In the play Macbeth, ambition, strength and madness play an important role in how the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth behave and they react. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth exhibit all three of these behaviors at one point or another throughout the play. However, behaviors progress in very different ways. As Macbeth becomes stronger and more ambitious, Lady Macbeth does the opposite. At first she is strong and ambitious, but becomes increasingly weaker and more reserved. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is cautious and a little suspicious of the witches. He only begins to really think about the idea that they might be telling him the truth when they hail him as the lord of Cawdor, who soon after receives the news that he has been appointed. When the witches tell him that he will become king he is surprised but does not seriously think about killing Duncan until Lady Macbeth tells him about it. Lady Macbeth on the other hand is strong and very ambitious towards the beginning of the play. From the beginning he has control over Macbeth. When he reads the letter about the prophecies and how Macbeth will soon return home, he immediately begins planning to kill King Duncan. She is pleased with Macbeth's newly acquired title to the throne of Cawdor. This shows how he has a lot of ambition in the beginning. The fact that she can so easily convince Macbeth that he must kill Duncan shows that she is the stronger of the two in the first acts. Even halfway through the play Macbeth is the weaker of the two characters. When they plan to kill King Duncan, first Macbeth tries to back out so as not to get into trouble, however Lady Macbeth once again easily convinces him into the plan, killing Duncan, she is still the strongest character. He fears the dead so much that he hallucinates and sees the dagger floating in front of him. It immediately begins to manifest itself in this part of the play in the form of Macbeth's hallucination. It takes a lot of time and courage from Lady Macbeth for Macbeth to be able to give her enough courage to kill King Duncan, this also shows that she is still very weak and looking for ambition. Although Lady Macbeth is still stronger and more ambitious, the killing of King Duncan is the point at which the gap begins to close. He calls Macbeth a coward when he tries to back out of the plan and tries to escape from killing the king. He also shows a lot of strength when Macbeth returns after killing King Duncan. All this proves that Lady Macbeth is a stronger character than Macbeth. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay William Shakespeare's work captures the harmful physical and psychological impacts of political ambition on those he seeks control for his own good. Together, 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 go along with the plan and she also takes part in the crime. “Macbeth” Examples Compare and Contrast Essay Shakespearean Dichotomy: In the tumultuous world of Shakespeare's “Macbeth,” ambition, strength, and madness weave together a complex tapestry of character evolution. Enter the dark corridors of power as we explore how the journeys of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth diverge and converge in their relentless pursuit of dominance. The ebb and flow of ambition: Within the confines of Shakespeare's masterpiece, ambition reigns supreme, but its impact takes divergent paths for, 39(2), 221-239.