'Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires.'
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This soliloquy by Macbeth displays a conflict of ideas and his desire for ambition against all things right. He is asking not to be judged for his wrongdoings. His actions, brought about by prophecies lead to death and have a domino effect throughout families and the kingdom. With Macbeth in a state of flux, the conflicts he encounters are not only physical and emotional but also metaphorical. In this play, conflicting attitudes and beliefs are evident in the character Macbeth.
Macbeth is a Scottish general and the Thane of Glamis whose mind becomes filled with formidable thoughts brought about by the prophecies of the three witches. He is a brave soldier and a powerful man but with such disastrous desires, he is not a virtuous one. His ambition to lead, along with the insistence of his wife, paves the way for a story of murder, deceit, and ultimately, humiliation in defeat.
Macbeth’s desire to lead, at all costs, presents a conflict of ideas. He is a penultimate tragic hero - the hero who falls because of his flawed character. In Macbeth, this flaw is his ambition. He is keen to become King and see the fulfillment of prophecies but is also tortured by his conscience. This has led to actions that are illegitimate and therefore immoral. There is a struggle within Macbeth between his ambition and the understanding of right and wrong. He is exceptionally ambitious, often going to extreme lengths to achieve his goals. While this drive to power is seemingly a positive and prosperous one initially, it quickly fades into a negative one as it leads to death and the associated guilt haunts him. Filled with ambition and driven to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan in order to take the throne for himself. Once done he says, “I’ll go no more. I am afraid to think of what I have done. Look don’t again I dare not.” He is faced with an internal conflict of the murderous act of killing King Duncan. The regicide has created guilt in Macbeth, which becomes an internal conflict within him. Immediately after killing King Duncan, Macbeth’s senses are heightened, and he becomes paranoid about being caught. “How isn't with me, when every noise appalls me?” whilst looking at his bloody hands. He uses a metaphor to compare his guilt after the murder. He states, there is not enough water in the ocean to clean the blood from his hands. Duncan’s blood is a symbol of Macbeth’s guilt and a recurring motif throughout the play.
The play manifests in Macbeth experiencing both a physical and emotional conflict with Macduff. This physical altercation is where Macbeth learns that his fate has come to an end. “Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother’s womb. Untimely ripped.” Macbeth believes he cannot be defeated by Macduff because, as the witches predicted, no man born of a woman can kill Macbeth. Whilst talking about his charmed life, he learns that Macduff was taken from his mother’s womb and was not born naturally. Macbeth realizes that this situation is hopeless. “I will not yield,” he claims. He does not want to be mocked by MacDuff or any of the commoners, so he will not surrender. Ambition is clearly understood here as he does not want to be looked down upon and is conceited. He continues to fight noblely, although he knows that this fight will not go in his favor. Macbeth shows defiance and fights to the end. The outward fighting/killing is external while the actual conflict lies within. Macbeth’s reliance on fate has brought him to this conflict. A conflict where not only he must fight physically but emotionally. The themes of power and ambition are evident in this fight as Macbeth, although accepting that death is near, “Yet I will try the last”, fights to the end.
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