McKay's Online Journal

Ambition is a very important aspect of a person’s life just like a core belief. Ambition is a strong desire to do or achieve something. Ambition can have a positive and negative force on people pushing them to the extremes of their capabilities. The only thing stopping us sometimes from achieving our goals is our integrity and stops us from falling into the hole of no return. Through the last 4 centuries, ambition has been weaved into all sorts of written text and movies showing what the effects of ambition can produce. Certain films have this such as Gattaca and Iron man and written texts like Macbeth and Ozymandias which portray ambition. Ironman and Gattaca both show the positive outcomes of having ambition whereas Macbeth and Ozymandias both show the negative outcomes of having ambition.

In Macbeth, William Shakespeare uses symbolism to show how ambition affects Macbeth. Shakespeare communicates to us that, because of Macbeth’s ambition he has started to go down a road that may not be so good for him with Macbeth saying “Is this a dagger which I see before me” telling us his senses are playing tricks on him trying to make him slip up and also makes the audience think that even Macbeths senses think that Macbeth has reached to deep into the hole. Macbeth also tells the audience “The prince of Cumberland is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.” which tells us that what he will do, will send him down a new path and Macbeth does not want the heavens to see because it is so horrible so he wants the clouds to create a barrier that God cannot see through. This use of symbolism that Shakespeare uses shows us that the ambition that Macbeth has is a very negative effect on him.

Gattaca a film by Andrew Niccol which has different uses of symbolism that in the end shows how ambition can have a positive effect on Vincent such as the stars. This is shown by the use of Vincent always being scared of being caught because he is genetically different which shows that humans are able to operate the best when they have to overcome the problem. This is shown when Vincent says ” Of course, they say every atom in our bodies was once part of a star. Maybe I’m not leaving… maybe I’m going home.” this shows that he thinks because he is different to everyone else he might be a completely different being. This compared to Macbeth shows although they both have ambition Macbeth’s is a force that pushes him giving him no control whereas Vincent is pulling his ambition right until he reaches his goal.

Jon Favreau and the Marvel team created iron man to show a posh and arrogant rich man who could do anything he wanted but once his life changes due to a piece of shrapnel going towards his heart, ambition is created to stop the people that hurt him and many other people using his weapons. Tony says at an interview with the press “I saw young Americans killed by the very weapons I created to defend them and protect them, and I saw that I had become part of a system that is comfortable with zero accountability.” which shows us that the ambition he had, had shown him how horrible some of the things he made were when used with negative ambition. Iron Man and Gattaca link together showing that positive ambition can not just be a selfish person’s will but also can also help others. The ambition in Gattaca for Vincent was showing that a small man can do great things whereas, in Iron man, Tony Stark’s ambition shows that a rich person that has everything with one near to death moment his whole life changes so that he goes and helps destroy the thing that he previously made.

Ozymandias a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley is written about a King who was the big man but because of his ambition everything he did became worthless and covered over by sand. Ozymandias’s ambition has a negative affect after he dies and his statue is the only thing left to remember. In the poem, Percy says “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. ” showing that sometimes what our ambition takes us towards generally ends up to being nothing. For Ozymandias, this is that having an army that is thought to be indestructible can actually once the person with the ambition is gone leaves nothing to drive the army. Iron man shows that with an external force for just one person can help complete the ambition that someone has, whereas in Ozymandias since he has multiple external forces it will be harder to get more ideas meaning the ambition becomes negative and shows that you may have everything helping you but yet what you accomplish will eventually become nothing.

In conclusion, ambition can be used positively giving people a feeling of meaning and accomplishment but yet it can also be negative and for all that you tried it will eventually become nothing. This shows that ambition has a very important effect on people’s life pushing them to the very edge of their capabilities and can be very destructive if used in the incorrect way. Through my texts Iron man and Gattaca it shows that a person when they have been shown something they did or people said they couldn’t do the ambition they have is so overwhelming that it ends up positively affecting their lives. The opposite of this is Macbeth and Ozymandias which show that Ambition to get something can push the person into a state where what they did is horribly wrong and then no matter what they do the end goal they achieve is nothing. This shows that ambition throughout peoples life’s is needed.

