Macbeth The Evil Within Essay - 1344 Words

It is evident from the beginning of the play that Macbeth is sheltering something sinister within him. At that moment, it can only be guessed as to what it is, but as the play moves along this terrible feeling grows and feeds on Macbeth’s paranoia and his disappointment with life as a whole. Macbeth gradually goes on both a literal and figurative life journey, with its disappointments and joys. Strangely, though, Macbeth is not pleased by these accomplishments, and only seeks more. There are multiple characters that either lit the fuse of Macbeth’s ambition, or cut the fuse to make it shorter, thus leading him along the path to evil. Although one could argue that both Lady Macbeth and the Weird Sisters affected Macbeth, they only played a†¦show more content†¦He tells Lady Macbeth that they must â€Å"mock the time with fairest show / False face must hide what the false heart doth / know† (I. vii. 94-96). This murder of such a good and honest man as Dunc an unsettles the universe, and even Macbeth is powerless to keep the truth from it. Indeed, as he performs the deed, Lady Macbeth hears â€Å"the owl scream and the crickets cry† (II. ii. 20). The author Blaine Pilkington believes that for Macbeth, â€Å"it [was] impossible to murder Duncan, a man of great virtue and sound leadership, and remain human† (Pilkington 1). This single act brings out the evil that has been present in Macbeth since the start of the play. Macbeth continues to deceive and hurt others for the remainder of the play, as they are unsuspecting that a man who was praised so highly by his king could possess such savagery and brutality. Throughout the remainder of the play, Macbeth’s guilt is never questioned due to the blatant savagery of his attacks on friends and foe alike. As Spencer so bluntly states in her essay, â€Å"He is so clearly guilty of the crimes he’s worse off trying to make amends than trying to complete the task, futile as it may be† (Spencer 2). Macbeth never fully realizes that he is unable to atone for his crimes. Although Macbeth finally realizes the frailty and worthlessness of a human life, this does not evolve into him repenting for the things he’s doneShow MoreRelatedThe Horrendous Evil Within Shakespeares Macbeth1953 Words   |  8 PagesThe Horrendous Evil Within Macbeth      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Macbeth by William Shakespeare is a recognized classic tragedy portraying the victory of good over evil. This paper will explore the various expressions of evil within the play.    In Everybodys Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies, Maynard Mack compares the fall of Macbeth to the fall of Satan:    In some ways Shakespeares story resembles the story of the Fall of Satan. 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