Ambition in Hamlet by Williams Shakespeare - 1257 Words

The dictionary defines personal ambition as â€Å"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) One could argue that too much ambition can be a negative trait. By placing such an emphasis on personal ambition it causes some to push their loved ones away in order to achieve what they want. Within most people, unhappiness is a common feeling and in extreme results, it leads to death. In the texts Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it is evident when the strongest characters place power and ambition above all else they crumble. There is a saying that goes, â€Å"We ignore the ones who love us, and†¦show more content†¦Gertrude tries to bring her sons’ sanity back but Hamlet does not give in and keeps disturbing Gertrude: QUEEN. O Hamlet, speak no more: Thou turn’st my very eyes into my soul, And there I see black and grained spots As will not leave their tinct. HAMLET. Nay, but to live In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, Stew’d in corruption, honeying and making love Over the nasty sty,- QUEEN. O, speak to me no more; These words like daggers enter in my ears; No more, sweet Hamlet! (3.4.88-96) Hamlet is overflowing with the power he placed on his ambition to succeed in seeking his revenge that he pushed two characters that would have done anything for him far away. As well for the character Boy in Fifth Business, he too pushes away someone who really cares about him. Coincidentally, as Hamlet pushes away females, Boy distant himself from his first wife, Leola. He would beat her and yell at her all the time because he was so cooped up in his own mind. A severe incident which takes place between Boy and Leola is when Boy gives Dunny a number of reels of film, and asks him to develop them for him. At first, this seems a harmful favour, but when Dunny realizes that those reels contain naked pictures of Leola, it embarrasses as well as angers him to a great extent. Boys excitement over the pictures at the dinner table would provide a discomfort to one, as Leola says: Boy, please put them away or Ill have to go upstairs.I dont want Dunny to seeShow MoreRelatedThe Illusion of Am bition in Hamlet by William Shakespeare899 Words   |  4 Pagesthing that comes to your mind when you hear the word ambition? Destiny? Dreams? Success? There’s a higher chance you thought of positive words such as success. Although, ambition can be a driving force in an individual’s success, it can also backfire at the individual. In his play, Hamlet, Shakespeare demonstrates that an individual’s ambitions can have a negative impact on self and others through the character of Claudius. 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