“Shakespeare’s depiction of evil in Macbeth is far more compelling than his depiction of virtue.” Discuss this point of view, supporting your answer with the aid of suitable reference to the text.

William Shakespeare's tragedy ‘Macbeth,’ explores many different themes including, loyalty, betrayal and ambition, but it is the powerful theme of evil and the consequent guilt that has the most devastating effect on the play’s protagonist Macbeth and his loyal wife Lady Macbeth. The couple foster a world where virtue is absent, a world where “New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows strike heaven on the face.” They create a world where evil is far more compelling than virtue, until the very end, when virtue conquers evil.Scottish people live fulfilled and happy lives during Duncan’s reign. Whilst evil was present and threats existed, they were overcasted by virtuous forces in the world. ‘Bellona’s bridegroom,’ Macbeth, defends Scotland as a safe place to live defeating Macdonald's forces and unseeming him “From the nave to the chops.” The ‘Noble,’ and ‘Valiant,’ Macbeth suffers an identity crisis, when he comes across three witches. These ‘Imperfect speakers,’ trigger the vaulting ambition that rests within Macbeth and ultimately leads to his downfall. As Macbeth struggles to keep his ambition at bay, virtuous characters juxtapose the villain in moral decent, such as Banquo who warns Macbeth to be cautious with trusting the ‘Devil.’Macbeth’s most heinous act of killing Duncan is the play’s pivotal moment for when Shakespeare’s depiction of evil becomes far more compelling than his depiction of virtue. Macbeth’s moral descent is demonstrated as he says, “We will proceed no further in this business,’and later exclaims, “ I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent upon this terrible feat.” The man decides to commit the most treacherous act of all, regicide. It is from here that “There’s husbandry in heaven, their candles are all out,” because heaven can not bear to watch the atrocity about to unfold. Virtue, a king becoming grace, is murdered. Evil, in this moment, conquers virtue.  Macbeth usurps the throne and plummets Scotland into crisis. This tyrannical leader, grows increasingly evil throughout. Killing transforms from something he did to protect his nation and indeed the King, to something he does without hesitation as his “Soul is too much charged with the blood of thine already,” in reference to the abominable slaughter of Macduff’s innocent family. This ‘Devilish,’ like character becomes ruthless towards the people of Scotland as they are all imbedded with fear. Shakespeare demonstrates how evil transforms somebody. The once virtuous Macbeth becomes increasingly anxious. He hears voices and sees Banquo’s ghost as he is punished, by his guilt. When he can longer confide with his wife he pursues the witches for reassurance. He is solely reliant on the supernatural as he is cursed with being completely dependant on evil. After Duncan’s murder, suffering is not exclusive to Macbeth but also his ‘Dearest partner of Greatness.’ Lady Macbeth’s desire for power and Macbeth’s propensity for evil spurs them down a path of destruction, where one must “Look like th innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t.” She is the one who pleaded with dark forces to ‘Unsex,’ her. At one stage she is so confident that “No compunctious visitings of nature shake my fell purpose.” She meddles with the supernatural, allows herself to become consumed by evil ambition and ultimately suffers traumatically for it. This is because the supernatural is exactly that, supernatural. It is unnatural and symbolic of evil in the play, demonstrated by the devious witches. On the other hand the natural world is symbolised by virtue, hence Scotland is in a perpetual state of flux after the dethroning of the natural being, God’s representative. Lady Macbeth’s vaulting ambition and desire for power combined with her interaction with the supernatural demonstrates how Shakespeare depicted evil in a far more compelling manner than virtue, as she is deservedly left hopeless in confessing “Nought’s had and all’s spent, where our desire is got without content.”Scotland quickly descends into turmoil and this is reflected in Act 2 Scene 4. As Ross, Old Man and Macduff look upon Macbeth’s castle, they become a second audience. As the audience watches the men watch the castle (like a Greek chorus commentating to an audience) a ‘Microcosm,’ is established, which can be best described as a smaller world within a larger world. The microcosm that is Macbeth’s castle represents hell. As “Heavens are troubled with man’s act,” Shakespeare invites the audience to experience hell. The devil was always present through the witches, but had been previously denied. As a result of Macbeth being infiltrated by the witches, their hell-like existence becomes a universal reality as “Fair is foul and foul is fair,” where the most heinious crime of regicide is rewarded with kingship. Virtue is symbolised by this Old man who is absent from the play after this scene as evil dominates. He leaves on the note “God’s benson go with you, and with those That would make good of bad, and friends of foes.” He is aware that in his ‘Threescore and ten,’ he had never witnessed such evil, this line almost serves as a double enterndre it foreshadows the misery ahead as well as the virtuous light at the end of the tunnel that is Malcolm, similar to Sophecles’ “Thehan Pays.”  Georg Hegel, a German philosopher proposed society progresses through the Hegelian dialectic, comprised of a thesis, an opposing antithesis and a synthesis of the two ideas to resolve the issue. We are first presented with Duncan, the thesis. An archetypical king, loved by all and sympathetic to his people’s needs. He is naive however, and lacks the shrewd and astute nature he ultimately ends up paying for. He has the Thane of Cawdor killed leaving Ross’s information unquestioned and sleeps in the most fierce warrior in all of Scotland’s castle with poor guard. Macbeth is the antithesis, an embodiment of evil, he controls his people with a Machiavellian hand, murdering those he fears to consolidate his power. I do confess however, to holding a grudging respect for his nobility and non-defeatist attitude battling at the end. Both of these men are at opposite ends of the spectrum and therefore Malcolm becomes the synthesis and hope upon which the play concludes. He has compassion, the respect of people and royal lineage meaning he is a virtuous character naturally fitting the position. He is clever in acknowledging with Donalbain that “There’s daggers in men’s smile.” In questioning Macduff and planning the attack on Macbeth’s castle, he shows he is the perfect balance between the two former, flawed rulers. He is the note of hope demanded by Aristotle to conclude a tragedy. I remain confident Malcolm will never suffer the infiltration of evil, the same innate evil and resultant guilt in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth that destroys them. As we witness the tragedy of the house of Macbeth’s downfall, it is clear that Shakespeare’s depiction of evil is far more compelling than his depiction of virtue, as a once loyal and honourable Thane is reduced to immoral tyranny whose lust for power consumes him and his wife descends into madness, as they succumb to the forces of evil committing them to a path of self destruction and torment.