Page 57 - Secondary School BEATS

Is it truly evil?

The question that arises in one’s mind when something wicked
occurs is usually “Was it influence or the nature of the person”.
Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most intense characters and
when we are introduced to him, he is being celebrated as a loyal
and exceptionally brave and strong soldier. His tale is of a seed
that was planted by him and then nurtured by his surroundings.

When initially reading about the sins or actions Macbeth had
committed one may wonder if he was built evil. The story of
Macbeth shows how the 3 witches and his wife had persuad-
ed him towards wanting to be the king, yet if he himself did
not crave the position would he have acted? The witches
had merely persuaded him, rather they predict-
ed the consequences of his actions, and as far
as the wife goes, she was the first ray of sun-
shine for the embedded seed in his mind.

Macbeth’s moral decay can be interpret-
ed in different ways. Unchecked ambi-
tion becomes a corrupting influence,
that transforms an otherwise decent
good man into a brutal tyrant. Mac-
beth’s conscience is at war with his
ambition. By the time he realiz-
es that he was in the belly of the
beast it is already too late, so he
continues along his chosen path.

Nowhere is Shakespeare’s anal-
ysis of human characters keen-
er and exhaustive. A man who
yields to temptation and commits
a crime may conceal it from all hu-
man knowledge, but he has planted the
seeds of a retribution in his own breast from
which he cannot escape. The theme of the
play may be served up as “A representa-
tion of ambition as a fiendish living force”.

So yes, Macbeth did indeed have the thought
or the will to be king but the actions that
were committed by his so-called subcon-
scious, can they be used to call him evil?

Roshni Arora (MYP 4)

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