The story of Macbeth, based on historical facts from Scottish history, is a tale of murder, greed, corruption, violence, and treachery - all the things Shakespeare held near and dear to his heart. Enraged with King Duncan's announcement that his son, Malcolm, would be automatic successor to the thrown, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth begin entertaining murderous thoughts of taking over the Scottish Kingdom. This marked the beginning of their pitiful downfall from respected royalty to …showed first 75 words of 650 total…

…showed last 75 words of 650 total…respected husband possessed. Her delicate outward appearance was contrary to the thoughts of her heart. She seemingly suffered no pains of conscience. Only after Lady Macbeth has suffered a mental breakdown is it evident of how deeply her crimes have haunted her. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the character roles of Macbeth and his wife were ultimately reversed in the end after months of mental torture from compromising their lives because of their lofty ambitions and envy.