The Changing Queen The most dynamic character in Macbeth by Shakespeare is clearly Lady Macbeth. In the antecedent of the play, Lady Macbeth is compelling to the people around her. She uses her conniving words to get what she want. Lady Macbeth goes from being a heartless creature to a delicate and fragile woman. Her ambition drives her to commit crimes and become mentally unstable in the end. Lady Macbeth is one of the most powerful female characters in literature. She lust after power and position and pressures Macbeth into killing Duncan. Unlike her husband, she lacks a conscience, which she reveals in her opening scene, as she call upon the “Spirits that tend on mortal thoughts” ( 1.5.40 ) to deprive her of her human mercy. Her burning ambition to be queen drove …show more content…
When hearing that Macbeth has killed the guards, Lady Macbeth faints. As she faints she says “Help me hence, ho!” (2.3.130 ). It is up for debate whether she fakes it or she really passes out, but either way this is the demise of her strong view. She fears that Macbeth killing the guards will arouse suspicion towards them. As the play goes on, Lady Macbeth’s mental state worsens up until her infamous sleepwalking scene. Troubled by all the murders that Macbeth has committed, Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking. In her sleep, she tells all of the murders that she is aware of: the murder of Duncan, the Banquet scene, and the Macduff massacre. She says “What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to accompt? Yet who would thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (5.1.33-35). at this point Lady Macbeth has lost it. She is remorseful of the evil deeds that she have committed and fears that someone will find out. This scene shows her character breakdown because she goes from being strong to a weak female. The witches spell that was on her is now gone, and she is vulnerable