Simplistically, the following quote from
Macbeth refers to the fact that things which are begun wrongly
continue to be wrong if one continues to bring negative things to the
table.
Things
bad begun make strong themselves by
ill
Macbeth knows that
nothing good can come from actions done wrongly. Macbeth has gained the crown through
the murder of Duncan. It is through this murder that Macbeth was able to gain the crown.
The actions that Macbeth takes to keep the crown are all negative as well, attempted
murder of others and lying to those around him.
This can be
explained in simpler terms. Think about the telling of a lie. This one lie, if kept,
requires many more lies to keep the truth from being exposed. The telling of more lies
constitutes "make strong themselves by ill." The first lie is defined by "Things bad
begun."
Therefore, Macbeth is simply saying that the
continuance of immoral behaviors makes the initial behavior worse. If Macbeth would have
simply told the truth about his first sin (the murder) he would not have gone mad and
lost his life.
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