The next question I have to answer is why he does these evil things it could be because of faults in his own character “I grant him bloody, luxurious avaricious, false, deceitful, sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin, that has a name” in this quote Malcolm lists a number of faults of Macbeth.
Also Macbeth’s evil acts could be out of his control, and have been predetermined by the more powerful, supernatural force from the witches “All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Glamis. All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, thane of Cawdor. All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter.” I think that the witches predict that Macbeth will be thane of Cawdor and king of Scotland. This leads him to act in an evil way, especially when he kills King Duncan of Scotland.
Macbeth is driven on to evil deeds by his ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth “come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty………. Come, thick night all pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell, that my keen knife see not the wound it makes, nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, to cry, ‘hold, hold.’” In this quote lady Macbeth calls on evil spints to assist her murderous plans. “Thy letters have transported me beyond this ignorant present, and I feel the future in the instant” In this quote lady Macbeth greets Macbeth with thoughts of future greatness, and she clearly has murderous intentions at heart.
“Is this a dagger which I see before me” Macbeth hallucinates, seeing a blood stained dagger.
Macbeth is racked by fear and insecurity. Would a totally evil man think like this? “Better be with the dead whom we, to gain our peace, have sent to peace, than on the torture of the mind to lie in restless ecstasy.” He thinks it is better to be dead, like Duncan, than cope with all this fear and insecurity.
Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost. Would a totally evil man? “Sweet remembrancer! Now good digestion wait on appetite, and health on both.”
Now I will draw my conclusion.
I think the Macbeth is part evil and good. On the one hand, he commits many evil acts. Yet, on the other, the witches made him kill Macduff’s family and Duncan the king of Scotland, when the witches meet up with Macbeth they make their prediction with came true. He became king of Scotland. Also Lady Macbeth drove him to kill them, as shown by this quotation: “stop up th’access and passage to remorse that no compunctious visitings of nature shake my fell purpose nor keep peace between th’effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts and take my mike for gall, you murd’ring minister, wherever in your sightless substance you wait on nature’s mischief.”
By Gary Roberts
10 Wallace
