Ambition is defined as “an earnest desire for some type of achievement or distinction, as power, honour, fame, or wealth, and the willingness to strive for its attainment” (dictionary.com). As such, ambition is an intense quality and one that should be desired. It can, however, be seen as a form of greed, if someone desires for power too high above their station. This destructive application of ambition is seen through Shakespeare and Shelley’s presentation of the characters of Macbeth and Frankenstein respectively.
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was first published in 1818 in a context of the Age of Enlightenment and scientific discovery. 212 years earlier, in 1606, Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth is thought to have been first performed, during the reign of James I of England. The characters of Macbeth and Frankenstein undoubtedly have overwhelming levels of ambition, which is a key factor leading to their acts of transgression – killing King Duncan and creating the monster. Shelley and Shakespeare use their texts as a warning of the danger of ambition. Neither of the characters consider the consequences of their actions, however, other contributing factors such as the influence of women and the supernatural, bolster their ambition and help to lead to the downfall of the protagonists.
Ambition is presented as a driving force early in the novel, Frankenstein; “with all of [his] ardour, [Frankenstein] was capable of a more intense application, and was more deeply smitten with the thirst for knowledge.” The adjective ‘smitten’ effectively presents Frankenstein’s ambition and desire for knowledge as a positive quality, a view which is flipped on its head once Frankenstein decides to create life. We can link this positive presentation of ambition, as well as Walton’s similar ambitious drive, to the context of 18th century Europe and the Age of Enlightenment, when scientific discovery was continually growing in popularity with men such as Antoine Lavoisier discovering the role of oxygen in combustion and Edward Jenner pioneering the smallpox vaccine. Macbeth’s ambition and drive for power is presented similarly by Shakespeare through the metaphor “I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition,” Macbeth acknowledges his own ambition and the verb ‘vaulting’ further emphasises the extent of it.
Frankenstein and Macbeth’s extreme ambitious drive and desire for greatness is also seen through Shelley and Shakespeare’s use of time. After meeting Waldman, Frankenstein is inspired to pursue his studies in the sciences and “natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry, […] became nearly [his] sole occupation”, attacking them with impressive passion and enthusiasm. This does, however, have a negative effect as he places more importance on his studies and discoveries than his fiancée or his siblings back in Geneva – “Two years passed…during which I paid no visit to Geneva, but was engaged, heart and soul, in the pursuit of some discoveries”. Irony is seen in Shelley’s use of the verb “engaged” as although Frankenstein is ‘engaged’ to Elizabeth, he is more ‘engaged’ in his studies and ambition.
The action of Macbeth, on the other hand, is estimated to take place over several months but this use of time is also effective in presenting the effect of ambition on Macbeth’s downfall. The audience sees Macbeth change from a praised soldier, “brave Macbeth”, noble Macbeth”, who gains his promotion to Thane of Cawdor by his own merit; “everyone did bear thy praises in his kingdom’s great defence”, to a tyrannical leader; “Bring me no more reports. Let them fly all. Till Birnam Wood remove to Dunsinane I cannot taint with fear.” The lack of time it takes for Macbeth to change is effective in showing his ambition and desire for power. Over this time, the audience also sees Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s relationship fall apart. Their ambition sees a close marriage deteriorate to the point that, after Lady Macbeth’s death, Macbeth feels little emotion; “She should have died hereafter; There would have been a time for such a word.” Shakespeare uses a short time frame to build both Macbeth’s ambition and his hubris and this presents his ambition as more extreme.
Each text features supernatural elements and these are effective in driving the protagonist towards their downfall. Shelley and Shakespeare both use pathetic fallacy to introduce the supernatural; chapter 5 of Frankenstein, opens with “it was on a dreary night of November” which forebodes the disastrous creation of the monster and in Act 1 Scene 1 of Macbeth, the witches are meeting during a storm, entering to “thunder and lightning”. This is used to present the supernatural as an overwhelming force and a key component of both texts. The witches in Macbeth contribute in showing the influence of women in driving Macbeth’s ambition. James I, who was on the throne at the time Macbeth was written, had a deep seated belief in witchcraft; his book Daemonologie from 1597 informed people of black magic and its origins. Shakespeare’s close relationship with the King suggests why the supernatural and specifically the witches are such great influencers in the play. They are introduced in Act 1 Scene 1 and Shakespeare immerses the audience in the upside-down world of the play. Macbeth’s gullible nature and reliance on fate is seen through the prophecies of the witches. After meeting them and hearing them call him “Thane of Glamis!”, “Thane of Cawdor!” and “King!”, Macbeth’s ambition is awakened because they have given him a goal to strive towards; “Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more”. We can compare Macbeth’s reaction to that of Banquo, who is more sceptical of the witches: “Were such things here as we do speak about? Or have we eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?”
