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Causes Of Evil In Macbeth

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Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are the main causes of evil in the play Macbeth. One of their most evil acts is the murder of Duncan and the responsibility lies with both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. While both have incredible ambition, it is Lady Macbeth's pressure and manipulation that encourage Macbeth to murder Duncan. Therefore, Lady Macbeth’s control and influence over her husband make her equally if not more evil than her husband. Lady Macbeth cares more and dedicates more of her time to this murder compared to Macbeth.
She first shows this in Act 1 Scene 5 after receiving Macbeth’s letter describing the Witches’ prophecy. Soon after Lady Macbeth finishes reading her husband's letter, she tries communicating with the raven itself. She tries …show more content…

The first thing Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth is that she would have killed Duncan herself if he did not look so similar to her own dear father. She demonstrates her evil character flaws here and again on page 47 Act 2 Scene 2. On page 47 Lady Macbeth is angered with Macbeth for not leaving the daggers which he used to kill Duncan with the guards. Here, Lady Macbeth shows more of her responsibility in the murder of Duncan by taking the daggers from Macbeth. “Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead Are but as pictures; ‘tis the eye of childhood That fears a painted devil.” Lady Macbeth takes the daggers from Macbeth and smears the blood herself on the guards that she herself killed earlier. She has planned Duncan’s murder and completed most of the murderous plans and coverup, except the actual act of killing Duncan. She vividly shows her evil character throughout these scenes.
Near the end of the play in Act 5 is when Lady Macbeth’s evilness takes over her mentality. She begins to think that the blood from the horrid crime is still on her hands. This mental breakdown is what leads her to her inevitable doom. However, I do not think that Lady Macbeth should be considered as a Witch just based on her participation in the murder of Duncan.
In conclusion, I think that Lady Macbeth is more responsible for the murder of Duncan due to her manipulation

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