Lady Macbeth Betrayal Analysis

685 Words3 Pages

In Shakespeare’s, Macbeth, the true intentions of Macbeth and other characters are often hidden. Macbeth portrays a loyal friend to King Duncan but in reality, his plan is to kill him. Another’s' intentions are often unknown regardless of how much one is lead to believe an act is genuine. Things are not always as they seem. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth wear a mask in the presence of King Duncan, pretending to support him but with ulterior motives to destroy him. Shakespeare allows Macbeth to pretend he is an ally of the king, all while scheming to kill him, yet little does Macbeth know, he is always being fooled and betrayed. Shakespeare develops the theme that betrayal can come from the most unexpected places by demonstrating dramatic irony through …show more content…

Lady Macbeth is seen as a noble host and a kind woman, however, this is not so. Her motivation is not one of goodness, but instead, destruction. Lady Macbeth is informed of the plan for King Duncan's executions and immediately begins plotting. Lady Macbeth's eye glisten with betrayal and ambition. She has only one thing in mind at this point: Do whatever it takes to make Macbeth king. She tells Macbeth, "O, never shall sun that morrow see!" (1.6.71-72). Lady Macbeth is releasing her rage by stating that Duncan will be killed and never shall he see the sun again which is ironic because she has never had a problem with Duncan before. Lady Macbeth is so determined to kill him that she is willing to stop at nothing to see his death. King Duncan is invited to Macbeth’s castle and is treated as a very special guest. However, Duncan does not anticipate what is to come for him. He enjoys his time at Macbeth's by stating that "this castle hath a pleasant seat"(1.6. ). Duncan describes it as welcoming and pleasing, yet his coming execution obviously makes it not so pleasant. Duncan seems to be clueless that his death is coming to him in a place so enjoyable to