中圖分類號(hào)：I106.4 文獻(xiàn)標(biāo)識(shí)碼：A 文章編號(hào)：1006-026X（2012）11-0000-02

Macbeth is the last-written of the four great tragedies.Like other three tragedies，Macbeth is also a play about a sympathetic tragic hero who experiences the mental deterioration from goodness to evilness.In course of this degeneration，Shakespeare exhibits to us a multi-faceted character—Macbeth，in which we can see that a persons quality is mainly composed of two components which can be generalized as the explicit one and the implicit one.In other words，there are double selves coexistent in Macbeth—the goodness and the evilness.We could not judge Macbeth as a simply good man or a naturally evil man.It is Macbeths moral vacillations which make us readers unable to invoke hatred or revulsion towards Macbeth，but only painful pathos reverberating in our minds.Similarly，Lady Macbeth also has the side of goodness and evilness co-inhabited in her character.Through analyzing Lady Macbeth，we will have a clear representation about Macbeths goodness and evilness.In consequence，to some extent，Lady Macbeth functions to represent the implicit self of Macbeth either good side or evil side so as to constitute Macbeths self-contradicted temperament by means of establishing Duncans death as the watershed to divide the paper into two parts.

1.Before Duncans Death

1.1 Macbeths Explicit Self—Goodness

Since the tragic hero has a convincing downfall from goodness to wickedness，Macbeth presented to us his prior virtue before murdering Duncan in the preceding scenes.

Foremost，Macbeth is introduced as “a general of extraordinary prowess”（Bradley et al.267）.As the cousin of a mild and beloved King，he leads the army for the old king to fight valiantly in the battlefields.Based on so many glories，Duncan calls him “noble Macbeth”，“valiant cousin”and “worthy gentleman”.Therefore，Macbeth is worthy of such epithets as “brave”，“courageous”，“fearless”，“heroic”etc..

Secondly，Macbeth，as a loyal soldier，with thousands of warriors in his command，accomplishes his mission and responsibility to protect his homeland，fulfilling the kings expectation and winning the trust of the entire nation.Therefore，on top of his bravery，Macbeth boasts the facet of faithfulness and allegiance.

Thirdly，Macbeths essential goodness lies in his moral trait before the murder.The ensuing lines of soliloquy in Act I，Scene 7 best present Macbeths torment in making a decision before committing his own crime： “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.Besides，this Duncan/ Hath born his faculties so meek”（I.7.3-10）.In this speech，we can see that Macbeth is fully sensitive and conscious of the moral wrong of his subsequent deed.The arguments for and against murdering Duncan，when carefully measured，are overwhelmingly opposed to the crime.

In a word，the figure of Macbeth is a heroic，loyal，and moral person before slaughtering the virtuous and able king Duncan.

1.2 Macbeths Implicit Self—Evilness

In the following scenes，when Macbeth and Banquo encounter the Weird Sisters on their way back from the battlefields，Macbeths reaction towards the witches words is a best testimony to the assumption that Macbeth has an evil seed long planted in his heart.

At first，he does not pay any attention towards the words of the witches.But when Ross and Angus，two missives assigned by the king，come to him to hail Macbeth as “Thane of Cawdor”，Macbeth realize that the prediction of the witches comes true bit by bit and he begins to believe in their words，murmuring in his mind that “the greatest is behind”（I.3.116） and “Two truths are told，/ As happy prologue to the swelling act of the imperial theme…”（I.3.129-130）.

Conversely，when facing the prediciton of the withes，Banguo understands that ones fall originates from his or her active consent in evil，not other external factors.From this contrast，we can infer that Macbeth has a fatal weakness，irresistible to the temptations before him.The promises of success of the witches ignite in Macbeths vein his eager of power.His ambition to seize the crown is the root of his wickedness.As Bevington has it，“Macbeth is two-thirds of his way to the throne that the witches tempt him to seize the last third at whatever cost”（599）.

1.3 The Evilness of Lady Macbeth

Shakespeare uses the term “his fiendlike queen”to describe Lady Macbeth at the end of the play，conveying to us the feeling of horror，devil and malignancy of the queen.

If Macbeth is counted as the murderer of Duncan，Lady Macbeth would have been calculated as the backstage manipulator，for it is she who knows the fatal weakness of Macbeth so well that she can drive her husband back in the course of murder；it is she who fastens her husbands attention on the throne of Scotland；and it is she who reaffirms Macbeths determination to kill Duncan when Macbeth intuitively discovers himself in the state of the mental struggle for abandoning the idea of murder.Continuingly，it is she who begins her taunts by calling her husband as “a coward in thine own esteem”（I.7.44-46）.To prove his manliness in the presence of his wife，Macbeth turns her words against Lady Macbeth that “I dear do all that may become a man”（I.7.47-48）.

Throughout the whole play，Lady Macbeth plays the role of catalyzer to urge Macbeth to go downward to evilness.Although Macbeth has an excessive ambition，he is hindered by the clear conscience of the practical aftermath of murdering Duncan.Contrastingly，Lady Macbeth，single-minded and imperceptive as she is，develops her ambition beyond the limits of control，powerful enough to surpass her husbands ambition.

1.4 Lady Macbeths Evil Side Mirrors the Evil Self Inhabited in Macbeths Character

From the above analysis of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth，it is salient that there is much likeness between them.They have the same ambition.In the pursuit of their mutual desire，they support and love one another.They suffer together.Even when they experience the vainness of their ambition，they remain tragic and inalienable to the end （Bradley et al.266）.Superficially，only the goodness of Macbeth and the evilness of Lady Macbeth can be found from the lines before Duncans death.But when scrutinizing the details between the lines，the evilness is already existent in Macbeth before the murder，which is latent and hidden in the plot development.The similarity between the couple is that both of them have the evil side before the murder.The slight difference is that Macbeths evilness is implicitly represented while Lady Macbeths is explicitly exposed.It is the Shakespeares subtlety to use the explicitly-exhibited evilness of Lady Macbeth to mirror the implicit wickedness of Macbeth.Therefore，Lady Macbeths evil side functions as the evil self inhabited in Macbeths character.

