This is quite a large question, so I will cover one moment
in the play in which Macbeth seems to be conflicted between his better and worser
natures.
In Act I, Scene vii, Macbeth is alone onstage with
the audience, and this is the first time that he has actually spoken about becoming King
and his wife's plan to murder Duncan.
He is very aware that
it will only open a new can of worms if he kills Duncan. The people will treat Duncan
as a martyr and there will be much suspicion amongst the other nobles as to who is
trustworthy and who is not. So, he shows great foresight and consideration of character
here.
He also displays his natural inclination towards
honorable actions:
...He's here in double
trust.
First, as I am his kinsman and his
subject,
Strong both against the deed; then as his
host,
Who should against his murderer shut the
door,
Not bear the knife
myself.
And yet, through all this awareness and
consideration, he still decides to commit the murder. Why? Probably his most glaring
downfall, since it is the originator of so much violence and treachery. Macbeth sets
his course for the rest of the play, and the part of his nature that he will follow to
the end with these lines:
...I have no spur
To
prick the sides of my intent, but only
Vaulting
ambition, which o'erleaps
itself
And falls on the
other.
So, though Macbeth
displays, in thought, many noble qualities, his actions bear themselves only to be
motivated by his ambition, which leads to many acts of evil.
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