The witches meeting with Macbeth in the opening scenes are a significant point in the play as it is the start of Macbeth taking on evil. The witches first two predictions “Hail to thee Thane of Cawdor” and “Hail to thee Thane of Glamis” lure Macbeth into a false sense of security because he already owns these titles, and so does not recognise the danger or the third prediction “That shall be king hereafter.” The witches plan to manipulate Macbeth, a reasonable man into a callous tyrant and this is the beginning of it.
Lady Macbeth also plays a part in influences Macbeth’s decisions; she gives him the idea to murder Duncan and encourages him when he is doubtful:
“Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,’/ Like the poor cat I’ th’ adage?”
Here she is describing him to a cat that wants a fish but doesn’t want to get its paws wet.
Macbeth feels bad about the thought of killing Duncan because firstly he is Duncan’s kinsman and also he would be committing bloodguilt. Macbeth is only nervous of doing the first murder and if he hadn’t of taken the first step, encouraged by Lady Macbeth he may not have created such chaos.
Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to “Look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under it”
The flower is associated with goodness whilst the snake is thought of as in the Bible as a wicked and deceptive creature. Lady Macbeth becomes taken over by evil. She asks the “spirits that tend on mortal thoughts” to unsex her and fill her with the “direst cruelty”. This is significant because when the witches are first seen one cannot tell whether they are male or female: “You should be women, And yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so.”
Lady Macbeth acts without remorse and is prepared to throw away morality for the sake of gaining a title. Perhaps if Lady Macbeth had not had the enthusiasm that she does have then maybe Macbeth would not have begun his stream of murders.
Evil is heavily portrayed in symbolism throughout the play; sleep, blood and darkness are all used in imagery.
After the first murder, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth cannot sleep, it is their punishment for committing such evil by killing King Duncan: “Macbeth does murder sleep”.
Sleep is portrayed as evil because when sleeping the witches torment Macbeth and Banquo. Macbeth talks about “wicked dreams” so that he cannot sleep peacefully. The dreams worry Macbeth so much that he would rather be dead:
In the affliction of these terrible dreams that shake us nightly. Better be with the dead.
The symbol of blood shows treachery and treason towards the murdered Duncan. Lady Macbeth asks the evil spirit to “make thick my blood”; by doing this she wants to make herself insensitive to the evil that she will commit. Lady Macbeth is aware that blood is a sign of guilt. To make herself and Macbeth appear innocent she says she will “gild the faces of the grooms withal” therefore laying the guilt onto them.
The murder of Duncan is described by Banquo as “this most bloody piece of work”.
When Macbeth exclaims, “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?” He is wondering if he could wash away the guilt that he has created for himself, he has realised that although water will clear the blood he will never stop being tormented for killing an innocent man.
Macbeth says “I am in blood/Stepped in so far, that should I wade no more,/Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” Here he is saying he has done so much wrong that it is easier to continue murdering because he cannot undo the wrong he has already done.
Light and darkness are clearly related to the good and evil in the play. The witches are linked to darkness in the play for many reasons; they meet at the “set of sun”, and Macbeth refers to them as “black and midnight hags.” Banquo recognises the danger of the witches’ prophecies and describes them as “The instruments of darkness.”
Before the brutal murder of Banquo Macbeth calls on the “seeling” night to “scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day.” He clearly knows what he is doing because he wants the deed to be committed at night time.
Near the end of the play Macbeth admits “I gin to be aweary of the sun.” In this quotation Macbeth is realising that good will catch up with him.
Macbeth’s selfish reign has brought nothing but disease and terror to Scotland, it seems that because he is a murderer Scotland will not be peaceful until he is off the throne. Malcolm talking about Scotland says: “It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash is added to her wounds.”
Macbeth, who is desperate asks the doctor to “find her disease” (Scotland) “And purge it to a sound and pristine health” It is ironic however as Macbeth does not realise he is causing Scotland’s illness.
The witches are not only evil themselves but possess Macbeth into becoming ruthless and barbaric when planning his murders.
The planning of Banquo and Fleance’s murders are cruel and ironic. It almost seems he is taking delight in speaking about Duncan’s supposed murderers, Malcolm and Donalbain, knowing that he is the real killer:
Our bloody cousins are bestowed/ In England and Ireland, not confessing/ Their cruel parricide.
In the same meeting he invites Banquo and Fleance to a feast at his castle and obliquely asks what his plans are: “Ride you this afternoon”. He also inquires as to Fleance’s travel plans: “Goes Fleance with you”.
He is a tyrant for the fact he would kill his best friend and d his son to attempt to stop paranoia. Macbeth is painfully ironic when although he knows his intentions he says to Banquo: “I wish your horses swift, and sure of foot…”
It seems he is laughing at Banquo inside whilst on the outside appearing sincere.
I have considered the question and discussed the most relevant points, I have come to the conclusion that the most important portrayal of evil has to be the three witches. I believe they create the first step onto Macbeth’s road of destruction. There is a strong contrast on Macbeth’s character before and after he meets the witches. They change him from a hero to the traitor he is at the end of the play. They plant the seed of evil inside him; Lady Macbeth nurtures that seed until it can thrive on its own. We cannot however blame all of Macbeth’s actions on the witches and Lady Macbeth. He got caught up in a craze for power and ambition and the witches simply drove his desires. I do not think Macbeth was entirely to blame for his actions because we can see that without prompting he would not have killed Duncan and therefore taken no steps in his downfall.