2.After Duncans Death

2.1 Macbeths explicit self—evilness

If Macbeth has moral vacillation before murdering Duncan，he relinquishes all the moral principles，revealing his other self to the readers as brutal and tyrannical after Duncans Death.

After killing Duncan，due to his scare of Banquos discovery about the truth of the murder，he employs two murderers to stab Banguo and his son，F(xiàn)leance，for Macbeth is afraid of Banguos revenge.As reflected in his soliloquy，he appreciates Banguos “royalty of nature”which would make Macbeth fearful and “to that dauntless temper of his mind / He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor / To act in safety.There is none but he / Whose being I do fear；and under him / My genius is rebuked …”（III.1.52-57）.Out of his lack of Banguos righteousness and justice，Macbeth is fearful about Banguo in his deep heart.Besides，when he gets the news from the wretches predicttion that the kingdom is promised to Banquos children，Macbeth realizes that the existence of Banguo is a menace for him even though he has the opportunity to ascend the throne of Scotland at that time.Accordingly，he resolves to kill Banguo to guarantee the sense of security in his mind.From this moment on，the previous moral Macbeth disappears，converting to be an inhumane killer with fierce barbarity and bloodiness.He strides from crime to crime until setting his whole self on the verge of collapse.

2.2 Macbeths Implicit Self—Goodness

Macbeths goodness in this part primarily rests upon his repentance and his consciousness of guilt after he commits the knowing crime.At the sight of the dead image of Duncan，Macbeth feels horror not because of the bloody image of the dead，but because that the dead person he killed is his kinsman，the one who gives him many honors in this country.His heart-sickness comes from Macbeths perception of the futility of his crime.It is this reason which keeps him in perpetual agony of restlessness.Therefore，Macbeth could not speak out “Amen”，for it is，in Macbeths spirit，an immediate judgment from heaven （Bradley et al.270）.And then，the crying “Macbeth doth murder sleep”，resounding in his ears，makes the start of his sleepless torture in his imagination，providing a best evidence to explain his sense of insecurity and the fear of retaliation.

The apparition of Banguos Ghost in the banquet best exemplify his inner torture.As what he himself said before，this sentence “the bloody instructions would plague the inventor”（I.7.5-6） is fulfilled afterwards.In his deepest self，he knows that the purpose of murdering Banquo is completely out of jealousy and a vile idea.Thus，he can see the image of Banguo in his unconsciousness.Generally speaking，only those who make the evil behavior can they see the Ghosts in their illusion.The vision of the image of Banguo at the banquet is the embodiment of Macbeths self-accusation and inward agony.In this sense，When Macbeth learns to regret and feels guilty，he is certain to have the goodness in his self.

2.3 The Goodness of Lady Macbeth

Although superficially it is Lady Macbeth who pacifies her husband from the terrified scenes of murder；it is she，rather than Macbeth，who returns to Duncans chamber and smears the blood upon the grooms；it is she who，in the midst of the chaotic dinner party，retains her composure and saves her husband from added embarrassment （Calandra 64）；it is she who first faint at the sight of the bloody scene after the murder of Duncan；and it is she who suffer from the mental collapse and dies first throughout the play.In a word，the goodness of Lady Macbeth is also based on her mental torture，implying that she has a kind heart in essence.

Actually，with her imperceptiveness about the real world，Lady Macbeths demeanor and words often tend to be more rash and childish，regardless of the relevant consequences of the action.When she first sees the real blood-letting in front of her，she naturally goes off in a faint.Obviously，the view of much blood imprints deeply in her mind so that she frequently imagines that there are much blood in her hand needed to be washed away during her sleepwalking.Judging from her utterance fragments，Lady Macbeth is thoroughly overpowered by her imagination.Her mental disintegration bears the indication that she is intensively infatuated with the crime that she and her husband mutually has done before，suggesting Lady Macbeths remorsefulness and guilty consciousness.As a consequence，like her husband，Lady Macbeth has the good self even after the murder of Duncan.

2.4 Lady Macbeths Good Side Mirrors the Good Self Hidden in Macbeths Character

As what is analyzed in the above，both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have the good aspect even after the murder of Duncan，illuminated in their respective obsession with nightmares，in which both of them undergo the spiritual ordeal，inner repentance and guilty consciousness.All of these facts bear the demonstration of their goodness in common.In other words，Lady Macbeths goodness mirrors that of Macbeth，and vise versa.Through the reflection of Lady Macbeth，we are able to have a fair broad notion about Macbeths goodness.Therefore，it can be concluded that Lady Macbeths good side functions as the good self hidden in Macbeths character.

3.Conclusion

By exploring both the explicit and implicit selves of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth by way of making a detailed penetration into the goodness and the evilness of them before and after the murder of Duncan，it eventually comes to the conclusion that Lady Macbeth embodies another side of Macbeth，whether it is the good or the evil，to compose the double-layered character of Macbeth.

Works Cited

[1] Bradley，A.C.，LL.D.，and LITT.D.Shakespearean Tragedy.4th ed.New York： Palgrave Macmillan.2007

[2] Calandra，Denis.Cliffs Motes on Shakespeares Macbeth.Lincoln： Cliffs Notes，Inc.1979

[3] Shakespeare，William.Macbeth.Bevington，David.ed.Four Tragedies.New York： Bantam Books，1988