Macbeth: Shakespeare's Portrayal of Good vs. Evil

Introduction: Ambition as the Root of Evil

Like all of Shakespeare's tragedies, the action of Macbeth is built around the fatal flaw of a man who would otherwise be a hero. For Macbeth, that flaw is ambition. He allows his ambition to drive him until it overcomes his reason, and in doing so he chooses the path of evil over the path of good. In the end, however, he cannot live with his own choice, and his good side becomes his undoing. In this way, Macbeth is not only the story of a man choosing evil, but also the story of a man who cannot be driven to ignore his good side entirely. This makes Macbeth a unique play because it shows both sides of the struggle between good and evil and frames that struggle as a deeply human one. This major theme is expressed in several ways, each of which will be examined in turn to show how Shakespeare develops it across the play.

The Witches and the Appeal to Human Desire

The first important moment in the play occurs when Macbeth meets the three witches. As witches, they are a clear representation of evil, and the idea of witchcraft also suggests that Macbeth is acting against what is natural. This is something Macbeth himself seems to recognize, since he does not accept what the witches say at first. However, the witches describe Macbeth as king — precisely what he desires — and this sparks his ambition. It is that ambition which drives Macbeth to take their words seriously. In this way, his ambition is what pushes him toward evil.

This dynamic is noted by Bradley (232), who explains that the witches do not actually cast any evil spell on Macbeth. Instead, they simply appeal to the evil that already exists within him and use his own capacity for evil against him. Considering that witchcraft has long been understood as a symbol of moral corruption and transgression, this detail is especially significant: the witches know what Macbeth wants and are able to use his desire against him. He becomes driven by that desire, and his emotional needs overcome his rational judgment. This shows how desire can function as a flaw, exploitable by evil to draw a person further from goodness. It is exactly this process that leads Macbeth to listen to the witches and ultimately choose to commit murder. The scene thus establishes the central idea that good and evil coexist within a person and are in constant struggle with one another.

Works Cited

Bradley, A.C. "The Witch Scenes in Macbeth." England in Literature. Eds. John Pfordesher, Gladys V. Veidemanis, and Helen McDonnell. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1991: 232–233.

Lamb, M.E. "Engendering the Narrative Act: Old Wives' Tales in The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, and The Tempest." Criticism 40.4 (1998): 529–553.

Shakespeare, W. Macbeth. New York: Penguin, 1999.