In Macbeth desire and violence are prevalent throughout the book. Desire blinds the ability to think clearly when making a decision. If violence is used because of one's desire, the violence becomes an endless cycle until the result of the violence goes against the one whose desire led to the violence. When making a decision, you should use reason, which means having a justification or logical reason. Violence is committed many times in the book but not all for the same reason. Macbeth commits several acts of violence in the book due to his desire for the kingdom of Scotland. Macbeth begins to long for the kingdom of Scotland after the three witches tell him about the future. The witches tell Macbeth that he will become king of Scotland, but they do not tell him how he will become king. Macbeth begins to desire kingship after: This supernatural urge cannot be ill, it cannot be good. If sick, why did he give me serious success, starting with a truth? I am the Lord of Cawdor. If all goes well, why do I yield to that suggestion, the hideous image of which melts my hair and makes my sitting heart beat in my ribs, against the custom of nature? Current fears are less than horrible imaginings. My thought, the murder of which is still but fantastic, so shakes my single state of man, that function is stifled in conjecture, and nothing is but that which is not. (1.3.144-155)The passage shows that Macbeth does not know whether obtaining the kingdom is good or bad. He says he is neither, but Macbeth also implies that he desires kingship. The violence of the murder against the king, Duncan, in his mind is what his desire suggests. Macbeth's desire will lead him to violence. To demonstrate the desire, Macbeth wrote a letter to Lady Macbeth, in which he said: “When…half of the paper…until (5.7.20-21). Macduff wanted to kill Macbeth because Macbeth had ordered the murder of Macduff's family. The cycle of violence continued until Macbeth was on the receiving end. Macduff killed Macbeth, which stopped the violence. Violence began and ended with Macbeth. Macbeth single-handedly demonstrates three things in the book: that desire should not be used in place of reason when making decisions, that violence when used to obtain a desire leads to more violence, and that violence will not stop until the one who chooses violence because of desire will not find himself on the other side of violence. Works Cited "Free Essays - Desire and Reason in Macbeth". 123HelpMe.com. 05 January 2010 .Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: New Folger edition of Washington Square Press, 1992