1. Why do people who are not "evil" take the first step into evil? What, for instance, is involved in taking that first step "down the primrose path to the everlasting bonfire" (Macbeth, 2.3)? What are the consequences of the individual choosing evil (particularly the internal consequences)? Use examples from the text to support your opinion.
People who are not evil take the first steps toward evil because they have are influenced by others or they have a desire for power. These conditions can be seen by examining Macbeth and his thoughts and actions.
The first steps toward evil for Macbeth for example came after he heard the prophecy of the witches. After hearing them say "All hail, Macbeth, thou salt be king hereafter!" Macbeth realized his potential. He realized that he had the qualities of a leader and that he could obtain more power and influence in society than he had before. He never had considered the idea of being a king before this point and the influence of the witches led him to become obsessed with seeking power. Macbeth was not only influenced by his wife. Lady Macbeth had a large impact on Macbeth's decisions. After thinking about the letter that Macbeth sends to her she says to him "Your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under't." She says that Macbeth appears to be innocent since he has just eliminate a traitor of King Duncan. She encourages him to act as a serpent or a snake and kill Duncan instead so that Macbeth could take his place as king. She also reassures him and tells him they can't fail, influencing him in his decision - "But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we'll not fail."
Lady Macbeth's constant influence on her husband as well as Macbeth's new desire for power after meeting the three witches is what is involved in him taking the first step. He tells himself that "If ill, why hath it given me earnest of success, commencing in a truth?" Once he believes that what he is doing is for the best and being influenced by the witches' prophecy, he is willing to take the first step in evil. Macbeth himself recognizes his new ambition when he says "I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition." The floating dagger also influences him as he believes in the power of the supernatural and interprets the dagger as a sign to kill the King. When Macbeth says that the dagger is leading him to the place he was going to, he is even more determined and therefore influenced towards evil.
The consequences of choosing evil are the guilt that comes with doing evil actions, shown when Macbeth kills Duncan and says "I'm afraid even to think about what I've done. I can't stand to look at it again." Macbeth doesn't want to go back and look at the murder because he knows he did evil and feels guilty for murdering his King to who he owed his loyalty. When choosing evil Macbeth also questions his actions and even goes as far as to say "Had I died but an hour before this chance, I had lived a blessed time, for from this instant There's nothing serious in mortality." He feels so guilty and resentful of his own actions that he says there is nothing worth living for anymore. This creates an internal struggle as he has achieved his desire for power but feels guilty and wishes he had not done it.
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