Historical figure and title character of Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman who kills King Duncan of Scotland and rules the country until he is killed in combat by Lord Macduff. The evil of Macbeth's deed, and its effects on him and on Scotland, are the central elements of the play. He is conscious of the evil his ambition gives rise to, but he cannot overcome temptation. His weakness is compounded by the urging of the equally ambitious Lady Macbeth and the encouragement given him by the Witches, whose supernatural powers seem certain to help him though in fact they bring him to his doom. As a man who abandons his own potential for good, Macbeth may be seen as an illustration of the fall of man, the prime Judeo-Christian example of sinful humanity's
