Across books · Theme
Ambition and Power
Characters like the Princess Valeria, the Marquis Theodore, and Facino Cane are driven by political ambition and the pursuit of power, with Bellarion navigating these schemes, often using cunning and strategy to advance his own position while professing indifference to worldly…
Ambition and Power appears as a literary theme in 7 works in the BetterReads curated set. Each book develops the idea in its own plot, voice, and historical moment — the links below open the book-scoped theme guide beside the text.
Characters like the Princess Valeria, the Marquis Theodore, and Facino Cane are driven by political ambition and the pursuit of power, with Bellarion navigating these schemes, often using cunning and strategy to advance his own position while professing indifference to worldly rewards.
The play explores the dangers of unchecked ambition, particularly through Caesar's rise and the conspirators' fear that his ambition will lead to tyranny, as well as the corrupting influence of power on characters like Cassius and Brutus.
The play explores how unchecked ambition drives Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to commit regicide and murder, ultimately leading to their downfall as they sacrifice morality for power.
The play explores the corrupting influence of unchecked ambition, as Richard's relentless pursuit of the crown drives him to commit murder and betrayal, ultimately leading to his downfall.
The narrative examines the allure and futility of political ambition and power, as characters like Raymond and Adrian grapple with leadership, fame, and the emptiness of worldly success in the face of universal mortality.
The novel follows Frank Cowperwood's relentless drive for wealth, influence, and control, as he manipulates finance, politics, and people to build a street-railway empire in Chicago, illustrating the intoxicating and destructive nature of unchecked ambition.
In each book
Bellarion the Fortunate
Characters like the Princess Valeria, the Marquis Theodore, and Facino Cane are driven by political ambition and the pursuit of power, with Bellarion navigating these schemes, often using cunning and strategy to advance
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julius_caesar
The play explores the dangers of unchecked ambition, particularly through Caesar's rise and the conspirators' fear that his ambition will lead to tyranny, as well as the corrupting influence of power on characters like C
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Macbeth
The play explores how unchecked ambition drives Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to commit regicide and murder, ultimately leading to their downfall as they sacrifice morality for power.
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Richard III
The play explores the corrupting influence of unchecked ambition, as Richard's relentless pursuit of the crown drives him to commit murder and betrayal, ultimately leading to his downfall.
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The Last Man
The narrative examines the allure and futility of political ambition and power, as characters like Raymond and Adrian grapple with leadership, fame, and the emptiness of worldly success in the face of universal mortality
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The Titan
The novel follows Frank Cowperwood's relentless drive for wealth, influence, and control, as he manipulates finance, politics, and people to build a street-railway empire in Chicago, illustrating the intoxicating and des
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The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel
Theresia Cabarrus's ambition for social grandeur and Chauvelin's desire to regain power by capturing the Pimpernel illustrate how personal ambition corrupts and intertwines with the brutal politics of revolutionary Franc
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