How we cite our quotes: (Act.Scene.Line)
Quote #7
GLOUCESTER
Ah, gracious lord, these days are dangerous.
Virtue is choked with foul ambition,
And charity chased hence by rancor's hand;
Foul subornation is predominant,
And equity exiled your Highness' land. (3.1.142-146)
Don't say he didn't warn you: Gloucester tells Henry why the other lords want to try him for treason. They are just after Henry's power, he says, but his warning falls on deaf ears. Since Henry is just about the least ambitious character ever, he can't see it all around him.
Quote #8
CADE
It is to you, good people, that I speak,
Over whom, in time to come, I hope to reign,
For I am rightful heir unto the crown. (4.2.126-128)
Even a commoner like Cade gets what it's like to be ambitious. His bid for the crown is part of his deal with York, but it also reveals his deeper desire to rule over people. It's clear he loves the attention he gets from leading an army and telling them what to do. It might start out as a paid gig from York, but Cade's rebellion quickly turns into his own pet project.
Quote #9
CADE
Fie on ambitions! Fie on myself, that have a
sword and yet am ready to famish! (4.10.1-2)
Cade hasn't eaten in five days. He's starving and wants to die, so he starts cursing everything in sight. First on his list is ambition. Why? He could rant about the rebels who went against him, or about the king who sent out his army against them, but nope, his mind's still on ambition. It's kind of a fatal flaw: he wants too much that he can't possibly achieve, and he'll fight for it to the death.