Lady Macbeth Similarities And Differences

All husbands and wives, even fictional ones, have similarities and differences. In the play Macbeth, it is Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. However, they probably have more extreme circumstances than spouses would today. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s similarities and differences are based on things such as ambition, murder, power, and status. In this play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are united by their shared ambition. Both of these characters have the determination to get what they want. They would go to great lengths to ensure their successes. This strong ambition is shown in act one when they both are willing to go as far as to kill someone in order to guarantee that they come out on top. The strong “heroic” ambition is seen in many stories, most often in either the protagonist or antagonist. In addition, another similarity is their hunger for power. After Macbeth hears the witches’ prophecy of him being king and the news of Duncan being appointed the new king, Macbeth immediately comes up with a plan to take the crown and the power. Likewise, when Lady Macbeth hears the same news she, too, wants to take the crown from Duncan. Both of them want the power for themselves, for selfish reasons. Another book where this need for power and control is shown is Animal Farm, by George Orwell.

One example of the difference is in the ethics of the two characters. In the first act Macbeth shows a better moral character than his wife. He does this when he has second thoughts about killing Duncan; he even says,” We will proceed no further in this business.” This shows he knows killing Duncan is morally wrong and is very hesitant to go through with it (even though he succumbs to murder in the end). On the contrary, Lady Macbeth has absolutely no hesitation or second thoughts; she even goes as far as to call on the dark, supernatural help in order to get herself through the plan. She never faltered, got scared, or even unsure about the