The Theme of Evil in Literature Since the beginning of time, people have pondered the existence of evil. What makes people laugh at other peoples' mistakes? What makes a little kid relentlessly pick on the outcast? What fuels the hate that people have for each other? Everyone has their individual views and answers to these questions, and their own definition of evil. Evil is an entity inside every living being in the world characterized by selfishness, torturing, and ultimately, the unjustifiable taking of others' lives. For many, selfishness is the beginning of evil. Macbeth is the perfect example of this. Macbeth, one o