Comparison between the evil of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth“At the heart of William Shakespeare's Macbeth is an examination of the nature of evil and its many faces and facets”( Cathell 119). The main evil characters of the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, are both evil, but the manifestation of evil is different in each. Macbeth's wickedness is a dynamic character trait. He begins the play as a celebrated hero, loyal to his friends and devoted to his king. He is strong and noble, a man who is to be admired by his audience. Macbeth and Banquo are visited by the three witches, who promise him that he will become king. This veiled hint ignites a secret ambition in Macbeth. Evil is born within him, but at this early stage of his transformation Macbeth is ashamed of his evil impulses. He says: Stars, hide your fires; Don't let the light see my deep black desires; however let it be what the eye fears to see, once finished. (Shakespeare I, iv, 50) Soon, however, Macbeth is overwhelmed by ambition and begins his downfall. He says: I have no urge to prick the sides of my intent, but only the vaulting ambition, which surpasses itself/ and falls upon the other. (Shakespeare I, vii, 25) From the moment the decision is made to kill Duncan, and until his death, Macbeth is a vessel that ceaselessly fills with evil. Macbeth is the source of all the vile actions in this play. The witches ignite his evil ambition, Lady Macbeth fuels the fire, but the blame for Duncan's murder falls entirely on Macbeth's shoulders. Macbeth may not have wielded the knives that killed Banquo or Macduff's family, but the attack is his. Lady Macbeth doesn't come down... middle of paper... wait, Macbeth turns to violence. His evil is brutal and impatient. His weakness is the inability to control his mind. Works Cited and Consulted: Cathell, AL "The Diabolic Evil in Macbeth" in Shakespeare Survey: Volume 5. Edited by Allardyce Nicoll Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996 Elliot, GR "Introduction: On `Macbeth' as ​​the pinnacle of Shakespearean tragedy" in Shakespearean Criticism, volume 3. Edited by Laurie Harris (Gale: 1984)McElroy, Bernard, "`Macbeth': The Torture of the Mind" in Shakespearean Criticism, volume 3. Edited by Laurie Harris (Gale:1984)Ribner, Irving. “Macbeth: the Pattern of Idea and Action,” in Shakespearean Criticism, Volume 3. Edited by Laurie Harris (Gale: 1984) Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Edited by Norman Sanders. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984)