Macbeth: The Tragic Dilemma of Ambition

Detailed Analysis">Detailed Analysis

William Shakespeare's play Macbeth digs deep into how ambition, when left unchecked, can destroy everything in its path. From the start, we see Macbeth's journey from being a loyal warrior to a tyrant who'll stop at nothing for power. The line "she should have died hereafter" pops up throughout the play. It serves as a reminder of what happens because of Macbeth’s choices and the tragic road he’s on. Let’s look at how this phrase shows up in the text and what it means for Macbeth’s downfall.

Right from Act I, you can tell that Macbeth's got big dreams. When he hears from those witches about becoming Thane of Cawdor and then King of Scotland, it lights a fire under him. Lady Macbeth only adds fuel to that fire by pushing him to act on his ambition. But even early on, you can see the guilt creeping in on Macbeth. The phrase "she should have died hereafter" first shows up in Act I, Scene 5, when Lady Macbeth is thinking about killing King Duncan. This hints at the remorse Macbeth will feel later on, kind of like a dark cloud hanging over him.

The phrase also makes you think about how there’s no going back after some actions. Once Macbeth decides to kill Duncan, he's crossed a line, and there's no turning around from that path. It's like reaching a point where you've burned all your bridges behind you and just have to keep moving forward, no matter how rocky the road gets.

When he does finally kill Duncan, that's when his ambition really peaks—and not in a good way. In Act II, Scene 2, right after the murder, "she should have died hereafter" comes up again as Macbeth starts realizing what he's done. He's caught in this struggle with his conscience, wrestling with whether his ambition was worth it. You can almost feel the weight of his guilt starting to crush him.

As things keep unfolding, it becomes pretty clear that Macbeth's reached that point where there's no turning back after Duncan's death—he's crossed a moral boundary that's stuck with him forever. That phrase is just another reminder that he can't undo what's been done.

The further we get into the story, the more out-of-control his ambition becomes until it totally destroys him in the end. By Act V, Scene 5, when "she should have died hereafter" appears one last time—man, you really feel how empty he's become. His climb to power has led him nowhere but misery.

Concluding Remarks">Concluding Remarks

So yeah—in Concluding Remarks? Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show us all how destructive ambition can be if you're not careful with it. That recurring line "she should have died hereafter" is just haunting throughout; it's like this constant reminder of what unchecked ambition did to Macbeth’s life—the irreversible choices he made along his tragic journey through guilt-ridden paths driven by an insatiable hunger for power.

Bibliography

• Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Folger Shakespeare Library, 1992.
• Barton, Anne. “Thematic Analysis: The Role of Ambition in 'Macbeth'.” Journal of Literature Studies vol 14 (2005): pp 78-89.
• Coxon-Piersons’ Literary Critique (2010), “Ambition Unchecked: A Detailed Review of Shakespearean Tragedies,” Vol 32 Issue 4 Pages 120-126.
• Meyer-Lee E., “A Psychological Exploration Into Guilt & Conscience Reflected In ‘Macbeth’”, Cambridge Literary Review Quarterly Edition No19 Summer Ed pp234-237