Macbeth and the human potential for evilMacbeth is a study of the human potential for evil; it illustrates, although not completely in a religious context, the Christian concept of humanity's loss of God's grace. The triumph of evil in a man blessed with many good qualities becomes evident, as the reader realizes that the potential for evil is frighteningly present in all humanity and only needs bad circumstances and a relaxation of our desire for good to consume his mind. The good in Macbeth cries loudly through his fevered imagination, but the instigation of a supernatural power, Lady Macbeth, and Macbeth's worldly ambition combine to crush his better nature. Shakespeare's representation of supernatural evil in Macbeth takes shape within Macbeth, which is itself the representation. of the supernatural world; this is seen as his ambition leads him to a dependence on witches as well as their predictions, and it is this dependence that consumes him and allows evil and the supernatural to order his life. Evil exists outside of the protagonist in the world of black magic, represented most strikingly by witches. The appearance of these incarnations of the Devil in the opening act sets the mysterious tone of evil in the play. The witches cause Macbeth to react in a way that, along with the witches' predictions, fuels his ambition. When Macbeth finally recognizes that their predictions were not what they seemed, he denounces "the equivocation of the devil, who lies as the truth." As the words roll off his tongue, Macbeth addresses the most important quality of witches, which is that they distort the lives they interfere with because they disrupt a middle of paper ......flower of evil . Macbeth succumbs to temptation in an almost ritualistic manner. He recognizes each evil and then moves on, willing to accept "deep damnation" from the moment he first recognizes the temptation until he has no alternative left (1.7). Even though Macbeth is equipped with this knowledge, a downward spiral begins and ultimately leads to his demise. Macbeth, which encompasses some of Shakespeare's greatest poetry, offers one of literature's most vivid tales of the descent of an individual's soul into the darkness of evil, and the resulting isolation from to society. Macbeth's rejection of morality and its consequences – the loss of his soul and the disruption of the society he influences – horrifies the reader. It is a tragedy as terrifying as the plots and wars of the true kings and usurpers of Shakespeare's time..