In Shakespeare's play Macbeth, three witches give Macbeth a prophecy that he will become king. With great ambitions, Macbeth kills his king and becomes king himself. As king, Macbeth rules with tyranny and Scotland falls into a “disease.” Throughout the play, Shakespeare uses illness as a metaphor for Macbeth's ambition. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Evidence of Macbeth's illness is seen when the three witches prophesy that Macbeth will be lord of Cawdor and the king. Banquo laughs at the prophecy when the witches tell him that his sons will become kings. Macbeth reacts differently; he was afraid because he was already thinking about the idea of ​​becoming king. Macbeth's disease of ambition also manifests itself when Malcolm is named successor to the throne. Macbeth says “The Prince of Cumberland! This is a step on which I must fall, or jump, because it is in my way. stars, hide your fires; Don't let the light see my deep black desires. The eye winks at the hand, but let it be what the eye fears, when it has finished, to see” (1.4.50-55). He shows his violent tendencies by saying that he wants to become king even though Malcolm is in his way. He says to be king, he has to do something terrible and he will. Macbeth's ambition leads him to kill his king Duncan so he can become king himself. Macbeth's illness is released when he kills Duncan and his guilt and fear cause him to become more ambitious. To secure his position as king, he is willing to kill anyone who threatens his position. His disease of ambition spreads to the land of Scotland where Macbeth rules with tyranny and the country "weeps, bleeds, and every new day a gash is added to its wounds" (4.3.41-42). Shakespeare compares the illness of Macbeth and Scotland to King Edward and the health of England. Macbeth's overly ambitious nature has made him a tyrant, and as a result, Scotland falls to disease. Unlike Macbeth, King Edward of England has the virtues of a good king. He is blessed with the power of healing and uses it to heal the sick of his country. Macbeth seems to realize that he is the cause of Scotland's illness when he says “I have lived long enough. My way of life is to fall into the evening, into the yellow leaf” (5.3.24-25). By saying he is tired of living, he is saying he is tired of the disease he has caused in Scotland. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Shakespeare uses illness as a metaphor for Macbeth's ambition. Evidence of Macbeth's ambition appears early in the play when Macbeth reacts with fear to the witches' prophecy, revealing that he was already thinking about becoming king. His disease spreads to Scotland when he kills Duncan, becomes king, and rules with tyranny due to his guilt and fear. Towards the end of the play, he acknowledges that he himself is the disease that afflicts Scotland and says that he is tired of living with the disease that he had imposed on Scotland..