“the way to dusty death, out out brief candle”

“Is this a dagger which I see before me”

“Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand”

“Life’s but a walking shadow”

“Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”

“O full of scorpions is my mind”

“they have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly, But bear-like I must fight the course.”

“Thou marshall’st me the way that I was going”

“The prince of Cumberland! That is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires;Let not light see my black and deep desires.The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be”

“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t”

“I am in blood / Step’t in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er”.

“signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine / on all deservers,”

“A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?”

In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare who is famous for his writing of plays and always being at the forefront of peoples tongues due to his intricate use of metaphors, iambic pentameter and symbolism to show that Macbeth is a changed person at the end of the film compared to what he was described as at the start. Shakespeare shows that ambition can have a very strong influence on the person and can become too much even for the strongest men and uses all of these features to portray this.

Andrew Niccol in the film Gattaca uses symbolism to show the ambition the characters have. Niccol uses symbolism to portray the positive influence that ambition had on Vincent. This shown by the staircase in Jerome’s house which is a double helix which is the same biological structure as DNA is made out of, in one scene the staircase is shown with Jerome pulling himself up the stairs to help Vincent stay in his job and go to space. This shows that even though Vincent hasn’t got the biological benefits of everyone else his ambition to go to space was so large that Jerome who has the advantage was willing to lean on that ambition and even though he had no legs was able to pull himself up and help Vincent get blood taken. This demonstrates that ambition can have such a great impact on the person it wears off onto others to help achieve the one goal.

Shakespeare a well known playwright who has been able to keep his writing at the tip of everyone’s tongues for the last 4 centuries through linking his tools of language effects and his extensive knowledge creating an intricate weave which makes his plays so good to read and to watch performed on stage. Macbeth, in the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare shows that having too much ambition can have a deadly consequence. This is shown through the use of many language features such as Macbeth’s use of symbolism, metaphors, Iambic pentameter and soliloquy’s. This gives the audience an image that ambition, if used wrongly, can have a very destructive nature.

Symbolism in Macbeth is used to show just how hard it is for Macbeth to let go of what he has done and know that Duncan’s ghost will haunt him forever because of the ambition he had at the start of the play. Shakespeare communicates to us that, because of Macbeth’s ambition he has started to go down a road that may not be so good for him with Macbeth saying “Is this a dagger which I see before me” telling us his senses are playing tricks on him trying to make him slip up and also maybe making the audience think that even the senses think that Macbeth has reached to deep. Shakespeare also has Macbeth say “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood” he is portraying to the audience that all of the water on this earth can not cleanse him of the pain and suffering he has caused. Shakespeare also has linked the roman gods with Neptune being the god of water also known as Poseidon. This together gives us the understanding that Macbeth knows what ambition has caused him to do is wrong and will find it very difficult to not tell anyone.

In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, metaphors are a technique that Shakespeare uses at which the audience is able to get a proper understanding and a painted image in their mind of what has actually happened and just how devastating ambition could be. This is represented at the start of the play by the witches who are like an outer-worldly force to Macbeth who say “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” telling the audience that what is fair to the humans is foul to the witches but what is fair to the witches is foul to mortals making the witches seem like polar opposites to mere mortals. This also communicates to the audience that the witches have something planned that could have dire consequences due to them thinking something up that is fair for them and knowing it will be foul for men. This happens when the second witch says “All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!” then the third witch says “All hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter!” which both of these statements are not yet true but have been woven with facts but soon Macbeth is told by Rosse that he is now the thane of Cawdor creating the ambition that leads Macbeth to become king and then later cuts him off his pedestal. This shows us that hearing things that come woven in with facts can pull the person hearing them into a place so deep in ambition that it might become very hard to get out of.

Shakespeare in Macbeth uses the rhythm of Iambic pentameter to communicate that things are normal such as characters that are from earth. This is broken in Macbeth only a few times with the most important break of the pentameter occurring at the end of the play in Act 5 Scene 5 meaning that the audience knows that something very large in the plot is about to happen which the first time it happens Macbeth says “The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!” this is happening because Macbeth’s humanity has slowly started to break down throughout the play due to his ambition to become King of Scotland. This is also backed up with Macbeth later saying “Life’s but a walking shadow” implying that he now has no substance to life because he has lost everything he wanted to have. This is because his ambition in the first place was to be honoured which he has now lost and also he just found out that his wife has killed herself. This shows us that Macbeth’s ambition has bought him into a very hard place and because of his choices will now have to pay the price.

