It has often been said that Macbeth is a character of powerful contradictions. He is evil and all-powerful. Are his violent acts and his criminal activities simply the result of Macbeth’s ambition to be King of Scotland? Why is he willing to kill his king and his best friend with apparently no remorse? Are his acts the result of blind ambition? No, Macbeth is the target of manipulation. He is not the manipulator, but instead is manipulated by different people and different forces. Macbeth encounters his first group of manipulators in the form of witches. The witches prophesize that Macbeth will one day be King of