Jeremy Dietrich Mr. Rhyno ENG3U 05/17/2024 Behind the Throne: The Impact of Lady Macbeth on Macbeth’s Fate In the play Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the rules between free will and fate are sometimes unclear, making a blur between personal ambition and influence from others. Lady Macbeth has a massive role in shaping the play's events, and pushing Macbeth towards decisions that would lead to disaster. Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth’s manhood, plots out King Duncan’s murder, and even provides support to Macbeth when he doubts himself. Lady Macbeth also helped cover up the assassination of the King. On the other hand, Macbeth has his own ambitions which also lead to his disastrous end. This essay will show how Lady Macbeth’s influence mixes up with Macbeth’s personal …show more content…
In Act I, Scene 7, Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth’s courage, saying that he is less of a man if he were to not follow through with their plans, “When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And, to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man” (I.vii.49-51). This type of manipulation puts Macbeth’s insecurities into action, showing her influence over his decisions. Further making his fears worse, she remarks, “Art thou afeard / To be the same in thine own act and valour / As thou art in desire?” (I.vii.39-41), questioning his manhood and bravery, which pressures Macbeth into proving himself through the act of murdering the King. By directly attaching Macbeth’s identity and or masculinity to make him murder Duncan, shows how Lady Macbeth effectively manipulates him into committing this crime to prove himself. Thus, Lady Macbeth taunting Macbeth’s manhood is an important moment in the play that makes a tragic chain of events, showing her massive influence in Macbeth’s transformation from a noble warrior to a tyrannical