Soliloquy in the play, Macbeth is a mechanism in which the characters are able to share how they are feeling and lets the audience see into what they are thinking. This is portrayed in the final soliloquy by Macbeth just before he is slain by Macduff. When Macbeth finds out that his wife has died, he slowly starts to break down and everything for him that had built up slowly starts to rot away, this is shown when he says “a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more” which Shakespeare is talking about Macbeth making all the commotion and how Macbeth is the poor player which is relating him to being a player on the stage otherwise known as a actor, who will soon be heard no more. Shakespeare then continues to talk about Macbeth who says “Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” continuing to further show that because of Macbeth’s ambition he was an idiot that was all about the talk but now is left to signify nothing further showing us that Macbeth’s ambition was the wrong type of ambition to have. This shows the audience that the soliloquies are a point in which the audience is able to not just see into Macbeth’s mind but also see what Shakespeare thinks personally about these things.

All of these studied components of Shakespeares writing show that ambition is a deadly force that can have dire consequences. This respect towards ambition which is a force that everyone has, which makes me the reader feel as though ambition can be a very bad thing to have and to not under estimate the power of it. This is shown through the use of all language features talked about with them all linking back to the one point that ambition if used wrongly can have dire consequences. This makes Macbeth show has been corrupted due to the ambition and says “O full of scorpions is my mind” showing that the small ambition he once had has now turned into a massive monster. This gives the audience the idea that ambition once shown to have an interest will grow to something out of control.

Explore shakespeares use of language devices and dramatic effects and how they reveal the action of ambition on the characters Macbeth or Lady Macbeth.

Planning: Sacrifice their humanity, Macbeth, Iambic pentameter, Symbolism, Soliloquy

intro: Main point on Macbeth losing his life through ambition.

BP 1: Iambic pentameter breaking down at the end Quotes: “The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!” Act 5 scene 5 , “Life’s but a walking shadow” Act 5 scene 5

BP 2: Symbolism used to portray another thing: “Is this a dagger which I see before me” act 2 scene 2 , “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood” act 2 scene 2

BP 3: Soliloquy’s used in the play: Use Macbeths final soliloquy and his one first one in Act 2 Scene 1

BP 4: metaphor and how they are used – “they have tied me to a stake; I cannot fly, But bear-like I must fight the course.” Act 5 scene 7

conclusion:

Body paragraph 1: Shakespeare uses the iambic pentameter (A line of 5 feet of which the first is unstressed and the second is stressed making one foot) in all his plays and once the rhythm has broken, something important will be happening. This is shown at the end for Macbeth which because of his ambition has payed the price when Shakespeare gets Macbeth to say “The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!” which is the first time in the play that Macbeth breaks the pentameter meaning this will be the last blow for him before his fall.

Introduction: Roadmap to the structure of the essay, Set context, Capture the readers attention.

Quote for introduction:

Point: Lady Macbeth uses personification in her soliloquy that shows how dark her desires and ambitions are.

Example: Once lady Macbeth finishes reading the letter sent from Macbeth that tells her about the witches telling him about could happen she says “that my keen knife see not the wound it makes”

Explanation: In saying my keen knife see not, she is saying she doesn’t want to see what her influence is doing. This also confirms to us that she is going to do something evil and has evil motives. This helps us to understand that she would like Macbeth to become king which in turn means that she becomes queen.

ACT 1

Scene 1: A battle has taken place and three witches plan to meet Macbeth. in the Scottish camp king Duncan asks for a report of the battle. In Scene 1 the witches use the trochaic trimetre as the metre they speak to give us an easy way to tell they are different to the rest of the characters because normally Shakespeare writes in iambic pentameter. “fair is foul, and foul is fair” in act 1 scene 1 the witches are saying that what is fair to man is foul to the witches, but what men may see as foul, the witches see as fair.

