1.

Figurative Language

Shakespeare uses powerful metaphors and comparisons to show the overwhelming and often
destructive nature of ambition.

 Macbeth says his ambition is like a horse trying to jump too far:
“Vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on the other” (Act 1, Scene 7).
Here, ambition is seen as reckless and uncontrolled. Just like a rider trying to leap too far
falls off, Macbeth’s overreaching ambition causes him to fail and fall into ruin.
 Lady Macbeth uses deceptive imagery:
“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” (Act 1, Scene 5). This
suggests that ambition cannot always act openly; it must hide behind a false appearance.
Macbeth must appear harmless, but be deadly underneath — a strategy driven by
ambition to reach power through murder.
 Macbeth uses the image of a poisoned drink:
“This even-handed justice commends the ingredients of our poisoned chalice to our
own lips” (Act 1, Scene 7). He fears that by killing Duncan, he is preparing a deadly fate
for himself — that the act of ambition will lead to his own downfall.
 Banquo, in contrast, is shown symbolically as holding the poisoned chalice by refusing
to act on the witches’ prophecy. He resists ambition’s temptation, yet Macbeth sees him
as a threat and imagines he might bring about Macbeth’s punishment just by living — a
reflection of Macbeth’s growing paranoia.

2. Imagery

Shakespeare fills the play with visual and symbolic imagery to highlight how ambition hides,
spreads, and ultimately collapses:

 Darkness imagery: Macbeth says,

“Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires” (Act 1, Scene 4),
and Lady Macbeth calls on the night to “pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell” (Act 1,
Scene 5). Both characters associate ambition with darkness and concealment. They want
their evil plans to remain hidden from heaven, from others, and possibly even from their
own conscience. Darkness becomes a symbol of evil ambition lurking in secret.
 Macbeth laments the unnatural nature of his kingship:
“Fruitless crown” and “barren sceptre” (Act 3, Scene 1). These metaphors suggest that
although he is king, his reign is empty and unnatural because he has no heirs. His
ambition gave him the crown, but not the legacy — it is hollow.
 Macbeth says Banquo will be the “root and father of many kings” (Act 3, Scene 1).
This tree metaphor contrasts Macbeth’s barren future with Banquo’s fertile one.
Banquo’s line will grow and thrive, while Macbeth’s will die with him. His ambition,
instead of securing a royal future, ensures his legacy is cut off.
  Banquo’s ghost at the banquet is a powerful image of guilt and failed ambition. Macbeth
alone sees the ghost, which reminds him that Banquo’s line will continue while his own
ends. The ghost symbolises the haunting consequence of Macbeth’s murderous ambition.

3. Foreshadowing

Shakespeare uses the witches’ words to plant the seeds of ambition in Macbeth and warn us of
his tragic future.

 The witches greet Macbeth with:

“All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! / Thane of Cawdor! / King
hereafter!” (Act 1, Scene 3). These titles escalate, tempting Macbeth to believe he is
destined for greatness. This prophecy awakens his ambition and sets the entire tragedy in
motion.
 The witches also tell Banquo:
“Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none”, hinting that Banquo’s children will be
kings, though he won’t be one himself. This fuels Macbeth’s fear and insecurity, pushing
him to view Banquo and his son Fleance as obstacles to his ambition.
 The witches never tell Macbeth how he will become king or what it will cost. Their
vague words hint at success but also lead to destruction. Their prophecy is a form of
manipulation that triggers Macbeth’s downfall — his ambition drives him to try and fulfil
fate by force.

4. Pathetic Fallacy

Nature reacts to the crimes caused by ambition, showing how unnatural Macbeth’s actions are.

 After Duncan’s murder, Lennox describes the night as full of strange events:
“The night has been unruly” (Act 2, Scene 3). Chimneys have blown down, strange
screams were heard, and the earth shook. These unnatural happenings reflect how
Macbeth’s ambitious act — killing a rightful king — has disturbed the balance of the
world. Nature itself is reacting in horror to Macbeth’s ambition.

5. Irony

 Situational Irony: Macbeth kills Duncan to become king and have peace of mind, but
instead he becomes consumed by fear. He trusts the witches, thinks he's invincible, and
commits more murders. Instead of achieving security, his ambition makes him paranoid
and hated. He loses what he hoped to gain.
  Dramatic Irony: The audience knows more than Macbeth. For example, when the
witches say no one “born of woman” will harm him, Macbeth believes he is
untouchable. But the audience suspects a trick in their words — as it turns out, Macduff
was not "born of woman" in the usual way. Macbeth’s blind trust in the witches shows
how ambition can make someone foolish and overconfident.

6. Rhyming Words

Shakespeare uses rhyme, especially in the witches’ speech, to create a sense of fate, magic, and
manipulation.

 “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (Act 1, Scene 1) suggests that appearances are deceiving
— ambition may seem fair (good) but is actually foul (evil). It sets the tone for a world
where morality is twisted by desire.
 The witches speak in rhyming couplets, like:
“Double, double toil and trouble; / Fire burn and cauldron bubble” (Act 4, Scene 1).
Their chant-like rhythm feels spell-like and unnatural. Their rhyme has a hypnotic effect,
showing how ambition is stirred by dangerous supernatural forces.
 The rhyme gives the witches’ words a final, unchangeable feeling, as if they are binding
Macbeth to his fate. This mirrors how his ambition traps him in a path of no return.
 Alliteration is also used to emphasize the growing tension and turmoil caused by
Macbeth's ambition. For example, “To be thus is nothing; / But to be safely thus” (Act
3, Scene 1) repeats the "t" sound to convey Macbeth's obsessive desire to secure his
kingship, showing the restless nature of his ambition.

Conclusion

Shakespeare uses literary devices like metaphor, imagery, irony, rhyme, and foreshadowing to
explore how ambition can start as a small desire and grow into a deadly obsession. Macbeth’s
ambition makes him act against nature, conscience, and morality. Though he gains the throne, he
loses his peace, his allies, and his life. His ambition isolates and destroys him, showing that
unchecked ambition brings ruin instead of greatness.