Why do People who are Not "Evil" take the First Step into Evil?
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Causes: Usually many people often transcend down the path to malevolence by one of the three things: they find out what they are capable of achieving if they convert, or they are trying to get something they really desire, or when someone gets talked into committing the crime. In this case all three of these factors are seen in the renowned play
Macbeth written by William Shakespeare. In the play Macbeth is told his fortune by three conniving witches who only look to make his life and everyone else around him a disaster. By doing so they prophesied that he will one day be king, however, he will be replaced by his best friend Banquo's son later on. At first he did not really want it, but when his wife questioned his manhood and egged him on about him being king, he suddenly wanted to. She would constantly ask him "are you a man?" This would trigger a negative response in him and make him want to prove his masculinity to her by committing crimes such as killing the king and Banquo. Many people often look at Lady Macbeth as being the culprit for her husband's actions and that he was merely a tragic hero, but what many do not realize is that it was him who decided to go through with the acts. As he continued to go through with them he started to feel less remorse towards the sins he committed. This was especially seen when Lady Macbeth tried to calm Macbeth's killing rage down to which he replied, "we have scorched the snake, not kill'd it" (Macbeth 3.2). This statement reflects the determination he had towards making sure that the remainder of the prophecy did not come true while also marking his true conversion to the dark side by showing he wants to finish what he started. This is further reinforced through the statement "Returning were as tedious as go o'er" (Macbeth 3.4). Although he has shown shown to falter now and then, through this quote it shows that he will not go back to try and fix things.
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| Sun and Moon By Patrick Schappe |
Consequences: As a result the people of Scotland ended up losing their beloved King Duncan and instead got a new one that was deemed "tyrannical" by his fellow men of court and in turn start to plot his death. Duncan's only heirs also ended up fleeing because they were so terrified of getting killed as well drawing emphasis on the terrible situation. Because of their father's death they are now without a father. Banquo's son Fleance is also fatherless resulting in yet another man in line for the throne dying. This carries the potential severely affect the whole nation by causing them a lot of distress. It also creates a sense of spite and regret amongst the sons such as Fleance, whose father told him to avenge him. Because of Macbeth's wrongful actions he also ended up tarnishing his good reputation. He is now constantly battling guilt, getting haunted/ hallucinating, and his sanity questioned all because of his greed for power. Macbeth now sees blood on his face and hands whenever he kills and is also starting to see the spirits of the people that he killed as well, however this is debated on whether or not he is actually seeing them since no one else can. This ultimately leads to his downfall as a ruler because he can no longer handle the guilt that rests upon his head. He can no longer act as a valiant hero, he can only pretend to be one. He is now just the shell of a man caught up in his own mistakes on the verge of a mental breakdown.
