This essay will discuss the ways in which William Shakespeare's "Macbeth", written in 1606, is still evaluated today in the form of ambition and guilt. Three hundred years later, “Macbeth” is still enjoyed and that is because everyone feels ambitious and guilty at some point in their life and Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” has captivated audiences past, present and future beautifully. Audiences react so well to works like "Macbeth" because they have perceived the feelings of the characters only in simpler forms, and believe that it is right if they relate to fictional characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Ambition is a main part of Macbeth and in everyday life, as everyone has a strong desire to achieve and do important things in life. The role of ambition is mainly played by Macbeth when he wants to become king after hearing the prophecies of the witches, in Act 1, scene 3, he states that 'two truths are told as happy prologues to the growing act' this means that Macbeth is realizing that the witches' prophecies are right and begins to wonder if he will become king, this is evident in life when things start to come true after you dream about them or think about them. In Act 1, scene 7, Macbeth says the lines "I have no urge to prick the sides of my intent, but only a vaulting ambition, that overlays itself and falls upon the other." He uses this to describe the inability to motivate himself to take action when confronted with a rider who cannot use his spurs to motivate his horse to go faster. In Act 3, Scene 1, after becoming king Macbeth begins to feel restless and insecure and states that "to be so is nothing, but to be safe is so" this means that he is afraid of losing his position and is afraid while he has no children to take over when he dies, this quote also reveals that Duncan's murder took no piece from him. Shakespeare also made guilt play a big role in Macbeth, this is one of the main reasons why the play is still appreciated as people feel guilty at some point in their lives. Shakespeare also teaches his audience that doing something bad and having a guilty conscience has negative consequences. After Macbeth kills King Duncan, he returns to Lady Macbeth and says to her in Act 2, Scene 2, "shall all the great ocean of Neptune wash this blood from my hand?" this implies that even though he has already killed people in the past, he feels bad, it's like when someone does something bad and can't change what happened. Macbeth also feels guilty after getting the murders to kill Banquo, this is shown when he sees Banquo's ghost at the banquet in Act 3, scene 4, and says "your bones are marrowless, your blood is cold" , says those words as if he is trying to convince himself that Banquo isn't actually dead and that he wasn't having a vision. One of the most famous guilt lines in this play is when Lady Macbeth goes mad in Act 5, Scene 5, she says "what has been done cannot be undone", and this means that the act of violence and death cannot be cancelled. This reinforces that guilt and whatever you do cannot be undone.