Scene 2: A wounded soldier tells how Macbeth had killed the rebel Macdonwald and then with Banquo, had fought off an attack from the Norwegian who was allied with the rebels. Rosse arrives and reports that Macbeth has defeated the Norwegians and taken the rebel thane of Cawdor prisoner. Duncan sentences Cawdor to death and transfers his title to Macbeth. “As sparrows eagles or the hare the lion.” is used in the play to show that Macbeth is outnumbered and has very low chances of winning. I predict that the story is going to be about Macbeth becoming more important and the story of what happens and how his personality will change and he may become more selfish and less of what he was in the battle to create a bigger tragedy.

Scene 3: The three witches meet again upon the heath and talk about what they had been up to. Macbeth then arrives with Banquo where the witches tell Macbeth that he will soon become the thane of Cawdor and also king. They also tell Banquo that his children will also become king. The witches vanish and Rosse and Angus arrive with the news that Macbeth is the new thane of Cawdor meaning that the witches told at least some truth. Then Macbeth and Banquo speak about what just happened and about Macbeth being told he was going to be king. I predict that Macbeth will soon become more selfish and start to think more about him being king and makes him more selfish.

Scene 4: The king congratulates Macbeth on becoming the thane of Cawdor and Pronounces his son the Prince of Cumberland meaning that he is the air to the throne meaning that Macbeth will have to give in to doing something that isn’t good. He says ” The prince of Cumberland that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’erleap for in my way it lies, stars hide your fires let not light see my black and deep desires” meaning that Malcolm(the prince) will have to become lower down than Macbeth or else Macbeth will do something that he doesn’t want God to see.

Scene 6: Duncan, the Scottish lords, and their attendants arrive outside Macbeth’s castle. Duncan praises the castle’s pleasant environment, and he thanks Lady Macbeth, who has emerged to greet him, for her hospitality. She replies that it is her duty to be hospitable since she and her husband owe so much to their king. Duncan then asks to be taken inside to Macbeth, whom he professes to love dearly.

Scene 7: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth talk about there plan to kill Duncan and at the start, Macbeth wasn’t going to do it then lady Macbeth manipulated him to then be more willing then they plan to kill Duncan that night by making the guards drunk and then killing Duncan with the guard’s daggers. At the end of the scene, Macbeth says “false face must hide what the false heart doth know.” which tells us that the will have to hide their intentions with them lying to everyone making sure no one knows what they have done.

Act 2:

Scene 2: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth kill Duncan and talk about how they feel about with them referring to blood as their guilt. Lady Macbeth says that she has no guilt and after a little bit she won’t even remember it. Macbeth says that the longer he is going to leave it the worse his guilt will get. He also says that he heard someone say that he has murdered sleep so I think that he won’t be able to sleep which will mean he will become crazier.

Scene 3: Macbeth and the rest of the house find out that the king is dead and banquo starts to get a suspicion towards Macbeth. Malcolm and Donalbain talk and release that they have to leave so one goes to Ireland and the other to England

Scene 4: Ross and an old man talk about the weird occurrences that happened that night and then ross sees Macduff and asks what happened and hear the news that the king is dead. Macduff says that he will not be attending Macbeths party and instead will go to Duncan’s funeral.

Act 3:

Scene 1: Macbeth and Banquo talk and Macbeth questions Banquo about who and where he is going on the horse ride and then tells one of his servants to get some murderers. Macbeth then talks to the murderers and tells them to kill both Banquo and Fleance who is Banquo’s son.

Scene 2: Lady Macbeth told King Macbeth that the murder of Duncan was done and he should let it go and rest easy. But the king told Lady Macbeth that his mind would be uneasy as long as there existed a threat to his throne. King Macbeth then told her that he had set into motion a horrible plan to take care of the threat.

Scene 3: It is dusk, and the two murderers, now joined by a third, linger in a wooded park outside the palace. Banquo and Fleance approach on their horses and dismount. They light a torch, and the murderers set upon them. The murderers kill Banquo, who dies urging his son to flee and to avenge his death. One of the murderers extinguishes the torch, and in the darkness Fleance escapes. The murderers leave with Banquo’s body to find Macbeth and tell him what has happened.

Scene 5: Hecate and the first witch talk about how Macbeth is coming back to see them and Hecate says that she is going to show them how to do it. Hecate also says “And you all know, security Is mortals’ chiefest enemy.” This is telling us that death is feared by all mortals and that even if we become immortal we will still have problems with us seeing our friends and family die.

