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Lady Macbeth Guilt Analysis

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HOW DOES LADY MACBETH CHANGE THROUGHOUT THE PLAY When we are first introduced to Lady Macbeth, she is being informed of the predictions made by the witches, promising great authority for her husband through a letter. Her response to the letter from Macbeth clearly depicts her lust for power. When she said “Cawdor...shalt be what thou art promised” she almost asserts the witches predictions. And that communicates her determination to go to extreme lengths to get what she wants. In Act 1 Scene 5 we come across Lady Macbeth’s most famous soliloquy which exposes the depth to which evil runs through her veins. The words “under my battlements” mean in her domain. Duncan has graced them with his presence and Lady Macbeth sees this as the only chance to get the deed done. The word “battlement” is symbolic for her home and gives an effect of her home being a warfront. Summoning spirits …show more content…

Lady Macbeth’s signs of guilt first surface in Act 3 Scene 2, where her sanity begins to deteriorate. Thinking out loud she says, “Nought’s had, all’s spent, where our desire is got without content.” All the trouble they went through to get what they wanted was a waste because it cost them their peace of mind. Fear and anxiety are taking over Lady Macbeth to the point of bringing out the humility from deep within her as she refers to her husband as “my lord.” Earlier she spoke at Macbeth and challenged his manliness. Thriving in confidence and power she saw him as nothing but a tool to get what she wants, but now that she’s seen a little blood and had a few nightmares, it has literally brought out the respect in her. She also asks him, “What’s to be done” which forces the audience to wonder where “mastermind Lady Macbeth” has gone! Guilt and regret have robbed her of her authoritativeness so much that now she yields that responsibility to

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