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Alex Cruz/Bmcc
Eng 201/Sec 061/12­3­14

Paper 3a: Macbeth Rewrite

If it’s true that Shakespeare wrote Macbeth to teach readers the lesson that too much ambition how Macbeth had to become king is wrong, there would be enough reasons on why people might agree or disagree with what Shakespeare’s exact message was for creating
Macbeth, but the lesson of too much ambition I would agree with that. As for Nietzsche, who disagreed and said he claims Shakespeare actually admired Macbeth’s ambition. I don’t know if
I would necessarily agree with Nietzsche, but I do believe that there are reasons why he feels the way he does. Nietzsche could be someone who enjoys how Macbeth achieved what he wanted with the heartless ambition he had.
I would say that I agree more with Shakespeare creating his Macbeth, to teach us how wrong too much ambition can be, because to me there’s always going to be consequences when having the ruthless ambition Macbeth had to become king and rise to power how he did.
Macbeth the most ambitious character in the play, is a ruthless king who has people killed so he can stay in power, this ambition represents violence in all ways. You look back to the beginning of the play at Macbeth was the kind of person who would never kill anyone for power. After his wife convinces him to kill Duncan, Macbeth life changed from that point on, every kill he commits from here on out would haunt him until his death and the guilt of the kills will destroy the relationship between Macbeth and his wife. Macbeth slowly became comfortable with killing people and does it with ease at this point. For example, after Macbeth became king he begins to worry about the second part of the witch’s prophecy, when Banquo’s sons become kings.

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Macbeth knowing he will not have any kids, he fears the idea “the seeds of Banquo kings. Rather to come fate into the list, and champion me to the utterance…”(3.1.70­73) Since he committed such acts to become king, he does not want anything to come in the way of his desire to be king and doesn’t want Banquo’s kids becoming kings either which shows how ruthless Macbeth really became during the progress of the play even with the friendship with Banquo and if the destruction of friendship isn’t a strong enough symbol to show Macbeth’s true ambition, then maybe the manslaughter of an innocent family is. Thought through all this maybe the extent of having a lot of ambition to get what you want is good, but once you’ve gone through whatever means necessary to reach your achievement, then what? Most if you're that kind of person then it’s time for the consequences to begin. For Macbeth, it was seeing Banquo’s ghost for the first time during a celebratory dinner that put Macbeth in a frenzy, “what man dare, I dare, approach thou like the rugged Russian bear, the arm'd rhinoceros, or the hyrcan tiger, take any shape but that, and my firm nerves shall never tremble, or be alive” (3.4.98­106) which made his people question his sanity to rule the country of Scotland. Once king, there wasn't much more for
Macbeth to do but keep in mind of the witches second prophecy of what was to come. Other than that it would be nothing but downfalls since the witches gave him that second prophecy. The power of becoming king and having all that power got to his head, which lead into a bad ruling over the country as it stated, “our country sinks beneath the yoke, it weeps, it bleeds, and each day a gash is added to her wounds.”(4.3.39­41) all that ambition Macbeth had was his kryptonite because it gave him the big ego and ruthless attitude which was his demise.