When she finds out that her husband has plans to become King and has planned for the removal of Duncan which stands in his way to the throne, she cannot believe it, and says ‘thou rt mad to say it’. Although this idea is disturbing, Lady Macbeth, has a strong character, and the ability to plan and support her husband to carry out the required deeds no matter whom she hurts. When she comes to terms with her husband’s ambition she decides to take over the situation and comes up with a brilliant plan, this tells us just how far she is willing to go for her husband.
But when Duncan arrives she urges Macbeth to hide his deadly intentions behind welcoming looks this shows that she realises her husband hasn’t got it in him to look innocent and not to show his inward feelings.
In scene 5 we learn how powerful she really is by the way she makes a plan and tells him to leave it to her. She’s cunning as she uses words meaning two different things. When she says ‘provided for’ she could mean fed or killed, ‘business’ feasting or murder, ‘dispatched’ carrying out the welcome or killing.
I think she does this to test Macbeth and how he will react to the idea of murder or that she herself is unsure about the idea of murder.
When lady Macbeth welcomes Duncan she does it with elaborate courtesy, she speaks of loyalty, obedience and gratefulness of past years, but lady Macbeth’s flattery hides a sinister purpose.
We learn in scene seven just how strong she really is when she calls her husband a coward and points out that she herself would rather kill her own child than break a promise, “….dashed the brains out, had I sworn as you have done to this”.
Before the murder takes place the audience see Lady Macbeth as a strong cunning woman in the first few acts but a “false face must hide what the false heart does know”.
During and after the murder, Lady Macbeth finds herself on her own and her real feelings start to show as she is scared of sounds around her in the night and the thought that Duncan reminded her off her father. Lady Mac Beth with her courage goes back to the murder scene and plans an alibi for her husband, which just shows how much she loves Macbeth to do this for him.
MacDuff calls her ‘gentle’ lady this tells us that although she was strong and ambitious she was also comes across as a gentle weak woman. This just shows she’s a good actress. While the investigation of Duncan’s death takes place we see suddenly a different woman from being strong to fainting at the scene. Maybe it was because she thought her husband had said too much in which case it was a very quick reaction or maybe it was because the sight and talk of death was just too much.
First we learn that their relationship has gone down hill from being, Queen and King .At the banquet where the Queen is usually supposed to welcome the guests and sit at a table with the king and the Lords but she does the opposite she sits far away from the King and doesn’t participate very much “…our hostess keeps her state, but in best time we will require her welcome”. In the first and second act we saw Lady Macbeth as a strong outgoing person but now she cannot be bothered. “ Pronounce it for me sir”. She calls him ‘Sir’ which is very formal for the husband and wife as we seen in the earlier acts.
Lady Macbeth’s words are formal and ceremonious. She reminds Macbeth to welcome his guests “give the cheer” because without welcoming toasts it could merely be a paid for meal “sold”.
She appears to be impatient and anxious for him to carry on and do the speech.
When the ghost appears she is very quick of the mark by trying to calm the situation by making it sound as if he is always like this, and has been since his youth. She tries to calm everyone and make it look just normal. When the ghost comes back the second time, Lady Macbeth orders the guests to leave immediately without any thought off precedence or rank.
At the end we see Lady Macbeth worried about her husband and tells him he must sleep. The end of act 3 scene 4 signifies that she is making it clear that she is in control.
Macbeth at the end say ‘We are yet but young in deed’ he says ‘we’ which shows he is still in it together.
In Acts 1 and 2 it was a team work but now in Act3 she just cant stabilise herself and get over the death, but things start and get to her which she cant control and I think she realises that her husband has been taken over by evil.
To a contemporary audience this probably wouldn’t have been quite a shock to see a king reeling on witches for but the idea of treason probably wouldn’t of effected them that much.
