William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a play that shows the destructive effect ambition has on human nature. Macbeth the main character is fueled by this ambition to make himself the king. Instead of fate crowning him king he chooses to kill king Duncan and take the throne. His dire ambition, however, was not satisfied and he began killing people close to him who he thought threatened his place on the throne. His kingdom then turned against him and only after his wife committed suicide he realised the chronic effects ambition had on him. William Shakespeare shows us that unlike common understanding, ambition can be extremely degrading to the human mind.