The character of Banquo is significant in Macbeth as he represents the path Macbeth could have taken; a path where ambition is used for good as opposed to murder. Macbeth’s reliance on the witches’ prophecies to keep him alive and in power, effectively leads to his downfall as much as his unchecked ambition does. By Act 5, he has “almost forgot the taste of fears” because the prophecies have proved themselves right too many times for this final one to be wrong. Ultimately, when Macduff reveals he was “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped”, Macbeth’s downfall is complete because the prophecies were proven right – Macbeth should have been wary of Macduff, Birnam Wood came to Dunsinane and he was not harmed by a man of woman born – but they were proved right in a way he had not assumed, showing his gullibility and a strong reliance on the words of the supernatural forces. This means it could be argued that Macbeth’s downfall is not his fault and he is driven not by ambition but rather by witchcraft because of the large role the witches play in influencing many of Macbeth’s decisions.
In Frankenstein, the supernatural element of the novel (the creation of the monster) is also a significant factor in driving Frankenstein’s downfall. As soon as the monster comes to life, Frankenstein realises the mistake he has made, saying “I had worked hard for nearly two years […] I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”. Frankenstein is horrified by the ugliness of the monster and avoids and abandons it. The monster then goes on to murder many of Frankenstein’s loved ones after being shaped by the society he is left to live in. Shelley’s focus on the monster’s later actions, including its own narration of the events, as well as her lack of focus on the actual creation of it shows that the consequences and effects of the supernatural and Frankenstein’s transgression is more influential in leading to his downfall than the actual act. By contrast to Macbeth, Frankenstein is driven to create the supernatural rather than driven by the supernatural. It can be argued that if it was not for Frankenstein’s immense ambition and passion for science, the effects of the creation would not have affected him so much, making his ambition a key factor in leading to his downfall. The language used by Shelley when describing the monster includes references to the devil and presents the monster’s demonic nature. Phrases such as “demoniacal corpse” and “it became such a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived” allude directly to the devil and hell. This presentation of the supernatural is used by the authors to show the negative consequences of the protagonist’s ambition (in Frankenstein’s case) and gullibility (in Macbeth’s case).
Both Macbeth and Frankenstein are set within patriarchal societies but the presentation of the women in the texts differs and this, as a result, affects the way ambition of the title characters is presented. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is unlike women of the time. She demands masculine qualities stating “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty.” in Act 1 Scene 5. Shakespeare’s masculine presentation of Lady Macbeth makes her a driving force of Macbeth’s ambition. In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth probes Macbeth by using questions and emotive language (“Was the hope drunk wherein you dress’d yourself? Hath it slept since? And wakes it now, to look so green and pale at what it did so freely?” and “I have given suck, and know how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.”) The contrast between Lady Macbeth’s complex speech and Macbeth’s reluctant worrying shows Lady Macbeth’s dominance and Macbeth’s lack of personal drive. This role reversal between the genders creates an interesting paradox in that Lady Macbeth criticises Macbeth’s kindness (Act 1 Scene 5 – “yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness”) which is a key factor in the development of Macbeth’s ambition. Some readers believe that Lady Macbeth’s ambition is a more significant factor towards Macbeth’s downfall than his own because of her persuasive nature and her more masculine qualities.
In Frankenstein, Shelley presents Elizabeth in a completely different way, as the stereotypical view of women of the time – motherly and caring but also weak and passive. She is repeatedly described only by her beauty and appearance, notably with “loveliness surpassing the beauty of her childish years” and having “gentleness and soft looks of compassion”. This, in turn, presents Frankenstein's ambition to be self-driven rather than driven by women, or Elizabeth in particular, because of her minor and passive role in the novel.
