preaching evil, urging to crime, the other allowing himself
to be overcome by his evil genius." In some cases these two
roles are clearly differentiated; it is easy, as in the case of
Iago and Othello, Cassius and Brutus, to say who prompted the
crime. In others the guilt seems equally divided and the
original suggestion of crime to spring from a mutual tendency
towards the adoption of such an expedient. In Macbeth and his
wife we have a perfect instance of the latter class. No sooner
have the witches prophesied that Macbeth shall be a king than the
"horrid image" of the suggestion to murder Duncan presents itself
to his mind, and, on returning to his wife, he answers her
question as to when Duncan is to leave their house by the
significant remark, "To-morrow--as he proposes." To Lady Macbeth
from the moment she has received her husband's letter telling of
the prophecy of the weird sisters, murder occurs as a means of
accomplishing their prediction. In the minds of Macbeth and his
wife the suggestion of murder is originally an auto-suggestion,
coming to them independently of each other as soon as they learn
from the witches that Macbeth is one day to be a king. To Banquo
a somewhat similar intimation is given, but no foul thought of
crime suggests itself for an instant to his loyal nature. What
Macbeth and his wife lack at first as thorough-going murderers is
that complete insensibility to taking human life that marks the
really ruthless assassin. Lady Macbeth has the stronger will of
the two for the commission of the deed. It is doubtful whether
without her help Macbeth would ever have undertaken it. But even
she, when her husband hesitates to strike, cannot bring herself
to murder the aged Duncan with her own hands because of his
resemblance as he sleeps to her father. It is only after a deal
of boggling and at serious risk of untimely interruption that the