Throughout the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the character Lady Macbeth has changed rapidly. In the play, Shakespeare argues that Lady Macbeth decided to evolve into the state she’s in at the end of the play. Her power begins to increase as her character grows and grows throughout the play, due to the decisions and sacrifices that she’s made in the play. Many objects can symbolize the character Lady Macbeth, but in my opinion, the raven, a knife, and blood, are the symbols that explain Lady Macbeth’s character better.
Introducing Lady Macbeth’s character
Lady Macbeth’s character is portrayed as an innocent woman and also referred as a
“fiend-like queen”. (Gerwin, 1929) until after she hears of the witches’ prophecies, which is one of the main reasons that influences her to change. From interpretation, you can conclude that
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She even says “Come you spirits that watch over my deadly thought: take away my womanliness and fill me to the brim, / from head to toe, / with the most dreadful cruelty! / Make my blood thick; make my feelings numb and incapable of pity, / so that no natural pangs of remorse should come and shake my deadly purpose, nor stand in the way of the achievement of that purpose. (i.v.41-9). This quote foreshadows the rise of Lady Macbeth’s power, telling the audience that she is changing for the worse, not better. As people studied the character Lady Macbeth, people concluded that Lady
Macbeth’s actions that she made throughout the play is due to the relationship between the characters. It also helps how the development characters come to effect as well.
LADY MACBETH
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First Symbol: The Raven
In the play, Lady Macbeth says: “The raven himself is hoarse” (i.v.43). A raven is a bird that symbolizes, infortune, and death. In the poem Young Raven, Wagoner says “Hard,