Macbeth Good Versus Evil Essay

Conflict can tear things apart, and that’s exactly what it does in the play ‘Macbeth’. The function of conflict in the play ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare reinforces the themes good versus evil, evil ambition and inner conflict.
Macbeth experiences conflicts within himself. He undergoes the most obvious conflict before, during, and after killing King Duncan. An example of how Macbeth experiences the conflict before he kills Duncan is when he questions himself if he needs to kill Duncan,"if chance will have me king, why chance may crown me, without my stir". This shows that Macbeth is questioning himself and is conflicting with his good intentions and his evil ambition. It also shows that he does not wish to kill Duncan if there is no need and would like to find any other way of reaching the throne. This portrays to the reader that Macbeth is good at heart and is not an evil character. An example of Macbeth conflicting within himself whilst he is killing Duncan is at the moment he could not say amen, “but wherefore could not I pronounce amen”. This shows that Macbeth is conflicting with his faith and within himself as he undergoes the change from being a kind and valiant man to a nervous and evil person. This dialogue of Macbeth’s also shows how he has accepted the vices of evil because amen is a holy thing to say and evil people never say it. Not being able to pronounce amen is also ironic as the king was meant to be god’s representative on earth, if Macbeth is to be king it is ironic that he cannot pronounce a holy word. One last example of Macbeth’s inner conflict is after he has killed Duncan, “stept in so far that should I wade no more, returning were as tedious as going o’er”. This quote highlights Macbeth’s conflicts within himself. It shows that he does not know whether he has made the right choice killing the king. It also shows that he is un-decided whether he should try return to the path of good, or accept evil and continue down its dark road. These examples show how Macbeth’s conflicts reinforce the themes inner conflict and good versus evil and how Macbeth’s evil ambition wins over him.
Good versus evil is a theme that is also reinforced through conflict in the play Macbeth. Macduff’s and Macbeth’s relationship is the most evident example of this. Once Macbeth killed King Duncan, he became evil and was an evil king, and Macduff was seen as the courageous hero. This is why the conflict between them reinforces the theme of good versus evil. An example of how this conflict is shown is “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth”. This shows Macbeth is over zealous and does not have any fear for Macduff. It also shows how ignorant Macbeth has become because Macduff was “pulled from his mother’s womb untimely ripped”. Another example of the pair’s conflict is Macduff’s dialogue of “then yield thee, coward….’here you may see the tyrant’”. This shows how volatile the fight between them has become and how much Macduff hates Macbeth. It alos shows how the other characters view Macbeth, as being a tyrant, an evil person and how they would want Macbeth to be treated like an animal for what he has done. This conflict embraces the theme of good versus evil and ultimately is prime example of good (Macduff) and evil (Macbeth).
Another example of conflict in the play Macbeth is that between Macbeth himself and Lady Macbeth. The most obvious example of conflict between the pair is before Macbeth kills King Duncan. The quote that show this is “and live a coward in thine own esteem”. This shows how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth conflict between each other on the decision of killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth is calling Macbeth a coward for not wanting to go through with the act but Macbeth believes there is another way. However Lady Macbeth regards her husband as being “too full o'th'milk of human kindness”, she takes advantage of Macbeth’s weaknes, kindness, and uses it to trick him into having more evil thoughts, this then is a building bloc on which Macbeth’s evil ambition is formed and takes the better of him when he ends up killing Duncan. This is another example of good versus evil within the play Macbeth.
Some themes in the play Macbeth are expressed through conflicts. The conflicts explained above show how these themes are reinforced. Whether it be the inner conflicts of Macbeth or the conflict between him and his own wife, they all clearly express and reinforce a/some particular theme/s.