Thursday 17 July 2014

How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth in the whole play?

Lady Macbeth plays a significant role in encouraging Macbeth to kill Duncan and become king. She is presented as a calculating woman who is filled with passion and ambition. She definitely displays her feminine powers in seducing and encouraging Macbeth in this way, but she also has a masculine side and this is most clearly presented in Act One, Scene V. 



Come, you spirits, 


That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here 


And fill me,...


Lady Macbeth plays a significant role in encouraging Macbeth to kill Duncan and become king. She is presented as a calculating woman who is filled with passion and ambition. She definitely displays her feminine powers in seducing and encouraging Macbeth in this way, but she also has a masculine side and this is most clearly presented in Act One, Scene V. 



Come, you spirits, 


That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here 


And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full


Of direst cruelty! (I.v.42-45)



She wants to become more like a man of action. She is trying to psych herself into becoming more ambitious and dangerous. If she becomes more bold, she will be more inclined to encourage Macbeth and go through with the regicide. 


There is an ongoing debate as to how much Lady Macbeth influences Macbeth. Some draw a parallel to the story of Adam and Eve wherein Eve is often blamed for luring Adam to sin. But one could equally argue that Adam is also to blame and the same counterargument has been used with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. She encourages him but does not force his hand. They are both complicit in scheming to kill Duncan, so some interpretations that place a larger portion of the blame on Lady Macbeth can be challenged. 


Following the crime, Lady Macbeth feels the guilt and anxiety that Macbeth does. A sudden sound startles her and this illustrates that anxiety. As the play progresses, Macbeth becomes increasingly more nervous. Lady Macbeth holds herself together with more composure, but by Act V, Scene I, she has had a mental breakdown and apparently commits suicide. 

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