Throughout the centuries, human beings have always had the need to achieve some things in life such as love, wealth, power, or authority. The ambition of Macbeth was power. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth was a brave soldier of Scotland and was very loyal to King Duncan. As he returned from a battle with his friend Banquo, three witches hailed him as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and in the end, King of Scotland. This aroused Macbeth's curiosity of how he could become King. Throughout the play, Macbeth has one goal and that is to become King of Scotland. His ambition drives him to do things that he does not really want to do. Interfering with his ambition is his conscience, which tries to stop him from committing awful crimes. Lady Macbeth is also driven by ambition for her husband to become King. Macbeth's ambition and strive for power affects their lives in a negative way and eventually leads to their downfall.
             The theme of ambition is first introduced in Act One where Macbeth hears the three witches greeting " All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdorâ€All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter! (1, 3, 50-51). Macbeth hears this from the witches and his ambition rises and he believes that there could be some truth hidden in the weird sisters' words. As his ambition rises, Macbeth comprehends that he actually could become King of Scotland, and realizes that he has to do anything and everything possible to reach his goal. Macbeth will do whatever it takes, even if it means killing Duncan. Macbeth realizes the crime he is about to enter and is fully aware of his punishments in the future. Macbeth understands that by killing Duncan, he will come to face many consequences, but he is determined to proceed with his evil plan. He knows that he shall suffer a series of punishments for this awful crime, but does not want anything standing in the way of his becoming King of Scotland (Pack 276)....