Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are basically good people who make an ill judgment. It is unfair for Malcolm to describe them as "this dead butcher and his fiend - like queen". In the beginning they are respected people who share a loving relationship. Their downfall is caused by their ambition for Macbeth to be great, sparked by the witches' prophecy, and not because they are evil. Macbeth's indecision on whether or not to kill Duncan, and Lady Macbeth's begging of the spirits to take away her feminine qualities, show that ruthlessness does not come easily to them.
             Macbeth is a Scottish nobleman and important kinsman of King Duncan, whose devising and heroic leadership of a winning tactic in a battle show his talent, courage and loyalty to his country. He is well respected, and after his feat of braveness, Duncan believes him worthy to receive the title of Thane of Cawdor, which is a huge honor to Macbeth. The problem with this, though, is that it helps to spark his ambition, which, we find later, is his tragic flaw.
             Lady Macbeth is a loyal wife with ambitions for her husband. She believes that Macbeth deserves to be King, but thinks that he is too nice to do anything about it. She does not think that he could kill Duncan on his own. She is supportive of Macbeth, and is willing to do what she can to help him get what he wants. She is basically a caring and loving person, though, so she pleads with the Spirits to take away her tenderness and femininity and make her ruthless: " Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top full/ Of direst cruelty." (I.v.38-41). This evidence on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth proves that, at the beginning of the play, they are both good, virtuous people.
             When the witches predict that he shall be king, Macbeth does not think that he should do anything about making the prophecy come true: "If Chance will have me king, why Chance may crown me/ Without...