The Infectious Nature of Evil in Macbeth
The Infectious Nature of Evil in Macbeth
Socrates, a classical Greek Athenian philosopher, once stated, “False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.” This statement is applicable in many situations, especially in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, in which both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are infected with evil throughout the course of the play. The two receive news from three witches that Macbeth is destined to be King of Scotland. Rather than letting fate take its course, Lady Macbeth is overwhelmed with evil thoughts of murdering the current king, Duncan, and rising to power along side her husband. Through deception and murder, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth take the throne of Scotland, but the psychological toll of Duncan’s murder transforms the two into completely different people. Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth’s psychological deterioration to emphasize that evil, like a disease, infects and corrupts its victims, sickening them with guilt until their eventual death. In Act 1, Lady Macbeth is faced with the conflict of convincing herself and her husband that murdering Duncan is the best choice for them both, which kickstarts her path to evil. After receiving the news that Macbeth is destined to be king, Lady Macbeth immediately takes control of the situation and begins to plan King Duncan’s murder. Her newfound evil is introduced in this act when Lady Macbeth proclaims, “Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to toe top-full Of direst cruelty” (1.5.58-50). Lady Macbeth’s desire to be ‘unsexed’ in this scene comes from her hunger for power and the throne. However, she feels as though she cannot fulfil the deed of murdering Duncan, because she has to give up her ladylike features in order to do so. In these lines, she is essentially asking to become a heartless man who is able to fulfil the deed of murdering Duncan. Later in the act, Macbeth is faced with the task of killing Duncan, which was only brought about because of Lady
Socrates, a classical Greek Athenian philosopher, once stated, “False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.” This statement is applicable in many situations, especially in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, in which both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are infected with evil throughout the course of the play. The two receive news from three witches that Macbeth is destined to be King of Scotland. Rather than letting fate take its course, Lady Macbeth is overwhelmed with evil thoughts of murdering the current king, Duncan, and rising to power along side her husband. Through deception and murder, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth take the throne of Scotland, but the psychological toll of Duncan’s murder transforms the two into completely different people. Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth’s psychological deterioration to emphasize that evil, like a disease, infects and corrupts its victims, sickening them with guilt until their eventual death. In Act 1, Lady Macbeth is faced with the conflict of convincing herself and her husband that murdering Duncan is the best choice for them both, which kickstarts her path to evil. After receiving the news that Macbeth is destined to be king, Lady Macbeth immediately takes control of the situation and begins to plan King Duncan’s murder. Her newfound evil is introduced in this act when Lady Macbeth proclaims, “Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to toe top-full Of direst cruelty” (1.5.58-50). Lady Macbeth’s desire to be ‘unsexed’ in this scene comes from her hunger for power and the throne. However, she feels as though she cannot fulfil the deed of murdering Duncan, because she has to give up her ladylike features in order to do so. In these lines, she is essentially asking to become a heartless man who is able to fulfil the deed of murdering Duncan. Later in the act, Macbeth is faced with the task of killing Duncan, which was only brought about because of Lady