Topic > Representation of evil through Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

Macbeth, written by Shakespeare, is a play that shows evil; the action of being profoundly immoral and evil. From the beginning of the show there is an act of betrayal. The Norwegians fight against the Scots, Macbeth and Banquo are on the side of the Scots as Macdonald should have been, however Macdonald decided to switch to the Norwegian team because he thought they would win. Because of his decision, Macdonald was killed and accused of treason against the king and his nation. “Merciless Macdonald worthy to rebel, for this”, with a hateful ending as the word “merciless” suggests lack of clemency which is a clear representation of evil. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayMacbeth, in this play, is shown by Shakespeare as a sinner, this is shown when Macbeth says "it might be all and all 'end-all--', implying that if he kills Duncan, that would be all he desires as the repetition of the word “all” implies certainty. Macbeth continues by saying, “but here, on this shore and on this shoal of time, we would skip the life to come.” This suggests that he will achieve what he desired as does the expression “ skip the life to come” suggests the passage of time. This quote clearly suggests that Macbeth's actions are completely ungodly as his acts are morally wrong and against God, who is in charge of deciding who holds the throne and Macbeth commits a regicide by killing Duncan, the king; although in Shakespearean times the monarch should never be opposed. In the Jacobean era any king was a better ruler than James VI, so Shakespeare creates the will in Macbeth to kill Duncan because he was a better king. Macbeth's vulnerability is used by Shakespeare, to demonstrate what negative aspects of being ambitious a man who lacks virility can have. Shakespeare shows this in act 5; Macbeth's ambitious actions ultimately take his life as he does not have enough masculinity or strength to defeat Macduff. At the beginning of the play he is presented as a good and heroic man. “Brave Macbeth deserves this name” informing the audience that he is an example to follow, because the word “brave” is an unequivocally positive adjective. Shakespeare also decided to include Macbeth's weak side, but in a very discreet way. However, some characters attract the audience's attention. “I have begun to plant you and will work to make you full of growth.” This metaphor, expressed by Duncan, compares Macbeth to a plant that needs care in order to grow and shows Macbeth's weak side because the word "grow" is an adjective that implies development and maturity. However, throughout the rest of the play Macbeth behaves like an evil man. This change created by Shakespeare from good to evil makes the play more unpleasant. Shakespeare shows Macbeth ordering assassins to kill Banquo, his best friend. “we my lord will carry out what you command us” showing his wickedness through cowardice; since he is unable to do it himself. But not only that, because he convinces them with the deception "whose execution takes away the enemy", promising them an exceptional life thanks to the solution to their problems by killing Banquo as the word "take" suggests freedom. In act 4, scene 2, the action drops; therefore, Shakespeare fathers Macbeth to bring about eradication and then decides to kill Macduff's “wife, children, and all unfortunate souls,” once again showing his evil deeds. Macbeth then tries to be a vulnerable man by admitting his guilt. However, his malice takes over; "My soul is already too full ofmy blood" making his apology evil through the use of the phrase "overloaded" which implies no willingness as he has no feelings when he utters those strong and emotional words, presenting evil. Part of his evilness is due to the influence of Lady Macbeth .However, Macbeth never realized thisShakespeare presents their relationship as beyond everything. "My dearest companion of greatness" this quote is said by Lady Macbeth and with such emphasis that we can understand the true feeling of love between them since the word "dear" is a positive adjective that regards Macbeth with a deep affection. By saying this Lady Macbeth also demonstrates her affection towards Macbeth by calling him "companion", which is a noun that refers positively to a couple. of married lovers. Lady Macbeth, is presented by Shakespeare as a malevolent character throughout, as she is the one who wants to kill Duncan in the first place and the one who encourages Macbeth to commit evil deeds throughout the play. The writer composes Lady Macbeth to question her husband's manhood, "when you dared to do it, then you were a man" employing not only weakness but superiority on her part, as she is a woman and has more masculinity. The use of the word "durst" suggests Macbeth's lack of courage. Yet he says those words with a tone that is more corrupt than empathetic. Shakespeare's choice of this tone creates an atmosphere of demand as Lady Macbeth uses the imperative tone which implies that Macbeth is a man. This is an evil action as Lady Macbeth is changing Macbeth's behavior by ordering him to behave like a mischievous person. At the beginning of the play, as his evil feelings grow, Shakespeare causes Lady Macbeth to have the will to kill a child; “they ripped my nipple out of his boneless gums and ripped out his brains.” Here, Shakespeare shows Lady Macbeth's cold actions and evil feelings as the word "pinched" suggests a harmful and disgusting action, and the use of the word "dashed" suggests an evil and furious action. Lady Macbeth's cruelty is such that she even asks the "spirits that lend themselves to mortal thoughts" to "unsex me here." In this way, she gives herself the chance to be mischievous without being constrained by society, as male masculinity is seen in a different way; without judgement. In the Jacobean era, women were considered weak. So Lady Macbeth is considered evil by Shakespeare, partly because she is a weak woman. Then he cannot cope with his remorse and therefore commits suicide. With these actions, Shakespeare exploits Lady Macbeth's death since she is a woman and society will not listen to her excuses. Therefore this shows wickedness as Lady Macbeth has no choice but death. Subconsciously, while dreaming, Lady Macbeth presents her true wickedness by revealing her deep thoughts, "what is done cannot be undone" showing falsehood as she cannot undo her actions, which means she is contradicting herself as she regrets an action that cannot change because the use of the prefix “un-” gives the adjective an opposite force. But at the same time she shows an unnerving regret that she can't clean her bloody hands, "what will these hands ever be clean." The fact that Shakespeare makes Lady Macbeth suffer from some “bloody hands” makes the scene evil since those little details end up with Lady Macbeth's life. Furthermore, the strange sisters are presented by Shakespeare as evil characters. The witches are the first to appear in the play, and Shakespeare decides to introduce them with an evil act. “When will the three of us meet again?” Shakespeare makes the first setting an evil start. The strange sisters.