Essay | Shakespeare's Macbeth: Tyrant with a Conscience

Ambition can be a powerful force in a man's life, for good or evil. But how far can it take you? Macbeth's ambition is the driving force behind his action in Shakespeare's play. He commits acts of violence in order to increase and secure his power. However, Macbeth also shows signs of possessing a strong conscience. In act 2 and 3 of the play, Macbeth actions and words show that he is a paradox in that he is a ruthless tyrant and a man of conscience.

In Act 2, Macbeth's ambition and pressures from his wife Lady Macbeth lead to the killing of The King Duncan, at that point he shows no conscience he is willing to do anything to be king, even if that meant going against the great chain of being. His conscience is blocked by the pressure around him and...
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