Macbeth's Decent Into Evil

Macbeth’s Descent into Evil Throughout the play Macbeth, the character Macbeth goes through a series of changes that lead him down a path of evil. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as a hero and loyal soldier to King Duncan. As the play progresses, Macbeth is manipulated by the witches or “weird sisters” prophecies of becoming king, his wife’s lust for power, and his own “misguided ambition that leads him to murder King Duncan.” (Bloom 18) As time passes, Macbeth’s greed and ambition lead him to commit several murders and eventually his own demise. His changes began after he got the prophecy of becoming king and Thane of Cawdor by the witches, “All hail Macbeth, thou shall be king hereafter!” (Shakespeare 5). At the same time, Macbeth’s friend Banquo also gets a prophecy that his son will be king even though Banquo is not king himself. “Thou shalt be the father of kings, though thou be none; so all hail, Macbeth and Banquo!” (Shakespeare 5). Banquo suspect that the witches are toying with Macbeth because he knows that his son can not become king because he himself is not a king. At first Macbeth and Banquo question whether the witches really appeared to them until a messenger informs Macbeth that he is the new Thane of Cawdor. Because part of the witch’s prophecy has come true, Macbeth now starts to believe that he will become king while Banquo thinks that the devil has come to them in the form of three witches and does not believe them. Shortly after Macbeth is named Thane of Cawdor, he receives news that Malcolm, Duncan’s son, is named “The Prince of Cumberland”. This upsets Macbeth because he sees it as an obstacle in his way of becoming king but feels guilty that he is thinking of how to overcome