"William Shakespeare is regarded as possibly the greatest writer who ever lived... and his plays are still performed centuries after his death" . Most probably composed somewhere in the 1600s, Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's many masterpieces, and considered to be some of his darkest work, having even been called "Shakespeare's most profound and mature vision of evil" . The play sees it's main character, Macbeth, rise to the throne through a series of bloody murders and a trail of lies. Portrayed first as a hero and great leader in battle, Macbeth soon begins to show that our hero indeed has many flaws. But as Macbeth succumbs to greed and power by killing, lying and killing again, he appears as even less of hero, and more an embodiment evil.
             It could be said that the evil committed by Macbeth's is not all his own doing, for one of his greatest flaws is the ease of which he is influenced others. Macbeth is so very easily corrupted by Lady Macbeth and the witches, bringing forth the point that maybe Macbeth would not have thought to kill the king, had he not he been persuaded by others to do so. "My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, Shakes so my single state of man that function Is smother'd in surmise, and nothing is But what is not." , is a thought that enters only into the head of Macbeth after his encounter with the witches. Lady Macbeth too influences Macbeth, as her character is already an embodiment of evil. As she cries out "Unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toes, top full of direst cruelty!" , she is making plea to give her strength and help her carry out plans to murder. Her influence and great manipulation of her husband Macbeth can be seen when he hesitates to go through with the murder of Duncan. She challenges his manhood, "which thou esteem'st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem" , until he feels a guil...