The Key Three: Ambition in Macbeth

In this episode of Study Sessions, we explore how Shakespeare presents ambition as a dangerous and destructive force in Macbeth. Linking directly to your homework for Week 4, we examine “vaulting ambition” in detail and connect it to three more key quotations across the play: “Stars, hide your fires” (Act 1 Scene 4), “To be thus is nothing” (Act 3 Scene 1), and “Signifying nothing” (Act 5 Scene 5). Together, these moments reveal how ambition tempts, corrupts, and ultimately consumes Macbeth.