“Lady Macbeth is the real villain of the play.

”  Do you agree?
Shakespeare's famous tragedy Macbeth details the downfall of a once powerful, noble Scottish
general. The plight of protagonist Macbeth is shown through the play, as his own desires combine
with external influences to cause his undoing. Along this path, much death and destruction occur.
These are directly caused by the Macbeth's own ambition, however he cannot be labelled as the
true villain as he was rather a victim of humanity. Lady Macbeth, who blocks conscience and denies
humanity, manipulates Macbeth into murdering Duncan. However, Shakespeare also challenges his
audience to acknowledge that although Lady Macbeth’s actions are immoral, she is not malicious in
nature. Thus, although both the Macbeths’ committed evil acts, they would not have occurred
without the presence of the witches, who all show no sign of remorse and rather purposefully enact
destruction making them the true villain of the play.

Although Macbeth’s horrific actions of slaughter and murder characterise him as a tyrant, the
deterioration of Macbeth’s moral orientation accentuates how the human condition has the capacity
to commit murderous actions, making Macbeth a victim of humanity rather than a villain. After the
initial battle, Macbeth is perceived by King Duncan as a “worthy gentleman” and “valiant cousin”.
This portrayal suggests an inherent morality and benevolence within Macbeth, providing the
impression that he is incapable of undertaking the deeds he would later do. In the same way, Lady
Macbeth, Macbeth’s manipulative partner, admits that the protagonist “is too full of the milk of
human kindness” and “not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it”. Macbeth is,
thus, initially characterised as a moral exemplar within his own realm, insinuating an inability to
perform actions rife with evil motives. Nevertheless, when provoked by the “supernatural soliciting”
of witches, it is within the human condition for Macbeth to feel tempted to proceed with actions
that will appoint himself a position of power and prestige. While Macbeth had the choice to not
advance, his actions are reminiscent of the modern representation of humanity, in which good and
evil coexist within each individual. Shakespeare uses the deterioration of Macbeth’s equilibrium as
an example of the capability of mankind, and in doing so, depicts Macbeth as a victim of humanity
rather than a villain.

Moreover, Lady Macbeth’s rejection of humanity and conscience leads her into actions rife with
corruption. This notion is crystallised in her soliloquy where she desires the spirits to “unsex me here
and fill me…top-full of direst cruelty”. However, it would be remiss to ignore that whilst Lady
Macbeth’s actions are egotistical and corrupt, she is not malevolent by nature. Lady Macbeth’s boast
to Macbeth that she would have “dashed [the] brains out” of her child without hesitation is certainly
blood-chilling but she had only said the things she would do, rather than something she had actually
done. She also admits, “I have given suck, and know/How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me.”
In reality, she is capable of tenderness and warmth. Lady Macbeth too obtains a conscience though
it may not be explicitly portrayed. She at first displays a complete and utter lack of sympathy after
the death of King Duncan through her remorseless comment “the sleeping and the dead are but as
pictures.” Although it may seem like she has successfully overridden her conscience, evidence of
guilt is displayed in her remark “what’s done cannot be undone”. At this instant, Lady Macbeth’s
facade is removed, and she is left vulnerable, discomposed, dishevelled, incoherent and ultimately
remorseful. Hence, Lady Macbeth is clearly in possession of a conscience and her attempts to reject
humanity were unsuccessful.

On the other hand, from the beginning of the play, the witches are established as evil characters
with enough power to predict and therefore influence the happenings of the play. From the first
scene, where the witches are planning their later prophecy to Macbeth, they mention that they will
play on trust as this is “mortal's chiefest enemy.” This planning shows that they are aware of the
influence they will have over Macbeth, and are deliberately choosing to play on the flaws of human
nature in order to see the destruction they value take place shown as they repeatedly chant
“double, double, toil and trouble!” The witches then give Macbeth his prophecy that he will be “king
hereafter” which embeds into his mind the possibility of becoming king and ruling Scotland, which
wouldn’t have been present if he hadn’t met the “instruments of darkness.” The “juggling fiends”
mislead Macbeth deliberately through the use of “equivocation” and despite their limited powers
they are still able to beguile Macbeth into believing their prophecies a second time making him
believe he has a “charmed life.” This further demonstrates the malignant desire of the witches. As
Banquo later states, they present Macbeth with “honest trifles” so they can “betray in deepest
consequence.” The three witches clearly and deliberately influence Macbeth's actions, meaning that
they are partially to blame for the death and destruction he creates, labelling them as the actual
villains of the play.

In essence, both Macbeths’ are never able to completely block their conscience signifying that they
are not entirely immoral. In contrast, the witches, an embodiment of pure evil, never show a glimpse
of remorse or guilt for their actions and instead gain amusement from all the chaos. Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth also cannot be solely responsible for their actions since the ambiguous role of the
witches in prophesising and foretelling the future also lead to the atrocities they committed. Thus,
without the presence of the witches, all the death and destruction within the Macbeth realm would
have never occurred. As the true instigators of the entire plot, the witches are the ultimate villain of
the play. As such, it seems fitting to recall Banquo’s description of the witches as “instruments of
darkness.”