Discuss the Presentation of Lady Macbeth and assess her importance to the play as a whole.
Discuss the Presentation of Lady Macbeth and assess her importance to
the play as a whole.
If one was to look at Lady Macbeth's character from a moralistic point
of view, one could conclude the character of Lady Macbeth is written
by Shakespeare to represent the transient nature of success derived
from evil deeds. Which by definition is self destructive and futile.
Initially, Lady Macbeth is depicted to be a callous and ruthless woman
driven by the desire to further herself. Even a thought of murder does
not discourage her from achieving what ever she wants. Yet the same
character degenerates into self- doubting, guilt ridden, and suicidal
non-entity. Who does not merit the dignity of dying on stage, and is
simply consigned to oblivion off the stage in ambiguous circumstances.
In the first part of the play Shakespeare, portrays Lady Macbeth as a
ruthless, overpowering woman who dominates her husband and his
actions. She is shown to have the ambitions of a man, but the
character of a woman. She can manipulate Macbeth easily, and she feels
he needs her help. This is shown in line "That I may pour spirits in
thine ear." Through her opening soliloquy Shakespeare lets us know
what is inside Macbeth's mind, when Lady Macbeth says, "It is too full
o' the milk of human-kindness." We see how influential she is when her
husband tries to think things through, and announces to abandon the
idea of killing the king: He says, "We will proceed no further in this
business." At that point Lady Macbeth manipulates him through
threatening him with his manhood by saying, "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." She also accuses him of going back on his sworn
word to her, and with very violent language declares that she would
dash out ...
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husband tries to think things through, and announces to abandon the
idea of killing the king: He says, "We will proceed no further in this
business." At that point Lady Macbeth manipulates him through
threatening him with his manhood by saying, "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." She also accuses him of going back on his sworn
word to her, and with very violent language declares that she would
dash out the brains of her own baby, had she promised to as Macbeth
had promised to kill Duncan. She also assures him that failure is
impossible, at which point Macbeth is convinced once again to murder
the king. Lady Macbeth also takes up the clothing image when she asks
whether the hope in which he had Dresse'd himself had been drunk.
Lady Macbeth is a strong believer in the dark side of the spiritual
world. She beckons the spirits to "Unsex me here and fill me from the
crown to the toe top-full," unabashedly, she asks for them to "Stop up
the access and passage to remorsal." Lady Macbeth's relationship with
the supernatural evolves from confidently seeking and obtaining the
evilness, to being victimized by its power. In the dawn of the play
she asks for the assistance of the evil, implying that she holds no
evil in her soul. It must act as a catalyst to fulfil a
transformation. This shows that lady Macbeth is creating wickedness
that she must manifest in order to influence Macbeth. The irony of it
is that she embraces the darkness, believing that she will escape its
negativity. However the reversal is revealed at the end of the play,
when she eventually goes delirious, carrying a lit candle wherever she
is. She regarded supernatural forces with such respect and confidence,
however at the end she is overpowered and engulfed by the vary powers.
Which she assumed would only work in her favour.
The influence of Lady Macbeth is the main contributing factor to the
degenerating of Macbeth's character. Lady Macbeth plays important role
because she concocts a scheme which causes Macbeth to assassinate king
Duncan and then after that there is no stopping him. Therefore it was
Lady Macbeth who introduced the concept of murder to Macbeth. We are
told that he is ambitious, but if it weren't for his wife's powerful
nature his ambitions would not manifest itself enough to drive him to
murder in order to obtain the title of king of Scotland.
Images of blood occur at various intervals in the play. In the case of
Lady Macbeth blood represents guilt, as when Lady Macbeth is
distressed by the imaginary spot of blood on her hand that she cannot
remove. Shakespeare also uses light and dark as metaphors for good and
evil, in the form of day and night. This is shown when Lady Macbeth
calls on night to hide Duncan's murder, "In the dunnest smoke of hell,
so that heaven does not peep through the blanket of the dark." Here
the night sky is seen as a blanket, with the stars as the light of
heaven shining through its holes. Also Lady Macbeth becomes afraid of
the dark and always keeps a candle besides her proves she is afraid of
the darkness, which is representing evil.
As the play progresses, Lady Macbeth's character gradually
disintegrates and in the end the awful truth forces itself out through
her conscience and even her will to live fails her. She becomes a
broken woman, almost a girl again. This is evident when she says, "
All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand." And
later the little rhyme, " The thane of fife had a wife," is child
like, as if she retreated into second childhood.
After the second half of the play Lady Macbeth's truly vulnerable,
weak, sheltered, unstable and insecure nature is revealed. The
audience begins to see hints of this hidden nature by the manner in
which Macbeth addresses her. Contrary to her portrayed ruthless
nature, her husband regards her as a pure being. This is shown when he
says, "Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck."
In conclusion I would say that Lady Macbeth personifies the latent
evil in Macbeth in the early stages of the play. Lady Macbeth's
deterioration is not only a result of unwise decisions and actions,
but also many factors played a role in this tragedy, such as her
regards for supernatural forces. Wherein she seeks salvation.
Shakespeare shows that as Macbeth succeeds, the reverse metamorphoses
takes place and Lady Macbeth becomes self-doubting and guilt-ridden
woman showing all the traits of having a conscience.
The idea of ongoing tussle between good and evil is quite old in
English literature. In Macbeth it was lady Macbeth, who personifies
evil in the early stages of the play. (I think she represented dark
side of Macbeth until Macbeth himself could be shown to have an evil
nature). As Macbeth's evil nature ascends along with the progression
of the play, her wickedness begins to wane and she is almost side
lined at the tail end. The author used her character very subtly to
keep the conflict, between good and evil, alive through out the play.
That is why Shakespeare is considered one of the best writers in
English literature.
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