Lady Macbeth example essay topic

... ion, also associated with Scotland's disorder. 'Sighs and groans and shrieks That rend the air, are made, not mark'd. ' Lady Macbeth can be seen as partly responsible for the deeds her husband committed. She had the main involvement in the murder of Duncan.

In Act I, Scene V Lady Macbeth seems to be a woman unlike that of a typical Elizabethan stereotype. The audiences perception of this would have been that Lady Macbeth was purely evil. After reading the letter in her soliloquy, it is clear to the audience that she intends to help Macbeth achieve his ambition. 'The illness should attend it.

' Lady Macbeth is claiming that without the inherent evil Macbeth will not be King. The audience would have been shocked at the way Lady Macbeth was acting as it was unnatural for a woman of that time. She prays to the powers of darkness to make her become less feminine when she says 'unsex me here's o that she can have no natural feelings of pity and carry out the procedure selfishly. 'Stop up th' access and passage to remorse, That no compunctious visiting's of Nature. ' At the banquet, Lady Macbeth presents herself as a hostess.

She acts like a woman with a warm heart and charm. This makes the murder a much more horrible crime; and more of a shock to the audience. She has no difficulty in hiding her real thoughts. This is another reinforcement of the theme 'Fair is foul, Foul is Fair.

' Shakespeare's graphic and vulgar use of language for lady Macbeth would have made the audience appalled and sickened. 'I would, while it was a smiling face, Have pluck'd my nipple out, from his boneless gums And dash'd the brains out, had I sworn As you have done to this. ' This clearly indicates Lady Macbeth's motive for the crime. She would rather kill her own child than break a promise to Macbeth. She would wish for Macbeth to get to the throne so that he might achieve his highest ambition.

Her greed for the throne and power has made her become so deeply involved in this murder that some of the blame is reduced on Macbeth's part. Macbeth, who is reluctant about his wife's plans is questioned by her on a number of occasions about his masculinity. She puts him under pressure to commit the murder. However, like Macbeth she shows moments of humanity. She would have carried out the murder herself had Duncan not looked like her father. 'Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had don't.

' This shows the audience that she is not as evil as was once thought. She may still poses a conscience. It makes her more feminine so her downfall is even more pitiful. The audiences perception of this would have been that she was going to become isolated and that Macbeth was inevitably going to become independent.

After the death of Duncan, Macbeth became more independent. In his planning of the death of Banquo and Flea nce he did not tell his wife anything about it. There could have been a number of reasons for this. He probably felt that she would take control like she did when she found out about the witches' prophecy. He could have been trying to gain control, to prove he could do things himself. He could have also wanted to prove her innocence and so that she would not have to take the strain.

It is important to note that Macbeth is doing this without the consultation of his wife and that none of Macbeth's actions to plunge deeper into evil have much to do with Lady Macbeth. She is devoid of responsibility. We see the isolation of Lady Macbeth towards Macbeth when her only concern for his welfare is; 'You lack the season of all natures, sleep' We do not here about her again until Act V, Scene IV, where we witness Macbeth disclaiming ownership of his wife; 'How does your patient, doctor?' Her death is sudden, as represented by the stage directions (shrieks of woman), and self- inflicted. 'Tis thought, by self and violent hands Took her life. ' Macbeth is too weary to feel more than just a dull sense of loss and regret.

He does not miss her influences though. She lost her influence along time ago when Macbeth became independent. Shakespeare makes the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth very much as a linked pair. When Macbeth is weak, Lady Macbeth is strong; when Macbeth is determined, Lady Macbeth is tormented.

In conclusion, Macbeth is, for the most part, responsible for the evil deeds. In Shakespearean times it may have been said that he was the victim of the powers of darkness such as when Lady Macbeth conjured up the powers of evil and prayed to the powers of darkness. Similarly, the witches who the Elizabethans would have believed to be a very real thing. In modern times though it is greed which most people are overcome by, and this is where this conclusion stems from. Lady Macbeth can strip Macbeth of some of the blame. She was tempted by the title and with her dominating ability that showed a hardness and cruelty, was able to persuade Macbeth to commit the murder.

Duncan was too trusting, he did not believe that his friends would betray him. This aroused suspicion from Banquo. Macbeth felt he had to do something about it to get his peace and security back. He had to remove all threats. There was heavy irony when Macbeth said; 'But Banquo's safe.

' Where Macbeth saw being dead as a safe alternative. This is because he would have no worries about having to be suspicious of others, to remain safe. Macbeth always had free will from his first encounter with the witches. He independently decides to believe the supernatural powers of the witches will help him; and it is him and Lady Macbeth that make the witches prophecy come true. There is no evidence to suggest that the witches made the future even though Macbeth could have waited for natural order to proceed; but he couldn't wait. The witches and evil can play a small part in the final conclusion.

Their prophecies encouraged Macbeth's ambition to be king. The witches told him he had nothing to fear because he could not be killed by a man born from a woman. 'The power of man: for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth. ' With the minority of people today believing in the powers of the supernatural, it would be quite ludicrous to say that it was the witches that controlled the plot. Shakespeare writes his plays for the audience to not know what is going to be the final outcome before finishing the performance. If we knew this then consequently the action would become dull and predictable.

The witches only played a small part in the evil deeds. It was Macbeth that chose his own fate by believing in the witches and giving into temptation both from the witches and the guidance from his wife.