GCSE English Literature

Ambition in Macbeth9 key quotes with full analysis.

Complete collection of quotes about ambition in Macbeth for GCSE English Literature, exploring how Shakespeare presents ambition as a destructive force.

Understanding Ambition in Macbeth

Ambition is the central theme of Macbeth and the driving force behind the play's tragedy. Shakespeare explores how ambition, when unchecked by moral constraints, leads to destruction. The play opens with Macbeth as a loyal and brave soldier, but the witches' prophecy awakens his dormant ambition.

Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are consumed by ambition, though they respond differently. Lady Macbeth is initially the more ruthless, urging her husband to murder Duncan. Macbeth hesitates but ultimately succumbs, setting off a chain of violence. For a Jacobean audience, this ambition was particularly dangerous as it threatened the divine right of kings.

Tragic FlawCorruptionPowerRegicideDivine Right of Kings

All Ambition Quotes

“Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 5
GenderAmbitionSupernaturalPower

Context: Lady Macbeth calls upon evil spirits after reading Macbeth's letter about the witches' prophecy.

Analysis

Lady Macbeth invokes dark spirits to strip her of feminine qualities she sees as weaknesses. The verb "unsex" reveals her belief that femininity is incompatible with the ruthlessness needed for murder. This subverts Jacobean gender expectations and establishes her as the driving force behind the regicide.

Language Techniques:

Imperative verbsInvocationSubversion of gender roles

Exam Tip

Link to context: James I's views on gender and witchcraft. Compare to later scenes where her femininity returns through guilt.

“I would, while it was smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out”
Lady MacbethAct 1, Scene 7
ViolenceMotherhoodAmbitionGender

Context: Lady Macbeth describes what she would do to prove her commitment.

Analysis

The most violent image in the play, contrasting maternal tenderness ("smiling") with brutal infanticide. "Boneless gums" emphasises the baby's vulnerability. Lady Macbeth claims she would commit the ultimate unnatural act rather than break a promise. This shames Macbeth into agreeing to murder.

Language Techniques:

Violent imageryJuxtapositionHyperbole

Exam Tip

Ultimate subversion of motherhood. Compare to Lady Macduff and her children - natural motherhood destroyed by Macbeth.

“Nought's had, all's spent, where our desire is got without content”
Lady MacbethAct 3, Scene 2
Consequences of EvilAmbitionEmptiness

Context: Lady Macbeth reflects alone on their hollow victory.

Analysis

This rhyming couplet reveals Lady Macbeth's private despair. The paradox "all's spent" for achieving "desire" shows the crown brings no happiness. "Content" (happiness) is impossible when "desire" is achieved through evil. She realises too late that ambition's rewards are hollow.

Language Techniques:

Rhyming coupletParadoxSoliloquy

Exam Tip

Shows her psychological decline beginning. She hides this despair from Macbeth, showing their growing distance.

“Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?”
MacbethAct 2, Scene 1
SupernaturalGuiltAmbitionMadness

Context: Macbeth hallucinates a dagger before murdering Duncan.

Analysis

The rhetorical question reveals Macbeth's uncertainty - he cannot distinguish reality from imagination. The dagger pointing towards his hand suggests fate or the supernatural guiding him, yet also implies his own responsibility. This soliloquy marks his psychological descent into guilt and paranoia.

Language Techniques:

Rhetorical questionSymbolismSoliloquyVisual imagery

Exam Tip

Debate whether the dagger is supernatural or psychological. Link to the witches and question of free will vs fate.

“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires”
MacbethAct 1, Scene 4
AmbitionAppearance vs RealityEvil

Context: Macbeth's aside after Malcolm is named heir to the throne.

Analysis

The imperative "hide" shows Macbeth's awareness that his desires are shameful. The personification of light as a moral judge creates heaven/hell imagery. "Black and deep" suggests his ambition is both evil and hidden in his subconscious. This is his first acknowledgment of murderous thoughts.

Language Techniques:

ApostrophePersonificationLight/dark imageryAside

Exam Tip

First sign of Macbeth's "vaulting ambition." Link to the motif of hiding throughout the play.

“I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition”
MacbethAct 1, Scene 7
AmbitionConscienceSelf-awareness

Context: Macbeth debates whether to kill Duncan.

Analysis

Macbeth acknowledges he has no legitimate reason for murder except ambition. The horse-riding metaphor of "spur" and "vaulting" suggests ambition that overreaches. His self-awareness makes his choice more tragic - he knows his only motive is ambition but proceeds anyway.

Language Techniques:

Extended metaphorSelf-awarenessEquestrian imagery

Exam Tip

Shows Macbeth understands his own fatal flaw. His tragedy is choosing evil with full awareness.

“To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus”
MacbethAct 3, Scene 1
ParanoiaInsecurityAmbition

Context: Macbeth reflects on his insecurity as king, fearing Banquo's descendants.

Analysis

Achieving kingship ("thus") brings no satisfaction without security. The prophecy that Banquo's descendants will be kings torments Macbeth. He has gained a "fruitless crown" and "barren sceptre." This insecurity drives him to murder Banquo, showing how one crime leads to more.

Language Techniques:

AntithesisParadoxSoliloquy

Exam Tip

Shows the crown brings no peace. Macbeth's ambition is never satisfied - achieving it only creates new fears.

“All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!”
WitchesAct 1, Scene 3
ProphecyFateAmbitionSupernatural

Context: The third witch prophesies Macbeth's kingship.

Analysis

This prophecy ignites Macbeth's ambition. "Hereafter" is deliberately vague - it doesn't say how or when. The witches don't command murder, merely predict kingship. Macbeth chooses the path of violence. The prophecy tests whether he will wait for fate or force it.

Language Techniques:

ProphecyAmbiguityTriadic structure

Exam Tip

Debate: do witches cause Macbeth's actions or merely predict them? Key for fate vs free will essays.

“Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, as the weird women promised, and I fear thou played'st most foully for't”
BanquoAct 3, Scene 1
BetrayalAmbitionCorruption

Context: Banquo's soliloquy reveals his suspicions about Macbeth.

Analysis

The listing emphasizes how completely the prophecy has been fulfilled. "Fear" shows Banquo suspects but hasn't acted. "Foully" creates wordplay with "fair is foul," linking Macbeth to the witches' moral corruption. His inaction despite suspicion makes him complicit.

Language Techniques:

ListingWordplaySoliloquy

Exam Tip

Banquo serves as a moral contrast to Macbeth - he resists temptation. Yet his silence makes him partly culpable.

Explore More Macbeth Themes

View quotes organised by other key themes including guilt, supernatural, and power.

All Macbeth QuotesGuilt Theme