Macbeth was a treacherous man who lived in a treacherous time who used his power and his privilege to commit unforgivable acts against his fellow King and subjects. Despite this the power of Shakespeare's writing that makes for such complex characterisation there is always something underneath the murderer that reveals a human being who we never totally lose sympathy for.
             Macbeth is underneath the extraordinary influence of his captivating partner Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth uses her charming ways and her control that she has over Macbeth to persuade him to perform these treacherous acts. In one case in Act 1 Scene 7 Macbeth decides not to go through with the murder but as soon as Lady Macbeth hears this she states "when you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man." In appealing to his manly ego Lady Macbeth shows how easily it is to corrupt Macbeth. It could also be said that Macbeth is so evil that it does not take much to egg him on to commit murder.
             In the end of Macbeth it is clear that Macbeth totally loses his conscience and has completely given up on life. Towards the end of the play when he says such things as "to know my deed t'were best not know myself" and "upon the nest tree shalt thou hang alive," these words are telling us that he has totally given up hope and in which makes us feel sympathy for him.
             The play Macbeth is set in a time when men lived and died by the sword. Kings had come and gone due to the murderous acts committed by other Kings. It could be argued that Macbeth was just following in the footsteps or keeping up in the traditions of previous royals. One example of this is when the play opens and the Thane of Cawdor and the Norwegians are trying to take the throne from King Duncan. But this hardly excuses Macbeth's behaviour. Macbeth had the opportunity to set his country on a different cour
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