[McCarthy provides a detailed analysis of Macbeth's character, asserting that he is an average man with common thoughts and little imagination, who is manipulated into performing evil deeds by both the witches and his wife. In the critic's opinion, Macbeth's response to the witches's predictions is too literal; it never occurs to him to test their assertions, which were commonly known to be "ambiguous and tricky." McCarthy further declares that Macbeth is dominated by his wife, noting that while he is "old Iron Pants in thefield, " at home "she has to wear the pants; she has to unsex herself." Among the protagonist's other traits, the critic asserts, is a lack of feeling for others, excessive envy, and absence if conscience. Each if these traits not only contributes to the hero's deliberate choice to murder Duncan, but also to his subsequent isolation as the play unfolds. McCarthy also...