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Macbeth Power Essay

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Minho Lee Professor Sclafani TA 25H 26 June 2024. The Shift of Power Between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth In Act 1, Scene 7 of Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth,” Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the main protagonist and antagonist, have a shifting power dynamic throughout their interactions. This scene is significant because it showcases Lady Macbeth’s manipulation and Macbeth’s initial reluctance, highlighting how persuasion changes their places in the dynamic. By using scansion and the use of the pronouns “you” and “thee”, Shakespeare depicts the unsteady balance of power between the two characters. At the beginning of the scene, Macbeth’s hesitation with King Duncan’s murder is shown: “If it were done when ‘tis done....It was done quickly”(Macbeth, 1.7).
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