Near the end of the play, Macbeth becomes a ruthless tyrant after murdering Duncan and ordering the murders of Banquo and Macduff's family. By that point, he is evil. Shakespeare's main characters are never one-dimensional, though, and the Macbeth who appears at the beginning of the play seems a fundamentally honorable and loyal man. He fights heroically to defend King Duncan against a rebellion, and his "black and deep desires" only take hold after his encounter with the witches. Even then, his wife has to goad him into murdering Duncan, challenging his manhood and his courage in order to help him overcome what she calls the "milk of human kindness." Killing Duncan fundamentally changes Macbeth, however. Having seized the throne, he feels compelled to commit more murders to consolidate his power. He has Banquo murdered because he sees him as a threat because of the witches' prophecy that he will "get kings." He has Macduff's family murdered because he fears his power. Macbeth becomes corrupted by power and commits one horrific deed after another. By the time of his climactic battle with Macduff, he is a bloody, murderous tyrant, consumed by evil. Macbeth is not as much about an inherently evil man as it is about a man who becomes consumed by the corrupting nature of power and is manipulated by evil forces.
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