Macbeth Paper on Evil Essay

Macbeth is a real tragedy written by William Shakespeare for what’s presented is a morally significant struggle, one that attempts to engage our sympathies and understanding. In this dark and powerful tragedy, Macbeth is a part of several murders, including the murder of King Duncan of Scotland. Macbeth performs these murders after he encounters the weird sisters and hears the prophecy that he will one day become the King of Scotland. But although Macbeth was the one that was directly involved in every murder, there are other influences that have an impact on his pursue for the crown of Scotland and could be responsible for the evil done in the play. When Lady Macbeth first hears about the prophecy of the witches, she immediately plans Duncan’s murder because of her ambition for her husband to become king. The weird sisters, also known as the three witches, initiates the murders because they prompt Macbeth to murder Duncan with their prophecies that Macbeth will one day become the King of Scotland. But ultimately, Macbeth is the villain of this tragedy in view of the fact that he is accountable for the murder of Duncan and also orders his subordinates to murder Banquo and the family of Macduff. Macbeth is most responsible for the evil done in the play owing to the fact that his killing of Duncan provokes the other murders and evil in the play. Although Lady Macbeth is a part of the murders that occur in Macbeth, she is not responsible for the evil done in the play. Lady Macbeth is a very cunning, manipulative character. When she hears about the witches’ prophecy of Macbeth becoming the future king of Scotland, she immediately demands Macbeth to murder Duncan so Macbeth could become king. Lady Macbeth successfully persuades him to kill Duncan by questioning his masculinity. Lady Macbeth puts the idea in Macbeth’s mind that he will be a coward if he does not commit the murder. After persuading him, Macbeth finally commits the murder. Therefore, Lady Macbeth is evil for she pressures Macbeth into killing Duncan. But, she is not responsible for the evil done in the play. Although she is a strong, significant figure in the murder of Duncan, she begins to change through the play as she starts to feel the guilt and remorse for persuading Macbeth to kill Duncan. She ultimately kills herself because she couldn’t manage the guilt and grief for her involvement in the murder and seeing her husband turn into an evil, uncontrollable villain. Therefore, she is not responsible for the evil done in the play because although she persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan, she later feels guilt for what she’s done. The three witches are also not responsible for the evil done in the play. In the beginning, the three witches tells Macbeth his prophesy that he will one day become the king of Scotland. When Lady Macbeth hears about the prophecy, all she thinks about is her husband becoming king. So, Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill Duncan in order for Macbeth to become king as soon as possible. If the three witches never told Macbeth the prophesy of him becoming king, none of the murders would have happened. Therefore, without the witches, there would be no evil in the play. But, the three witches are not responsible for the evil done in the play because even though they incite Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s desire for king, it was Macbeth who ultimately decides to murder Duncan, which causes the rest of the evil done in the play. Macbeth is responsible for the evil done in the play. Macbeth is more evil than the other characters because he is the reason why all of the murders in the play occur. He murders Duncan because of his evil desire to become the king of Scotland as soon as possible. â€Å"Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.† (I, Scene 4, lines 57-58) This quote shows Macbeth’s great desire to become king and also shows how he is aware that his thoughts are evil. But, he does not do anything to keep himself away from these dark thoughts and he eventually commits the evil murder. The murder is certainly avoidable, but he let Lady Macbeth influence him. â€Å"This night’s great business†¦ sway and masterdom.† (I, Scene 5, Lines 80-82) This quote shows how Lady Macbeth has total control over Macbeth and how Macbeth put the power into Lady Macbeth’s hands. Macbeth could have told Lady Macbeth to stop her plans, but instead he gives all the power to her and eventually agrees with her. Therefore, the murder of Duncan is completely his fault because he lets Lady Macbeth influence him and commit the murder himself. Macbeth is also responsible for the other murders in the play because he hires three murderers to kill Banquo and orders his servants to kill Macduff’s family. Consequently, Macbeth is responsible for the evil done in the play because he involves himself in all of the murders in the play. Macbeth is accountable for the evil done in Macbeth because his murder of Duncan causes a chain reaction and brings about the rest of the evil in the play. Although Lady Macbeth has a notable influence on Macbeth to commit the murder of Duncan, it was ultimately his decision to kill Duncan and order the other murders. The Three Witches incites Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s desire for the throne of Scotland, but Macbeth’s decision to commit the murders ultimately brought darkness and fear onto Scotland. Macbeth is responsible for Duncan’s death, and that murder causes a chain reaction and incites the other murders. If he did not murder Duncan, there would not have been any evil in this play to start with. Ultimately, Macbeth compels to arise these evils, and it is his greed to blame. Macbeth is already known as a man of integrity for being appointed as the Thane of Cawdor, but his greed and avarice brings about the evil that he carries out. This relates to human nature because even if a man has everything to gratify his needs, his greed can demand for more, leading to trouble just like Macbeth. This demonstrates that if you only care about your own needs and always ask for more, you will be unsuccessful. As Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi once said, â€Å"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.† [Word Count: 1057]