Evil Being example essay topic

Evil is attainted, not by force, but by self-motivation, the antonymic principle to that of attaining a state of tragedy. In Macbeth, by Shakespeare, Macbeth portrays a wholly evil character. Throughout the story he commits evil by deeds of murder, betrayal, and lies where by the end of the book he accepts his core center of evil, stating his lack of remorse for any of his actions. In the essay entitled "Evil", by Irving Ribner, Ribner uses many fruitful examples from the text to support his chief points of Macbeth being truly evil.

Hence to state, Macbeth personifies anything and everything evil, against the belief of him succumbing that of a tragic hero. One of the defining features that make Macbeth purely evil is his confrontation with it. When the witches first appear in Act 1 of the play, Macbeth voluntarily confronts them, complying with evil in the very beginning. "They [the witches] do not, however, suggest evil to man... for the impulse to evil must come from within man himself". (Ribner 247). This is the first sign of him owning demonic tendencies, when he allows the evil from within, transform from superego to conscience.

Later, in Act 4, Macbeth then returns to the dark women once again, conforming to evil. "I conjure you, by that which you profess, howe " er you come to know it, answer me". (Shakespeare 61). Symbolically, this shows Macbeth summoning evil within himself and exploiting it by means of seeing the witches. From this it is shown that Macbeth can most definitely not be a tragic hero, for he yields to evil alone, with no quality morals in him that tragic heroes must posses. For the duration of Macbeth, nature or Gaea (mother Earth) symbolized everything holy and good.

Whenever evil was committed, nature was disturbed, the land going askew. "It was the owl that screeched, the fatal bellman... ". (Shakespeare 28).

Here nature was turned awry when Macbeth murders Duncan from aspirations to be crowned king. Murder is also the most unholy emotion that a human may achieve. Only negative emotions such as greed, jealousy, or hatred may propel such a feat. Macbeth commits such a crime, befriending evil itself. "It is Macbeth's knowing and deliberate denial of God and his rejection of the law of nature... ".

(Ribner 247). As well as rejecting nature, denying God is a sin in itself, which Macbeth concurs to. Macbeth is unwilling to accept nature and anything holy therefore supporting the ideal of his character being purely evil, not a tragic hero. In Act 5 of the story, Macbeth finally accepts his evil inclinations, non-apologetic for what he's done, his excessive pride getting in the way of any reconciliation he may have. "His voluntary choice of evil, moreover, closes the way of redemption to him, for in denying nature he cuts off the source of redemption, and he must end in total destruction and despair". (Ribner 247).

Because of the disproportionate amount of evil he has within him, he his allowed himself no possible way to redeem himself or apologize for what he's done. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day to the last syllable of recorded time, and all our yesterdays have lighted fools they way to dusty death. Out, out brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. (Shakespeare 87).

From Macbeth's last soliloquy it is read that his life has amounted to nothing and that no ones ever does. With such depressed last words, he shows no signs of reunion or peace with himself, as a tragic hero would. He feels no remorse, his ego swelling to the last and final blow of his ultimate destruction. It is to be essentially known that Macbeth was entirely evil, and moreover that Macbeth was not a tragic hero.

He demonstrated no characteristics that a customary tragic hero presents. In fact, he demonstrated the very opposing qualities, accepting his individual evil, disturbing nature and defying God, and lastly having no attempt to reconciliation. Macbeth has perfectly acted the part of a solely evil being... nothing more.