E X T E N S I O N THE SEEDS OF EVIL Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth and Macbeth deeply love each other so it is easy for her to convince Macbeth to kill the King. She thinks of the murder without any suggestion from her husband, but she seems to be more ambitious for him than for herself: her love, if not the stronger, is the more unselfish1. After the banquet she tries to calm Macbeth with her deep affection, and her actions also reveal that she did not know about her husband s plan to kill Banquo and Fleance. Macbeth, too involved in his career of blood, becomes estranged2 from his wife, so she is alone to face3 her remorse. She slowly becomes terribly unhappy and, in the end, mad. Macbeth At the start of the play Macbeth is described as a humble man, an intelligent soldier and a heroic warrior of his country. When he meets the three witches, two ways to power and fame are open to him: one of loyalty and honour, the other of treason, regicide, and dishonour. Macbeth cannot wait, so impatiently chooses the way of blood. He knows it is the wrong one, but, after the first crime, goes towards his complete destruction and loss of integrity with no doubts. Even when his wife dies, he neither shows sympathy nor feels disturbed. In the final battle he does not use any of the skills he showed when the play opens. Like any other man, he fails showing that even the strongest man can be beaten4 by evil. The Power of Evil in Macbeth In Shakespeare s Macbeth, the protagonists fall into the hands of evil because of their ambition. Once Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are deeply involved in corruption and the desire for more, clearly they will feel remorse for the rest of their lives. Evil corrupts Macbeth s mind, confusing reality with his fears and making him suspicious of everything 1. unselfish: generous. 2. estranged: separated in feelings and everyday life. 3. face: meet. 4. beaten (beat, beat, beaten): defeated. 84