Macbeth and Ambition: Viv Groskop and Stefan Stern in conversation with Philippa Thomas

“Are you ambitious?” 

At some point in all of our lives, we’ve been ambitious. From trying to catch Santa to getting that job, we’ve all had aspirations in life, so why does the word ‘ambition’ still throw us off? 

At an event at Wimbledon BookFest, Viv Groskop and Stefan Stern – in conversation with Philippa Thomas – unpicked the complex puzzle of ambition, why it’s important to be ambitious, and the portrayal of it in fictional characters. 

The talk started with both authors delving into ambition through their books, The Lady Macbeth Guide to Ambition (Stern) and Happy High Status (Groskop). Stefan Stern unpicked the portrayal of ambition in female characters, focusing on Lady Macbeth and how her ambition was presented as dangerous and as causing her to commit suicide, using this to explore why ambition is often discouraged or even frowned upon in women. This was later expanded on by Viv who focused on the link between societal expectations and ambition, speaking as a mother of how society pushes her to pick between having a full-time job and career, or raising a family. 

The event became more personal as the audience became involved in an open and thought-provoking discussion about the barriers to ambition such as gender and race and how we can overcome them. People shared their stories about ambition, from being a 16-year-old and trying to figure out “what career [you] want to do”, to discussing how some of us have given up on being ambitious and what we can do to rebuild that. 

So next time you’re even remotely thinking about doing something, go for it and reach for the stars because you can do it. Ambition may be a puzzle but with the right tools we can all solve it.