This essay, originally published anonymously, offers a critical response to an article in the Westminster Review concerning Shakespeare's tragedy, "Macbeth." It provides an insightful examination of the characters within the play, particularly focusing on the motivations and complexities of Macbeth himself. The essay engages with prevailing interpretations of Shakespeare's work during the 19th century, offering an alternative perspective. This text is valuable for students and scholars of Shakespeare, literary criticism, and the history of dramatic interpretation. It reflects the ongoing dialogue and evolving understanding of one of Shakespeare's most powerful and enduring plays.This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.