Lady Macbeth's Downfall Essay

Moreover, behind every great man, there is an even greater woman. For Macbeth, it was his wife, Lady Macbeth. His wife is introduced as a stronger, more remorseless than her husband and is eager for power, whereas Macbeth is initially humble and believes killing the king would create chaos in the Chain of Being. As soon as Lady Macbeth appears she sets her eyes and mind to killing King Duncan. She Leads Macbeth to a bloody and dreadful course of action to the throne. During Shakespearian times men were superior to women, which did not allow women to take authority. Lady Macbeth unable to take charge prompts her to manipulate Macbeth. She asks Macbeth “When you durst do it, then you were a man; And to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man,” ( 1.7 54-55) she makes him

Lady Macbeth directs Macbeth to his downfall as she ridicules his masculinity. She embarrasses him and manipulates him into submission. This triggers Macbeth into doing the sin himself and affects a great part of him and slowly leads himself into accepting power through evilness. This influences him to perform evil actions. Quickly, Lady Macbeth withdraws from the sin she is “afraid [we] have awaked, And ’tis not done. Th' attempt and not the deed Confounds us” (2.2. 13-15) She backs out and questions her scheme, due to her emotional state of mind. Lady Macbeth slowly beings to sleepwalk through the castle. Her hallucinations takeover, her eyes see blood dripping from her hands which she struggles to wash it off she speaks “Out, damned spot! Out, I say!—One, two. Why, then, ’tis time to do ’t” and then is caught saying “Here’s smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh, oh, oh!’ (5.1 46-47). Lady Macbeth is forming a mental illness and no one can help. Macbeth invites a doctor to see her and to cure her but the doctor tells him “Therein the patient Must minister to himself.” (5.3. 53-54) he cannot clear her mental