Shakespeare acknowledges the negative consequences of overwhelming ambition through his presentation of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s madness. The entire theme of madness is explored in the witches’ phrase “fair is foul and foul is fair”, expressing that everything is not what it seems and this can allude to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s state of mind throughout the play. When Macbeth sees the apparition of the dagger before him, in Act 2 Scene 1, the audience is warned as to where Macbeth’s ambitious nature will lead him. The imagery of the apparitions, both the dagger and Banquo’s ghost, is used to exemplify Macbeth’s feeling of guilt, caused by the actions his ambition drove him to do, namely the murders of Duncan and Banquo. When Macbeth ‘sees’ the dagger, he understands that it is a vision – “art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heat-oppressèd brain?” – but, further on in the play, when he sees the ghost of Banquo, he genuinely believes Banquo is stood in front of him, albeit covered in blood. He shouts “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me.” towards the ghost and the guests are shocked to see their King in such distress. The contrast between Macbeth’s two reactions is crafted cleverly to show his downfall because his mind is becoming more and more unstable as he cannot determine what is real and what is not anymore.
Shakespeare’s use of blood imagery during Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking in Act 5 Scene 1 is also effective in physicalising her guilt. Her persistence in trying to get rid of the spot, implied through the Gentlewoman’s comment, “It is an accustomed action with her to seem thus washing her hands. I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour.” and the repetition of “out damned spot”, places emphasis on Lady Macbeth’s guilt and the overriding power of it on her now shaken state of mind. The madness of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth presented by Shakespeare shows the negative effects of unchecked ambition of both characters. It also contributes in acting as a warning towards the audience by showing the psychological effects of the character's guilt, which was caused by their unruly ambition.
Madness is also a factor towards Frankenstein’s downfall in Frankenstein. Following the death of Henry Clerval, Frankenstein is absorbed by a world of darkness and paranoia. He says “although the sun shone upon me, […] I saw around me nothing but a dense and frightful darkness, penetrated by no light but the glimmer of two eyes that glared upon me.” using the imagery of darkness and ominous eyes to present Frankenstein’s now unsettled mindset. Shelley then goes on to exemplify Frankenstein’s guilt and despair through his dreams (“sleep did not afford me respite from thought and misery; my dreams presented a thousand objects that scared me.”) and this further expresses the negative consequences of excessive ambition and contributes to the aim to warn the reader of scientific discovery going too far. We can link this directly to Macbeth, who is plagued with lack of sleep because of his act of murder. He says “Methought I heard a voice cry ‘Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep’” which speaks of his troubled mind. The madness of the protagonists in both texts is an important factor which contributes to their downfall but it is accurate to say that the madness is a manifestation of their guilt, which in turn was caused by their ambition.
Shelley uses the character of Victor Frankenstein as a narrator in Frankenstein, but he is also telling Robert Walton his story. Walton and Frankenstein are incredibly similar characters – both possess an intense thirst for knowledge and desire to go beyond human power. As well as this, both men are willing to risk their lives to achieve their goals. Frankenstein’s ability to warn Walton is presented by Shelley to show that Frankenstein's character changed because of his experience with the monster he created and the regret and guilt this caused. Frankenstein questions Walton with shock when he wants to learn more about how he created the monster near the end of the novel – "Are you mad, my friend?" said he. "Or whither does your senseless curiosity lead you? Would you also create for yourself and the world a demoniacal enemy? Peace, peace! Learn my miseries and do not seek to increase your own." This quote exemplifies Frankenstein’s changed nature and the phrases “senseless curiosity” and “learn my miseries” emphasise his passion in trying to get Walton to change his ways through the impactful words ‘senseless’ and ‘miseries’. Because Frankenstein was written in the Age of Enlightenment, it is not surprising that these two young and intelligent men are questioning customs, morals and traditional ways of thinking.
It is correct to say that ambition is a key factor in the protagonists’ downfalls in both Macbeth and Frankenstein however other contributing factors, such as Shelley’s references to the devil and God, and Shakespeare’s representation of guilt through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s madness and visions, are also important. It is also important to note that the influence of women and the supernatural drives Macbeth’s ambition, making their influence a more significant factor than his ambition alone. Frankenstein, on the other hand, is the only one driving his ambition, with his family even trying to stop him. Ambition is presented as a more significant factor in Frankenstein compared to Shakespeare’s presentation in Macbeth but both texts and authors support the view that unchecked ambition can lead to someone’s downfall.