Striding across the golf course, Donald TrumpAn American television personality who became US president from 2016 to 2020. He is running to be president again in 2024. meets three strange-looking women. "Get these weird dames out of here!" he growls. But then one of the women steps forward: "All hail, Donald," she says, "that shall be president hereafter!"

"Hm," says Trump. "Maybe there's something in this! Have them meet me in the clubhouse."

This modern version of Macbeth may be fantasy, but some believe that there are real parallels to be found with Trump's presidential campaign.

In ShakespeareAn English playwright and poet who is often called the greatest writer in the English language. 's play, Macbeth is tempted by the witches to believe that he can become king of Scotland. But to do so he must murder the existing king - and when he hesitates, it is his wife who persuades him to carry out the bloody deed.

Lady Macbeth has become a symbol of the ambitious woman who pushes her husband or lover to behave in a terrible way. And although the exact nature of Laura Loomer's relationship with Donald Trump is unclear, she is seen by some as equally influential.

Loomer is known as a right-wing conspiracy theoristA person who believes that some secret but influential organisation is responsible for a particular event or phenomenon. . After a school shooting in Florida she visited the scene and claimed that there was a conspiracy to make Americans give up their guns.

She has called Islam "a cancer" and used the hashtag "#proudislamophobe". She was subsequently banned from Twitter, but reinstated by Elon MuskA South African-born entrepreneur whose companies have included the online payment service PayPal., and now has over 1.2 million followers.

She recently posted that if Kamala HarrisUS Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden's running mate. If elected, she will be the first female vice president of the USA., who is partly Indian, won the US presidential election, the White HouseThe official residence of the US president, in Washington DC. Burnt by British troops in 1814, it was rebuilt and painted white to hide the smoke stains. would "smell like curry".

None of this seems to worry Donald Trump. Loomer travelled with him on his private plane to his debate against Harris and then accompanied him to two 9/11A series of terrorist attacks that took place in the USA on 11 September 2001. It is known as 9/11 as Americans write the month first, and then the date. The attacks killed 2,996 people. Many of them died when two planes were hijacked and hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, causing them to collapse. memorial events.

Trump's son, Donald Jnr, has suggested that his father should make Loomer his press secretary if he wins the election.¹ Other Republican PartyAlso known as the Grand Old Party or GOP, it is one of the USA's two major political parties. Its first president was Abraham Lincoln. It sits on the right of the political spectrum. members disagree. One, SenatorA politician who has been elected to a body called a Senate. In the US, one of the two houses of Congress is the Senate. Ancient Rome also had a senate and senators. Thom Tillis, has called Loomer "a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans".

But Tillis may be underestimating her. In his new book Fair of Foul: The Lady Macbeth Guide to Ambition, Stefan Stern notes that Lady Macbeth is sometimes thought of as purely evil. But, he argues, "she is much more interesting and complicated than that... she has a much more sophisticated understanding of human nature, and society, than she is often given credit for".

Is ambition a curse?

Yes: It can never be fully satisfied, so those who have it are condemned to a life of frustration and unhappiness. It drives people to do appalling things and puts a huge strain on their relationships.

No: We need ambition to drive us forward and nothing would be achieved without it: talent on its own is useless. People can be as ambitious in a good way as Lady Macbeth is in a bad one.

Or... As Stefan Stern says, it is "natural for individuals to want to achieve more and improve the condition of their lives... And yet excesses of ambition, and selfish ambition, can clearly do a lot of harm".