macbeth a coward when he tries to go back on his plan and tries to escape from killing the king. She also shows great strength when Macbeth returns after killing King Duncan. All this shows that Lady Macbeth is a stronger character than Macbeth. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay William Shakespeare's play captures the harmful physical and psychological impacts of political ambitions on these. who seeks control for its own sake. As a unit, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seek power; however, Lady Macbeth is more ambitious than Macbeth and is determined to become queen. With the desire to become queen, she begins to become ruthless in her plan to receive this title. She uses her influence to persuade Macbeth to comply with the plan, while she also participates in the crime. a complex tapestry of character development. Enter the dark corridors of power as you analyze how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's journeys diverge and converge in their relentless quest for domination. The Ebb and Flow of Ambition: Within the confines of Shakespeare's masterpiece, ambition reigns supreme, but its, 39(2), 221-239.