Ambition is the motivating force towards many people’s success; too much ambition can result in chaos. Ambition drove Macbeth to be a great warrior. However, once a malicious thought was planted in his mind, his potential to do great things turned into evil deeds. Macbeth’s ambition caused his downfall.
Macbeth was on the road to greatness, he had everything a man could want. Macbeth’s successes in battle lead to admiration by many important and powerful people, such as the king. King Duncan boasts about Macbeth stating, “ O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman! “(I.ii.24). Ironically Macbeth later on kills his king. Macbeth had titles and power, the King was by his side promoting him to be triumphant. “I have begun to plant thee, and will labour to make thee full of growing.” (I.iv.29) This is King Duncan’s promise to Macbeth to help him to succeed. Macbeth has the full support of the King to follow his bright and ambitious future. To this point in the play, Macbeth’s ambition is positive and he shows a lot of potential to do great things in the future.
Later in the play, Macbeth had a turning point from positive ambition to destructive, negative ambition. The witches planted the ambitious seed in Macbeth’s mind that someday he would become king and Lady Macbeth fuelled this aspiration with encouragement; however, the thoughts of murder came from Macbeth himself. It took very little for the notion of murder to be considered. “For mine own good All causes shall give way. I am in blood Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er.” (III.iv.24) Here Macbeth compares murdering Duncan to wading through a bloody river. Macbeth suggests that once a man commits a murder for his own gain, there is no turning back; this is unlike on the battle field where a man is fighting for his country. Turning back would be "tedious." Macbeth was a