Macbeth is a very dark psychological play about the Scottish monarchy. Macbeth is a loyal and faithful fighter whose determination gets the better of him and as his success grows so does his ambition to become king, aided by the witches prophecy. In a moment of insanity Macbeth murders King Malcolm of Scotland. However, his character goes under immense emotional stress as he struggles with guilt and his evil grows out of control.
In Macbeth their are many sources of evil, one of them are the three witches. The witches prophesise Macbeth will first become Thane of Cawdor and then eventually king. This intrigues Macbeth as he soon receives the news that he has become Thane of Cawdor. Was this the start of Macbeth's evil creeping to the surface? Stereotypically witches are thought to be evil, yet in Macbeth they are not cursing or actually wishing bad luck towards Macbeth but greet him with pleasant news. However, is it possible that the witches are in fact a figment of Macbeth's imagination, a subconscious message revealing his inner ambitions and telling him what he would like to hear? It could be possible but Banquo does refer to them, therefore making them real characters.
Macbeth himself appears a dynamic, bold almost admirable character until his thoughts are widened even more by the influence of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is insistent upon acting on the foretelling. Unlike Macbeth who is confused and unsure about his loyalty to the king, Lady Macbeth seems to be a domineering and naturally evil character. He forcefulness and persuasion eventually wins Macbeth over. At this stage Lady Macbeth seems cold, emotionless and lacking any conscience. However as the play continues Lady Macbeth's insecurity comes to light as she grows weaker and eventually suffers a breakdown before committing suicide. However, the exact opposite happens to Macbeth himself.
