Macbeth Foil Character

In Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, it is surprising how different the character Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are, despite the fact that they are married. In act I, scene V, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth act as foil characters with differing characteristics that will foreshadow later events in the play. Macbeth displays honesty and kindness, where Lady Macbeth shows greed and lust for power, which foreshadows that later in the play, she will push him to commit crimes to get what she wants. From her soliloquy in act I, scene V, Lady Macbeth shows greed and lust for power. She talks about her husband being too kind to seize what he secretly wants, and what fate has in store for him. She says, “I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way” (1.5.15-17) Lady Macbeth wants power so much that she is not afraid to do whatever she thinks is necessary to

He writes that he “stood rapt in the wonder of it”(1.5.5-6), which means that he was amazed by the idea of being royalty. This first reaction from Macbeth to the prophecy shows how he wants to be king, but he may not have the strength or willpower to seize it for himself. He is ambitious, but not greedy or lustful for power as Lady Macbeth is. He wants power, but he is not willing to commit a deadly act in order to get it. In his letter, he tells her to “lay it to thy heart” which means that he wants her to keep the prophecy a secret. He does not want her to tell other people that he may become king, but rather let fate take its course if it is to be so. Macbeth does not want to boast about the prophecy and the possibility of him becoming king. This foreshadows that he will not do something vicious on his own account, because he is kind. At this point in the play, Macbeth is not a murderous man, but instead a kind and honest one. He will be forced to do something to take the throne for his own by Lady