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Lady Macbeth's Conscience

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Lady Macbeth plays a significant role in the play, even from the time when we first meet her, she is already plotting against the king. She does not intend to commit murder herself but is more than happy to instigate it. “That I may pour my spirits in thine ear, And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crowned withal.”. This describes her intentions for Macbeth to become king of the Scots. “That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,” shows how she wants to embed her ideas of killing king Duncan into his mind, because she is his wife this is quite easy for her to accomplish this act of evil. Most Women in the seventeenth century could be expected …show more content…

Her conscience now has such a weight on her that she is being disturbed by the murder in her sleep. It has gotten to the point where some of the people who care most about her have started to notice and she has been taken to a doctor to cure her of her ailment (in this case guilt). Reflecting on when she made a big deal about trying to further herself from women like tendencies, we can see how it has come to bite her in the back as none of these pleas to gain independence from the stereotypes to which she is bound end in fruition. We can also take into account the fact that the audience this play was intended at were still deeply superstitious and believed that the king was divinely chosen and that tampering with this could upset nature. Sleepwalking is a natural phenomenon and due to the exact nature of what happened, we can link the sleepwalking to the fact that the balance of nature has been upset by the murder and that nature wants put things right. This is even mentioned by the Doctor: “unnatural deeds Do breed unnatural trouble:”, Act 5, scene 1, lines 63-64. This strengthens the link between supernatural and ailment to the audience. Lady Macbeth’s death in the play is rather understated, in the events leading up to Lady Macbeth’s eventual death, Macbeth pays little to no attention to his wife’s health, and even when she dies he dismisses it hastily. “She should have died hereafter; […] And all our yesterdays have lighted

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She encouraged Macbeth to kill Duncan, despite him telling Lady Macbeth that he didn’t want to. All Lady Macbeth wanted for her husband was for him to become king, no matter the consequences. She said, “these deeds must not be thought after these ways; so, it will make us mad” (2:2 44-45). Lady Macbeth couldn’t handle killing Duncan thus, manipulating Macbeth to do it. She knew they both couldn’t handle the guilt and shame that came with killing Duncan, even though she thought it was right.

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When Lady Macbeth found out about the predictions the witches had for Macbeth, she started to pressure him, even guilt tripped him about their deceased son, and made him doubt the morals he valued. As act I of Macbeth, carried on, the image and principles Macbeth had for himself began to rot away. While Macbeth desired take King Duncan’s throne, he wanted to do it the in righteous matter. Whenever Macbeth had doubts about killing King Duncan, Lady Macbeth was always there to urge him otherwise, because she cared more about power than him "Great Glamis, worthy Cawdor." (1.5 52).

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Lady Macbeth has provoked Macbeth into killing the king by questioning his manhood and laughing at him. Lady Macbeth had received a letter from Macbeth stating that he was now the Thane of Cawdor as well of Glamis. After reading the letter from Macbeth, Lady Macbeth's thoughts immediately turned to murder. Her servant stated that she said she would “pour her spirits in thine ears”. What she is meaning is that she would persuade him to assassinate the King Duncan.

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She gives up confidential information about what she and Macbeth have done. Lady Macbeth having all of these secrets and stress causes her to get some things off her chest while she is asleep “Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him.” (5.1.53-54). “Sleepwalking and sleeptalking are considered supernatural events in Shakespeare’s time” making this seem very scary, especially with what she says. The doctor is freaked out; the only thing he can prescribe to her is God.

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A guilty conscience can be toxic. In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare is about guilt and reveals that having a guilty conscience can have a strong influence on people and can drive people to insanity. Macbeth is a victim of guilt and anyone can see that it slowly eats him up. Macbeth instantly feels guilt after he kills Duncan, “This is a sorry sight (2.2.19).” The gravity of what Macbeth has just done begins to be understood as he looks at his bloody hands.

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When Macbeth hears about his wife's sleepwalking he tried to get her help but soon realized it was caused by her own guilt and couldn't be cured. In the end of the play, Lady Macbeth takes her life leaving her husband struggling on his

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Being guilty in driving Macbeth to his first murder, which leads to even more assassinations of other innocent people, she becomes psychologically damaged. While Lady Macbeth sleepwalks, she accidentally reveals her feelings about her family’s actions. Macbeth, being fearful of her sleepwalking, called on a doctor, who had said to the gentlewoman, “Unnatural deeds/ Do breed unnatural troubles. Infected minds/ To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets” (V.i.75-77).

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The character of Lady Macbeth played a significant role in Macbeth’s downfall, because by taunting her husband into killing King Duncan, she had led him to a major murder path. Before the murder of Duncan, Macbeth has momentous misgivings. He states, act 1, scene 7 “He’s here in double trust:/ First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,” (12-13). This quote shows that Macbeth didn’t want to kill Duncan because he’s done him good.

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Macbeth evidently undergoes a mental process by which he come round to the idea or murdering Duncan. He does this as a result of his wife’s manipulation, her leverage being his manliness. Without the role of Lady Macbeth, the murder of King Duncan would never have occurred in the play. Lady Macbeth had already been plotting for the murder since she received the letter concerning the three prophecies by the witches. Although Macbeth had sinister thoughts about having the throne, Macbeth would have never dared to take it upon himself to kill King Duncan and steal the throne from

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Lady Macbeth plans to invite king Duncan over for dinner, but really she is convincing Macbeth to murder him. She influences him to kill Duncan because he is the only one standing in the way of Macbeth becoming king. Lady Macbeth plans the killing but convinces Macbeth to do the dirty deed. Lastly, Lady Macbeth is one of the causes of Macbeth’s failure because she repeatedly questions Macbeth’s manhood until she persuades him to make a bad choice. “When you durst do it then you were a man” (1.7.53-58).

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After reading the letter from Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is bloodthirsty and obsessed with planning the murder of Duncan. She immediately starts plotting, with no second thoughts about the severity of what she is doing. This desire for bloodshed is fueled by how “she craves power,” and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that power (Thompson 8). It is

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Conscience has been in each person since the day they were born. The brain does not let the body do things when the conscience is effected by an action. There have been studies done to prove this fact. The play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare proves these facts to the reader through the protagonist, Macbeth. Macbeth learns important truths about life throughout the play.

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