Desire, power, control: Three traits that are ignited in Macbeth as a result of his wife, Lady Macbeth and the three witches. From the start, we are introduced to the main character, the Thane of Glamis, a patriotic and noble man. We see things start to change after Macbeth is visited by three witches, who predicts he will soon become the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth ignores this prediction until he visits his wife, Lady Macbeth. In Macbeth, Macbeth is manipulated by his wife Lady Macbeth, and the witches, who are the true causes of his downfall. To begin, the three witches fuel the desire of curiosity within Macbeth to prevent him from reaching his true potential. The witches purposefully invade Macbeth’s mind with prophecies to make him greedy and bring out the evil …show more content…
In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth delivers a soliloquy after finding out Macbeth’s fate. She starts by telling the “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.39-42). This quote suggests Lady Macbeth feels a desire to become a man to complete the job herself. She is aware that Macbeth will be too kind to kill King Duncan and earn the title as the Thane of Cawdor. As a result, Lady Macbeth attempts to change his mind. In Act 1 Scene 7, Lady Macbeth labels Macbeth a coward and makes fun of his manhood by claiming he is too kind to do the job. After Macbeth objects, Lady Macbeth exclaims “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (I.vii.49-51). Using these words, Lady Macbeth brings out the competitive and sexist nature in Macbeth. Macbeth refuses to be underestimated and appear weak in front of others. Furthermore, Macbeth’s initial objection suggests his free will. In these ways, the Lady manipulates Macbeth and attempts to live through him to accomplish her thirst for power. She knows this is the only way to achieve her