Shakespeare uses Lady Macbeth to present how ambitious actions, could change a character and lead to their fatal flaw. At the beginning he expresses her as manipulative and ruthless towards her husband Macbeth, where she feels more masculine, making the Jacobean audience feel horrified. However, as we go further along in the play, we see these deeds get the better of her as she starts to feel powerless, weak and guilty. Shakespeare uses irony here to show us how women were portrayed as housewives and told to let the men fight in battle, but Lady Macbeth saw herself as too strong and dominant for that job. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth’s manipulative nature takes control of Macbeth, and makes her seem like the man of the house. She fulfils this role when she talks to the supernatural, asking them to “unsex me here”. This command further portrays her dominant side and how she seemed fearless towards anything, even beings the audience knew we couldn’t trust. This could show her cockiness at how she, similarly to Macbeth, believes nothing could stop or harm her. The verb “unsex” gives us a disturbing image which in Jacobean times would be seen as ungodly and going against their religious values, …show more content…
We can sense her panic and fear start to take place as she realises what she has done and that it may not have been worth it just to try and guarantee Macbeth’s place on the throne. The Jacobean audience will also acknowledge the fault in their actions due to them going against the law of order. In 1912, many people believed if you interfered with this, you would be summoned with eternal consequences, making your life turn to misery. This question represents the irony throughout the whole play, as at the beginning she was the one questioning Macbeth making him feel weak and overpowered, but now she is seen as asking for advice and horrified