Was Macbeth a man of great worth?

Altogether, the human body, if you add up all the chemicals contained therein, is worth about $4.50.

I give yo this flippant answer because, really, who's to say whether or not a person is of great worth? Worth what to whom? A rich man is said to be worth a lot. A poor man is said to be worth a little. But how much is each man worth to his wife? To his children? To his boss? to the Internal Revenue Service? To his credit card company?

Yes, "worth" is a strange and variable concept for sure.

Early in his reign, the real Macbeth (yes, he did exist) was a very good King. He was thought of as being of great worth to Scotland. Later, when he resorted to extreme measures to control his country, he was thought to be a tyrant; his worth to the nation was diminished.

In the play Macbeth, Macbeth started out at the top of his game; he was a brave and victorious warrior. King Duncan considered him as worth more than almost any other, save Banquo. Duncan says to Macbeth (Act 1, Scene 4):

Would thou hadst less deserved,

That the proportion both of thanks and payment

Might have been mine!

He's worth so much that Duncan can't repay him for all he has done for King and country.

But by the end of the play no one in Scotland or England considers Macbeth to be worth anything; they see him as worthy of killing and nothing more.