Macbeth: Both Villian and Victim
Joanne Choi
Both, Victim and Villian
It is both Macbeth’s actions and being a victim of the forces of “evil” that were the ultimate reason for his destruction. He is responsible because he was the one who committed the act; he chose to do it. He was the one to have the knife in his hand and kill the King. He doubted himself and yet he went forward with the deed, at the end of the day he can only blame himself. Relating this to society now is like saying that I can run a red light and hit someone but say that I’m not responsible for my actions because someone wished bad luck upon me and that’s the reason I ran the red light. Although, I think that Macbeth’s actions are the reason for his destruction I do see how he would be a victim instead of a crime. Because there are good and bad in the world and maybe Lady Macbeth called upon the bad. Maybe her intentions were so purely evil and she knew what she wanted, that she knew what buttons to press and get Macbeth to do her dirty deed. She was the one to convince him multiple times to go through with it. The forces of “evil” could’ve been the one to give Macbeth the final nudge when he doubted himself. So his destruction is caused by his own actions and forces of “evil”, making him both a victim and villain.