Annihilation of Evil by Evil: Final Reaction to Macbeth

As many other classical works, Macbeth ends with the triumph of good over evil; however, unlike most pieces of literature, the wicked forces exterminate themselves without the action of the righteous. One such example is the apparent suicide of Lady Macbeth who, after confessing her feelings of guilt while in her sleep, was unable to carry the burden of murder and sin, represented by the illusion of blood in her hands. The queen achieved all that she ever longed for, but was unable to remove the stains of blood from herself. At the end, remorse and a heavy conscience outweighed power and social status, leading to her death. “… his fiend-like queen (Who, as ‘tis thought, by self and violent hands, Took off her life)…” (V, viii, 82-84).

A second example of this suicide by evil is presented in Macbeth. Macbeth was guilty of his own death because he knew he would be slain by Macduff, but nevertheless the king decided to continue the fight. “Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane And thou opposed, being of no woman born, Yet I will try the last.” (V, viii, 35-37). However, the prophecies of the Weïrd Sisters make the reader doubt about Macbeth’s self-inflicted death. Was Macbeth’s murder caused by his failure to heed the witches’ prophecies or was it simply a rhetorical trick played by the “fate” sisters in order to assure Banquo’s linage? In order to understand this, the reader must analyze the definition of destiny and fate. Are these concepts only able to predict events or are they capable of foreshadowing human responses and behaviors towards particular actions as well? Based on the three apparitions seen by Macbeth, it is possible to infer that the Weïrd Sisters were only attempting to trick the king; consequently, they were merely able to predict actions, but were incapable of foreseeing Macbeth’s reaction to external events. They did not guarantee the murder of Macbeth, but skillfully hinted at it by fooling Macbeth into expecting a different outcome. “And be these juggling fiends no more believed That palter with us in a double sense, That keep the word of promise to our ear And break it to our hope.” (V, viii, 23-26). Birnam Wood’s moving to Dunsinane and the threat of a man not born of woman put Macbeth’s life in danger; however, if he had not fought Macduff, the king would have been deposed and condemned as a tyrant and allowed to conserve his life. The third apparition, which presented Banquo’s descendants as kings, would have been fulfilled even if Macbeth had not been killed. The Macbeth couple did not have any children (alive, that is) that would be able to preserve the dynasty; consequently, Banquo’s descendants would have eventually become kings, whether Macbeth had died or not.

Throughout the drama, Lady Macbeth appeared as the dominant, harsh, and cold character that dominated Macbeth’s desires and actions. Beneath her stiff core, however, lies an individual who, being much weaker than Macbeth himself, is not able to withstand the horrors of blood and murder. Macbeth is less prone to succumb to evil, but when he does, is able to confront it in a much braver manner than his wife, who was not able to endure the though of a murder she had not committed. A puppet of evil, Macbeth failed to feel that same compassion as that experienced by his wife when she refused to assassinate Duncan, whom she claimed to have resembled her father as he slept. When faced with his wife’s death, Macbeth responded coldly by saying, “She should have died hereafter.” (V, v, 20), meaning that her death was inevitable and therefore useless to cry for. The bonds of love were broken by the greed and avarice that resulted from the idolatry of power.

Macbeth knew that the decision to defy fate and fight Macduff would lead him to his death. The exclamation “Yet I will try the last.” (V, vii, 37) is a proof of this man’s valor and perseverance to achieve what he longed the most: honor. Honor comprised both power and an elevated social status, both of which were technically preserved by Macbeth at the moment of his death. When placed in a scale, death and honor outweighed life and shame. Macbeth died a tyrant to his country, but at least managed to secure pride and drag it with him towards the dark pits of hell.