Is Macbeth Good Or Evil

Is Macbeth wholly evil? Or doing what needs to be done to be a good king? Macbeth’s character changes drastically throughout the play. The first crime he committed was done with his own hands, killing the king, but also a friend. The guilt of killing king Duncan weighed on him so much and he was horrified by what he had done. Throughout the rest of the play, every other murder was ordered by Macbeth. Was the first murder done by Macbeths hands too much for him that the second time he hired people to do it so he wouldn't have the horror and guilt of doing it himself? Was the killings justified because he didn't commit the crime? Does that make him guilty or the ones who did the killing guilty? Some may say that doing whatever it takes to remain …show more content…
She wants him to be king and wants him to murder Duncan in order to take the crown. When Macbeth meets with his wife, she overrides all of his excuses and persuades him to kill the king that very night. Macbeth says that he no longer wants to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth, outraged and called him a coward and questions his manhood “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (1.7.49).They made a plan to get Duncan’s two chamberlains drunk so they will black out; the next morning they will blame the murder on the chamberlains, who will be defenseless because they won't remember anything. While Duncan is asleep, Macbeth stabs him, despite all his doubts. When Duncan’s death is discovered the next morning, Macbeth kills the chamberlains, saying it was out of rage because they killed the king. This betrayal against his friend put him into a state of guilt and fear. He refused to go put the daggers back because he was horrified at the sight of what he has done. It seems that he is feeling remorseful and thinks of himself as a murderer. At this point Macbeth still seems like a good person, that he learned a lesson and wouldn't do it again because it dawned on him so much. Was the murder actually forced upon him by Lady Macbeth? He didn't want to kill the king but was persuaded into it by his wife, does that make Lady Macbeth the evil one? Because of her greed and thirst for power for her …show more content…
Macbeth's best friend, Banquo, was there for the witches' prophecy and realizes that Macbeth is the one who killed King Duncan. To protect himself, Macbeth hires two men to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance. They succeeded in killing Banquo but Fleance escaped and fled, leaving macbeth to become king. Who could ever be able to kill their bestfriend and not be truly evil? Only a monster could commit such an evil act. “Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell” (Act 4 scene 3). This quote states that even the best of people can turn bad. Like Lucifer, he was god's right hand man, he loved god more than anyone, but even he, became evil. Killing Banquo wasn't persuaded by his wife, he took it upon himself to kill his bestfriend. Macbeth is starting to let his greed overcome being a good