Beginning of Essay
For centuries evil was defined by human preoccupation, and it was often indicated in the English literature. From Beowulf to Macbeth, people's perception on the nature of evil had matured and became more complex. In Beowulf's period, evil was simply defined bas ....

Middle of Essay
.... and envy. Macbeth was not satisfied with his current position, "Thane of Glamis," and not even his newly gained "Thane of Cawdor" would please him. He had only one thing on his mind, the throne. When he became the king, he envied Banquo's having heirs who would be rivals for the throne. The Christian also developed the theory of the great chain of being. It basically stated that a person could not and was not allowed to change his social status. Thus in the play, everyone eventually turned against Macbeth, who had broken the great chain of being by taking the throne from the rightful king. At the end, Macbeth died as an evil being who ha ....