dvantage of Macbeth’s original motivation, his ambition, and uses that to decide what he must do. She also appears to be made of sterner stuff than her husband, or at least is more committed to the deed. It should be noted that she doesn’t actually have to kill Duncan; so most of the strength she has to build up goes into convincing Macbeth that it is a good idea. Her influence on Macbeth in this matter is obviously great. He does not decide to murder Duncan; Lady Macbeth does it for him. He’s not too fond of the idea, but Lady Macbeth tells him he must commit murder to fulfill his destiny. Every time he reconsiders, she gives him a pep talk. She even instructs him during the murder, drugs Duncan’s guards, and advises him on every detail of his behavior once the deed has been done. She is the foundation of all of Macbeth’s actions in this matter, and it would not be a far cry to assume that she has always had an extreme influence on him. In short, Lady Macbeth uses Duncan’s presence and the opportunity to take his life to influence Macbeth into fulfilling the witches’ prophecy and sealing his destiny. This brings us to the witches themselves. The witches are the physical manifestation of evil itself, and they bring temptation, malice and disaster with their visitations upon hapless mortals. This best illustrated by the witches’ quote "Fair is foul and foul is fair," (Act 1, Scene 1, Line 11). This illustrates the idea that every aspect of the witches is a perversion of natural moral character. It may be said that the prophecy set forth by the witches is the single cause for the entire story of Macbeth. Without the witches, Macbeth may never have thought of taking Duncan’s life at all. In Act 1, Scene 3, the witches tell Macbeth that he is thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor and that he "shalt be king hereafter". Immediately after hearing the witches prophesize that he will be king, Macb...
