Ms. Baker
Sophomore English
12 December 2012
In the Vicinity
People tend to seem good and righteous but may actually be tainted or evil, and vice versa. Macbeth a bold “Thane of Cawdor” whose loyalty was to Duncan, became as evil and corrupted as the witches he talked to. They told him that he would become the future king and as these thoughts pondered in his head it consumed him by which he made the descion to kill the king in order to obtain the throne. In the play “Macbeth” by Shakespeare the theme “virtue versus evil” is developed through situational irony, dramatic irony, and verbal irony of the three prophetic apparitions of an armed head, a bloody child, and a crowned child holding a tree. An armed head, situational irony because Macbeth a military man himself supposed to be great and honorable who really became wicked had gotten his head torn off by Macduff in order to fulfill the prophecy. The image of a bloody child, dramatic irony as a result of no one but Macduff knowing that his mother had a caesarian - section until he advised it to the audience and Macbeth. It was “virtuous” because Macduff killed Macbeth although it was “evil” because it was treason to kill the king. A crown child holding a tree, verbal irony on account of that child being Malcolm the future king and he announces to the soldiers to move towards Macbeth. The “virtue” is that Malcolm a venerable character who has not been poisoned or manipulated as Macbeth an “evil” one. To begin, the first apparition described is of an armed head it warns Macbeth of Macduff. In this quote the apparition say Macbeth’s name three times, three being the number of the evil and very powerful. Further on in the play, Macbeth finds his way to the witches' cave and demands to know what lies ahead for him. The three witches predict what he is going to ask and produce the first apparition which is an armed head. The quote states, “Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth! ; beware the Thane of