Scene 6: Lennox and a lord talk about how Fleance has been blamed with Banquo’s death bot both of them suspect that it was Macbeth who killed both Duncan and Banquo. They then talk about how Macduff has gone to meet with Malcolm in England.

Act 4:

Scene 1: The witches, Hecate and Macbeth meet in a cavern where they reinforce what they said at the start to Macbeth and Banquo and they create a cauldron full of weird stuff. Then three Apparition’s come and the first on was an Armed head that told Macbeth to fear Macduff the second one who was a bloody child told him that he cannot die and the last one which was a child holding a tree said that he cannot be defeated (vanquished).

Scene 2: Lady macduff and Rosse talk about macduff with Lady Macduff talking badly about him leaving his family and Rosse tries to save some of his honour. lady Macduff and her son talk about Macduff saying that he is a traitor and what will the son do now they continue to talk about what a traitor is and how the justice might not be correct. A messenger then comes and tells them that they could be in grave danger and that they should run but it was too late. A murderer comes in and asks where Macduff is and tells his family he is a traitor the kills both the son and Lady Macduff. In a quote the son says “Then the liars and swearers are fools: for there are liars and swearers enow to beat the honest men, and hang up them.” This is saying that actually the men that are sorting out the traitors may also be traitors and destroys the justice that has been made.

Scene 3: Malcolm and Macduff talk and Malcolm tests Macduff to see who he is loyal to and finds out that he is loyal to Scotland and not Macbeth. They then talk about the state of Scotland and a doctor comes in talking about how the king of England can heal any disease just by touching the person. Then Rosse comes in and informs Macduff that his family is dead and that they were slaughtered. Then Macduff and Malcolm talk about what there going to do now. Macduff says at the end of the scene “Be this the whetstone of your sword: let grief Convert to anger; blunt not the heart, enrage it” This means that Macduff should use this grief to sharpen his sword and to make himself angry at who has done this to him.

Act 5

Scene 1: A doctor and a Gentle-woman talk about what has been happening lately with Lady Macbeth and talk about how she has been getting up in her sleep washing her hands than writing a note, sealing it then going back to bed. The Doctor then gets an experience of this when Lady Macbeth goes and washes her hands and says that there are still spots on her hand. They then hear her say that they killed Duncan and Banquo and say that she doesn’t need a doctor she needs god to help her. In one of her speeches, Lady Macbeth says “Come, come, come, come, give me your hand. What’s done cannot be undone” This is telling us that she cannot go back and undo the killing of Duncan and Banquo and is talking in her sleep to Macbeth.

Scene 2: the Scottish army opposing Macbeth approaches Dunsinane and the thanes discuss Macbeth’s loss of control.

Scene 3: Macbeth talks about what is happening at the moment and is getting very angry at anyone. A servant come in and tells Macbeth that there is an army outside getting ready to fight him and he dismisses this. Seyton then comes in who tells Macbeth the news is true and asks what they should do. Macbeth says don’t worry as long as the wood of burn-ham doesn’t move then he is fine. This is because in the prophecy from the witches they tell him he is invincible as long as the wood of burn-ham forest doesn’t move to the castel of Dunsinane.

Scene 4: As Macbeth struggles into his armour , the doctor leaves wishing he were well away from dunsinane. The two armies opposing Macbeth have joined forces.

Scene 6: They are willing to fight to the death. Siward says “Let us be beaten , if we cannot fight.” Which is telling us that they are willing to fight till the very end.

Scene 7: Young siward dies from Macbeth and macduff asks to fight Macbeth. Siward and Malcolm talk about how Macbeths forces are joining their side every time they meet them. Malcolm says ” We have met with foes that strike beside us” which is telling us that they are growing there army and Macbeth is losing his.

Scene 8: Macbeth and Macduff finally meet and fight and then Macbeth learns that Macduff is caesarean born and is able to beat him. Macduff then kills Macbeth.

Scene 9: Siward learns that Young Siward is dead and Malcolm is pronounced king. Macduff enters with Macbeths head and everything goes back to normal.

Romeo is an character who lets his emotions dictate his actions when he says “The time and my intents are savage-wild, More fierce and more inexorable far than empty tigers or the roaring sea”. This quote is important because this is when he is about to kill himself and is a point where he acts impulsively after finding out that Juliet is dead.