Lady MacBeth Essay example

Submitted By marshgirl97
Words: 696
Pages: 3

Based in Scotland in the 11th century, Shakespeare's Macbeth is one of his darkest plays. Macbeth is a warrior. He is King Duncan of Scotland’s right hand man. One day on his way back from battle, 3 witches appear to him and tell him that he will become king. Macbeth goes home to tell his wife, Lady Macbeth. Being the evil woman she is, knowing Macbeth is thriving with ambition, she encourages Macbeth to get Duncan out of his way. They plot to kill the king who was been so faithful and kind to him. They invite him into their house, hold a feast, then Macbeth slips off to Duncan's room and sticks a dagger through his sleeping body, overwhelming himself with guilt. This is one of many evil things Lady Macbeth encourages her husband to do. She proves to be an influential character throughout the play. Her view on manhood, relationship to the 3 weird sisters, and her transformation from the beginning to end, are important aspects of the play. First, Lady Macbeth's view of men is shown vividly. She sees men to be vicious warriors. She believes men should act on every desire they have. This is portrayed in act II when she encourages her husband to get rid of King Duncan so he can have the throne. At one point, she wants power so badly, she exclaims “Come you spirits that tend on moral thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood. Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse” (I.5.47-51).” This quote also indicates that Lady Macbeth believes manhood is mainly based on relentless determination and cruelty, showing an almost primitive attitude towards what is seen to be man. Traditionally, with masculinity, comes power. She is so enthralled with the idea of power, she is fulfilling that desire through a man, her husband, Macbeth. Secondly, Lady Macbeth's relationship to the witches is important. Although the witches and Lady Macbeth never directly communicate, the witches vastly influence her. Lady Macbeth turns evil only once she hears the prophecy of the witches. They come to Macbeth in Act I and tell him that he will be king but he will be overthrown by Banquo's descendents. In the beginning, She plots for him to kill Duncan. When that is not enough, she encourages him to kill Banquo and his son. Without the witches' indirect influence on Lady Macbeth, Duncan and Banquo would probably not have been killed at the hand on Macbeth. Both the witches and Lady Macbeth seem to be working together for evil, without even knowing they are working together. All four characters prove to be deeply malicious. Third, Lady Macbeth makes a clear