Free Essays, Term Papers, Research Papers at Anti Essays

It has often been said that Macbeth is a

character of powerful contradictions. He is evil

and all-powerful. Are his violent acts and his

criminal activities simply the result of Macbeth’s

ambition to be King of Scotland? Why is he willing

to kill his king and his best friend with

apparently no remorse? Are his acts the result of

blind ambition? No, Macbeth is the target of

manipulation. He is not the manipulator, but

instead is manipulated by different people and

different forces.

Macbeth encounters his first group of manipulators

in the form of witches. The witches prophesize

that Macbeth will one day be King of Scotland and

that the descendents of Banquo will become kings.

Having shared this prophecy with Lady Macbeth, the

goal of being king becomes very enticing.

Macbeth’s first act of evil is the killing of

Duncan. Before the murder, Macbeth tries to tell

Lady Macbeth that he will not go through with it.

She has to goad him into killing the King. After

committing the murder, Macbeth seems almost

delirious. He says that "…all great Neptune’s

ocean will not wash this blood clean from my

hand"(Act II, Scene ii, lines 60-61). When he

murders Banquo, Macbeth is still in torment, but

the cause of his anguish seems to have changed.

He is afraid of Banquo, because Banquo knows about

the witches and because the witches predicted that

his descendents would be kings. Banquo’s death,

he says will put his mind at rest.

As the play goes on, there is a fundamental change

in Macbeth’s character. Due to the manipulation