Macbeth's Fall from Grace to Evil

The character Glinda the Broadway musical, Wicked, poses the question, "Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" An interesting question which can be connected to Macbeth and his involvement with wickedness. Had fate already played a predetermined role in Macbeth's decision to complete evil deeds? Or did he decide to participate in evil doings because of his desire to become King? Macbeth was not an evil man before he decided to kill King Duncan.  He was a brave warrior who was well respected.  Why did he change?

Every man has his own desires and temptations.  People who are not "evil" may walk into evil in order to achieve these desires and give into their temptations.  Macbeth began his journey to the dark side when he decided to kill King Duncan.  Macbeth's desire to become King was ultimately the reason for his evil downfall.  He believed that killing Duncan was the only way to become King as prophesied by the three witches. Lady Macbeth encouraging Macbeth to kill Duncan also had a large impact on his decision.  

Once a person takes a first step on the path of evil, it can be very hard to go back to the path of grace. People begin rationalizing and justifying their actions. Deeds that they once may have viewed as evil begin to seem not quite as harmful as what they had been.  Macbeth began to view the completion of evil deeds as necessary.  Macbeth later in the play felt that he was already too involved in his plot to just give quit.  He had to see his goal through, no matter the cost.  

Actions, especially those of an evil nature, have consequences.  One may find themselves having to lie to cover up their actions.  This manipulation may be too much for one to handle.  These lies may begin to pile up causing the need for more lies.  This could get to be very confusing because it would be hard to keep all the lies straight and in line with one another. Macbeth lied to everyone and said that the guards killed Duncan when in fact he killed Duncan. Macbeth also lied about his motives for killing the guards.  He claimed that he killed them out of loyalty and love for King Duncan.  In reality, Macbeth killed them so that they would not be able to tell their side of the story.   Macbeth had to kill the guards because he originally lied and said that the guards killed Duncan.  The first lie lead to subsequent lies.  

Another consequence of an individual choosing evil is the internal guilt that one may feel.  Just because someone takes part in evil actions does not mean that they don't still have a conscience.  Guilt can eat someone alive.  It can make their stomach churn, head spin, and in Macbeth's case hallucinate.  Macbeth envisioned a bloody dagger floating in the castle before he murdered Duncan.  Later in the play, Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo at the dinner table.  Macbeth is the only one to see the ghost so it is not clear if it is a hallucination or truly a ghost.  Either way, Macbeth seems to go a little mentally insane in front of his guests.