Macbeth Good And Evil Essay

Every individual possesses both good and evil within them. We are all capable of performing both virtuous and malevolent deeds. Sometimes, people commit wicked acts because they crave more power or money, or they are influenced by something they desire. In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare portrays how man can be inherently good and evil. Macbeth, who starts as a valiant warrior, soon murders numerous people to become king and maintain his power. Although some characters who are initially good turn out to be evil in the end, there are others who remain good throughout the play. The primary character that Shakespeare portrays as inherently good is Banquo. In the play, Banquo is honorable and a man of integrity. Although he is vulnerable to ambition like Macbeth, he does not act on those corrupt thoughts. Furthermore, when Banquo and Macbeth meet with the witches together, Banquo's reaction to their predictions is wiser than Macbeth's.

However, towards the end of the play, she is considered to be good due to her overwhelming guilt. In King Duncan's eyes, Lady Macbeth was a moral person, and he even referred to her as "our honored hostess." Shakespeare indicates Lady Macbeth's underhandedness when Macbeth informed her about Malcolm being named the successor after Duncan. Furthermore, she suggests to Macbeth that he should kill Duncan to achieve his goals. Lady Macbeth also displays her selfishness when Macbeth disagrees with her. She questions Macbeth's manhood and tells him about her past experience of killing babies. Correspondingly, Macbeth agrees and kills Duncan. While Macbeth was feeling guilty, Lady Macbeth maintained her sanity. However, the weight of her conscience became too much for her, and her mental and physical condition deteriorated. Lady Macbeth's condition worsened, and she experienced ecstatic hallucinations while going in and out of sleep.