Malcolm's description is justified only to an extent because Macbeth and Lady Macbeth followed the path the witches engineered for them to follow, and the witches ensured that the seeds of evil within them grew. However, it was Lady Macbeth's insistence on Duncan's death that started Macbeth's corruption and led to him being a tyrant because alone Macbeth would not have acted as he harboured too many doubts. The influence of the witches is shown right at the beginning of the play, where the witches immediately plant the influence of evil and supernatural into the play. 'To meet...
first Duncan's murder, then Banquo's, massacre of Macduff's family being the worst. He does retain some humanity, as he feels guilty until the end. However, the description of Lady Macbeth as a 'fiend-like queen' is only justified if her actions at the beginning are taken into account. Later, she has no influence over Macbeth's actions and wants him to stop his way of bloodshed, going insane and committing suicide at the end. However, it is her actions at the beginning to convince Macbeth to start murdering are what led to his fall and reign of evil and death.