From murder to greed Shakespeare’s Macbeth portrays a story of how one’s flaws can transform into a person’s way of thinking and acting. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth changes from a cold-hearted, greedy, shell of a human body into a guilt ridden woman. Her selfish desires met with ambition and a want for power pushed her into driving Macbeth to kill Duncan. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth become very guilty because of the crime they have committed. Although Macbeth actively kills the King, Lady Macbeth was more guilty of Duncan’s murder than Macbeth.
Lady Macbeth manipulated Macbeth into killing Duncan; she is just as involved in the murder as Macbeth, resulting in her being guiltier than Macbeth. Lady Macbeth exclaims, “Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem, letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,’ like the poor car i’ adage?” (Shakespeare 163). In this instance Lady Macbeth is talking to Macbeth, exclaiming that he will be a coward if he does not go through with murdering Duncan. In doing this she’s making him feel as if he has no other choice but to
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The guilt ended up taking her over. Lady Macbeth says, “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (Shakespeare 206). Lady Macbeth is talking about the amount of blood there was when Duncan was killed. She is saying this in front of other people as a result of feeling guilty. Lady Macbeth also states, “Here’s the smell of blood still” (Shakespeare 207). She is talking about the murder in front of the Doctor and the Gentlewoman. She is unable to hold in her tainted thoughts about the murder at this point. Lady Macbeth becomes so guilty that she ends her life; she is guiltier than Macbeth. Seyton says, “It is the cry of women, my good lord” (Shakespeare 211). She is ending her own life because she can’t handle the guilt any