Macbeth - it is unusual to find a character in drama who is wholly evil

Many theorists hold that the hero of a tragedy ought to be a man of great power and status so that his fall, when it occurs, is all the more impressive, awe-inspiring, and shocking. Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, is a classic tragedy whose exceptional calamity leads to the eventual death of the powerful and over-ambitious protagonist Macbeth. Although Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, are two seemingly evil people, it is unusual to find a character …

…massacre of Macduff's family. However, in spite of these actions, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth understand that their behaviour has been immoral. This indicates that they have a conscience, and so they cannot be depicted as 'wholly evil'. Perhaps Macbeth is merely a victim of the witches, a respectable and virtuous person who has been transformed into someone vile and sinister by the unnatural powers of the witches. Thus Macbeth can not be labelled 'wholly evil'.