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Recommended: Macbeth's downfall
Control is shown as an important factor in Lady Macbeth and Macbeth 's relationship. Although they view each other as equals,"my dearest partner of greatness," it 's Lady Macbeth who is established as the dominant partner in the dynamic, inverting typical 17th century gender and social roles. (Since husbands were supposed to rule their wives in the same way that kings ruled countries, Lady Macbeth 's plan is just another version of treason: taking power that doesn 't belong to you.) Upon reading the letter, she worries that Macbeth is too kind-natured to be able to take the crown and is determined to assist him through the,"valour of my tongue. "
Lady Macbeth's intent is to persuade her husband to kill King Duncan. She is ultimately successful in doing so because she breaks down Macbeth's fear with various rebuttals to his argument and draws out his ambition to be great. In her eyes, it was his idea in the first place and he would not have brought this to her had it not truly been weighing on his heart. She also thinks about the effects of him being king. For instance, Macbeth as King would make her queen.
At first, he is a loyal and courageous Thane for Duncan; however, he becomes deceitful once he decides to kill the king. He becomes blinded by the prophecy and persuasion by his wife, Lady Macbeth. As a result, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth act accordingly to gain and maintain power. Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare proves unchecked ambitions are not worth seeking as they can cause an individual to sacrifice themselves and their morals.
Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is Macbeth´s wife. At the beginning of the play, she has a female traditional role, but when the plot starts to develop, she changes it. Thus, whenever it suits her she adapts a masculine role. She is shown as instigator in Macbeth´s downfall, inciting him to do the wrong things, and in some situations, she is thought to be a representation of evil. Lady Macbeth is very ambitious, and she “wants” to be a man, because men are supposed to be cruel.
Macbeth instantly clings to the witches’ prophecy that he will be promoted to Thane of Cawdor and King. A shift in power is created as Lady Macbeth crafts a plot to murder Duncan, the king of Scotland, so that Macbeth may gain power by ascending the throne. The power in their marriage leans at first towards Lady Macbeth as she tells Macbeth, “But screw your courage to the sticking-place, / And we'll not fail” (I.vii.60-61). Lady Macbeth places pressure on Macbeth and ensures him that the plot will unfold rightly.
At the beginning of William Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ the protagonist Macbeth is described as ‘brave’, ‘noble’ and ‘honourable’, however Lady Macbeth’s and Macbeths desire for power consumes them. Macbeth’s ambition overrides his conscience and transformed his greatest strength into his greatest weakness. Macbeth’s inability to resist temptations that led him to be greedy for power, Macbeth’s easily manipulative nature which allowed his mind to be swayed, Macbeth having no self control and his excessive pride was what allowed him to renew his previously honourable and celebrated title into one of an evil ‘tyrant’. Macbeth is led by the prophecies of the witches after they foretell he will become the Thane of Cawdor. Not only the witches, but also his wife easily manipulate Macbeth as she attacks his manhood in order to provoke him to act on his desires.
Lady Macbeth questions her husband’s maleness throughout the play in hopes of driving his actions. Her decision to exert this pressure on her husband helps set into motion the tragic events. She devises a plan for Macbeth and even plants the knife on the sleeping guards. Ultimately however, Lady Macbeth’s treachery leads to immeasurable guilt. She is seen washing her hands over and over again trying to clean herself of the evil deeds she has committed.
This begins when Lady Macbeth starts to recite the promises made to Macbeth that was for him to be the Thane Of Cawdor. She spreads positivity until she says that she is "Worried" and " Feared". These keywords exemplify that Lady Macbeth is not sure if her husband, Macbeth has what it takes to pursue this prestigious position, giving negativity and control over Macbeth. In Act 1 Scene 5, when Lady Macbeth quotes, “It is too full o’th’ milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way,” through lines 3-5. The use of language proposes that Lady Macbeth knows the meaning and qualities of being a man, but unfortunately, her husband Macbeth, is very kind and compassionate in-order to pursue his opportunity to become King.
As a result of serving as a catalyst that effectively unleashes Macbeth’s true side of evil, Lady Macbeth’s guilty conscience begins to surface. Immediately upon becoming King of Scotland, Macbeth’s wicked and selfish ambitions to achieve absolute dominance over the throne begins his murderous reign of tyranny. As a result of serving a major role in influencing her husband to take the path that he does, Lady Macbeth expresses her guilty feelings by
Noah Cooper English IV Winsley 12/11 or 12/2016 The motif of blood on the hands and the face contributes to the character development of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth started planning the death of Duncan the king of Scotland in Act 1 scenes 1 through 7. At the beginning of Act 2 is where the plan kind of starts coming together and Lady Macbeth is trying to encourage Macbeth to commit the murder of king Duncan while he is asleep. When she finally convinces him to do it the king is retired to his bed for the night the guards are asleep and the plan all kind of just falls into place she knew when the guards were going to go to sleep and when they would wake up which kind of makes her like a witch but not a witch at the sametime but Macbeth goes
Since she is a woman, reach royalty on her own, so she uses her husband, a man who she vowed to love, as a catalyst to get the power she craved. The excessive desire for power can cause one to do things a normal person wouldn’t do. Macbeth was once a man of high prestige. He had just won a battle and been named the Thane of Cawdor.
Lady Macbeth tries to mask her guilt by covering up for her husband, but eventually comes to grips with her own instability. In Macbeth, Shakespeare asserts that power drives the title character and his wife to insanity, particularly after their conspiracy to kill Duncan. For starters, prior to killing Duncan, Macbeth imagines the likely consequences of his future actions and whether or not they signal his destiny. At the beginning
Her ambition is not only for herself but also for Macbeth. Nevertheless, with all her fervor, she wants him to be as strong as her. “Make thick my blood./Stop up the access and passage to remorse,/That no compunctious visitings of nature/ Shake my fell purpose/Come to my woman’s breasts,/And take my milk for gall” (1.5.44-49). Lady Macbeth never wavers in her goal.
Lady Macbeth is power hungry for the throne and she will do anything to achieve her goal. Her pleasure of having the thought of killing Duncan is revealed. These murderous thoughts that run through her mind shows how desperate she is to acquire power. Although it is the beginning of the play, her dark ambitions sets a dark tone for her character in the play. This coincidentally adds to the assurance of Macbeth’s prophecy which is that Macbeth will become king, but King Duncan is still alive.
She is a loyal though misguided wife, not without tenderness and not without conscience. Lady Macbeth’s willingness to sacrifice her femininity exposes her loyalty towards Macbeth. After reading the letter regarding the witch’s prophecies, she decides she must do whatever it take to make Macbeth King: 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.