Original artwork, not a still
Macbeth · 1623
I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent, but only vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself, and falls on the other.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Here the speaker admits there is no sharp spur pushing the plan forward, only ambition that leaps too high. The image is a rider vaulting into the saddle, overshooting, and landing on the far side. Ambition without solid motive, the line suggests, tends to topple its owner.
Context reviewed
