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Links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macbeth

http://www.enotes.com/macbeth

http://shakespeare.mit.edu/macbeth/

      First I wrote about the evil of Macbeth, the second one is about the good of Macbeth. The next one, I contrast Macbeth's appearance and reality, the last one is about the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

The Relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth

      The relationship that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had always directly affected each others decisions and actions. This relationship is a support block of the story. Lady Macbeth says,"O proper stuff! This is the very painting of your fear: This is the air-drawn dagger which, you said, Led you to Duncan. O, these flaws, and starts,-- Impostors to true fear,--would well become A woman's story at a winter's fire, Authoriz'd by her grandam. Shame itself! Why do you make such faces? When all's done, You look but on a stool." Lady Macbeth loves her husband so dearly that she will lie to many noble guests to try to protect his secrets. She urges that he has a sickness and that sometimes he just has fits and that it will go away. We can understand that in her speech she is sad and uncomfortable but at the same time full of love not wanting her husband to give himself away. How is such a couple united and bonded but at the same time filled so much darkness. Lastly we see a relationship that has slowly drifted apart and one that is more of a deed then a show of affection. when the doctor tells Macbeth that Lady Macbeth is sick and his mood of calmness and uncaring   shows his evil. Macbeth says, "Cure her of that: Canst thou not minister to a mind diseas'd; Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow; Raze out the written troubles of the brain; And with some sweet oblivious antidote Cleanse the stuff'd bosom of that perilous stuff Which weighs upon the heart?" This shows that Macbeth is so overrun with greed that not even his demon infested wife cannot take his eyes away from his ambitions. Macbeth just tells the doctor to cure her and that is all. He does not talk to her and think much of her and mean while she has commited suicide but the evil in Macbeth has greated such a smog that it is barely even noticeable to him that the woman he once loved so dearly is now gone. This portrays the evil and darkness and how deep Macbeth has actually gone down the staircase of hell. The function of this foreshadows the collapsing of an empire. Not only has Macbeth have soldiers leave him but now his most loyal and trusted companion has also left and abandoned him, he should feel alone and ashamed but he is so clouded by evil that he still carries on and feels that he can rule Scotland and everything else that gets in his way.

Macbeth appearance vs reality

      MacBeth's appearance differs from his true self. MacBeth portrays himself to be strong and wise, but inside he is truly weak. When he first faces the witch's predictions, he says; " Come what come may, time and the hour runs through the roughest day." Basically he says that any good fortune that may come to him in the future, will come on it's own.  He wants to appear collected, strong, and noble, but in the end, he completely contradicts his statement by greedily killing men to get what he expects is his for the taking.  This shows his extreme weakness because he believes what three weird strangers tell him.  Not only is he weak with the three weird sisters, but he is also weak with his wife.  MacBeth goes to his wife right after he planned to kill Duncan, and proclaims; "If we should fail?" in order to receive some reassurance from his beloved wife.  He turned to his wife for strength and she replies; "We, Fail!"  Even though his actions appear strong, his reasons are very weak.  The largest portrayal of MacBeth's feebleness comes when Banquo's ghost appears before MacBeth's eyes.  "Hence,

horrible shadow!  Unreal mockery, hence!", MacBeth exclaims as he sees Banquo's ghost.  Why would a King be afraid of shadows?  A very weak man, MacBeth crumbles under pressure and guilt.

Macbeth is good

      He was a good man, capable of serving his family, the royal famly and the country nobly. He was an efficient soldier and worthy of respect. It was his ambition that became the cause of his downfall. He let his 'vaulting ambition' get the better of his morals, his values and defeat his clear sense of purpose. The Witches' prophecies coupled with his wife influence were able to spur him on to action and do what he later regretted. But none of this would have possible, had it not been for his ambition, which was an inborn, innate thing. It wasnt his evil nature. It was his greed for power.After the murder of Duncan and the guards Macbeth begins to distrust Banquo and knows he is suspicious. Macbeth fears Banquo would ruin his position of being the king. Macbeth then arranges the murder of Banquo. By this stage Macbeth still had some human like characteristics such as guilt, he couldn't go through with murdering Banquo himself so he hired three murderers to complete the deed. Though Macbeth still suffered a great deal of guilt. This showed at Macbeth's banquet as he has hallucinations of the ghost of Banquo appearing at the table. Macbeth reacts frantically to this, proving his conscience is playing on his mind.  "I am in blood stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as go o'er."

Macbeth is evil

      I think he is evil in the final analysis. Just because the witches give him a prophesy, does not mean he needs to act. He kills wantonly, sometimes when it doesn't even necessarily benefit him at that moment. While there are many plausible 'excuses' for some of his actions, killing for power is its epitome.Blood is everywhere in Macbeth, beginning with the opening battle between the Scots and the Norwegian invaders, which is described in harrowing terms by the wounded captain in Act 1, scene 2. Once Macbeth and Lady Macbeth embark upon their murderous journey, blood comes to symbolise their guilt, and they begin to feel that their crimes have stained them in a way that cannot be washed clean. “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood  clean from my hand?” Macbeth cries after he has killed Duncan, even as his wife scolds him and says that a little water will do the job.Blood symbolises the guilt that sits like a permanent stain on the consciences of  Macbeth.