She does however realize that she must wait for Macbeth to return home before she can speak with him about her ideas; not as to make an easier means of deceiving him, but as to make her thoughts less ruthless, than they really are, in her own words. I think this shows that Lady Macbeth believes in her relationship with Macbeth so strongly that she is certain she can sway him easily.
On Macbeth’s return Lady Macbeth manages to persuade Macbeth to murder Duncan by calling him a coward if he were not too able to do this deed. He sharply replies that he is no coward and is as good a man as any for the job.
We can begin to see Macbeth’s character weakening as he is pressured into doing such awful deeds. He does still realize however that once he does this great act of murder there is no going back, and he will be only a worse person for it, apart from the obvious fact that he will be in power.
As the play continues the two soon to be criminals decide to murder Duncan when he comes to Macbeth's castle to stay. This is where we also see Lady Macbeth's character and confidence begin to weaken, mainly with fear and worry. While waiting for Macbeth's return Lady Macbeth quotes, “that which hath made them drunk has made me bold”, a sure sign that she must reassure herself that she is doing the right thing. Moments later a mere hoot of an owl becomes a terrifying ordeal to Lady Macbeth's ears and I would imagine, were I directing the play I would have her reel back in panic, immediately placing her hands to her chest to steady her rapidly beating heart.
As Macbeth returns from killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth hears his footsteps and, were I again directing the play I would have her shrink back into the shadows to conceal herself, and her regret. As she sees Macbeth approaching Lady Macbeth feels a sudden wash of relief and hurriedly goes to greet him.
At this point I would direct Macbeth to be horror stricken, overcome with remorse and unnerve, seeking comfort and directions from his wife. As the two exchange words over Macbeth's untidy approach I would again direct Lady Macbeth to be the demanding and over-powering figure, while Macbeth would be nervous and frightened, almost as if he were a meager child. I would then have him glimpse the daggers he is still clutching and immediately become riddled with panic and fear.
As we move on to line 28 we can see how Macbeth is already becoming paranoid and nervous. He is shaken because as he entered Duncan's chamber he heard the bodyguards praying and could not say “Amen” when they finished their prayers. He takes this as a bad sign. Lady Macbeth counsels him not to think “after these ways; so, it will make us mad”. Unheeding, Macbeth goes on to tell her that he also thought he heard a voice that said, “Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep . . . Glamis (Macbeth) hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor (also Macbeth) shall sleep no more”. Lady Macbeth warns him not to think of such “brainsickly things” but to wash the blood from his hands. Seeing the daggers he carries, she chastises him for bringing them in and tells him to plant them on the bodyguards according to the plan. When Macbeth, still horrified by the crime he has just committed, will not do it, Lady Macbeth herself takes the daggers and brings them into the guards' chamber.
While she is gone, Macbeth hears a knocking and imagines that he sees hands plucking at his eyes. He mourns the fact that not even an entire ocean could wash the blood from his hands. Lady Macbeth enters here and, hearing this, states that her hands are just as stained as his, but she is not a coward like him. She claims that “a little water clears us of this deed”, that washing the blood from their hands will wash the guilt from them as well. She too hears knocking, and tells Macbeth to retire with her to their chamber and put on their nightgowns.
As the play continues we can see how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are gradually eaten away by their guilt, and eventually sending Lady Macbeth insane; leading to her suicide at the end of the play. Macbeth however, only grows more paranoid, and sets out to kill anyone who suspects his murder, only making people more suspicious. He also undergoes more changes – probably from lack of sleep – as his heart is hardened and remorse becomes something unheard of in his eyes, and towards the end his reign as king suffers from neglect and the people become hateful and rebellious.
Continuing, Duncan’s two sons start to become suspicious. Macbeth realizes this and attempts to take their lives but they flee to England and Ireland. Macbeth tells everyone that they are obviously villainous, and soon, he finally becomes the supreme ruler of Scotland. King.
Macbeth knows that Banquo is suspicious of him. When Macbeth learns that Banquo and his son are planning on leaving, he sends men out to kill them. They are only half successful in their job, and Banquo’s son escapes. Meanwhile, at Macbeth’s ball, the seat for Banquo is empty (due to his death). In the empty seat, the ghost of Banquo appears, frightening Macbeth and driving him ever more to the brink of insanity.
Macbeth also learns that King Duncan’s son Malcolm and Lord Macduff are attempting to kill him. Unsure of what to do, Macbeth visits the three witches again. The witches, along with the moon goddess Hecate, have planned what they will tell Macbeth in order to destroy him. They prepare a brew, singing, “Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble”.
When Macbeth arrives, they give him a false hope, telling him three things. First, beware of Macduff. Second, “none of woman born shall harm Macbeth”. Third, Macbeth will not be conquered until Birnam wood comes to the hill of Dunsinane. They also tell Macbeth that Banquo’s descendents will become kings.
Macduff has left for England, so Macbeth sends people to kill his wife and children. In England, Macduff befriends the dead king’s son, after they are sure of the other’s loyalty.
Lady Macbeth has begun sleepwalking because her conscience weighs too heavily on herself. She tells about her crimes and the murder of the king, unaware that her doctor and waiting woman are watching her. She later commits suicide.
The invaders from England come to defeat Macbeth. The soldiers carry boughs from Birnam Wood in order to camouflage themselves. So, the witch’s prophesy of defeat when “Birnam forest comes to Dunsinane” starts to become true.
Macbeth also then hears of Lady Macbeth's death but is unmoved and shows no form of mourning. We can obviously see that the relationship between the two has come to a diminishing end and affection had died long before Lady Macbeth did.
Macbeth then faces Macduff, but is not fearful, as he has been told that he will not die from anyone woman born. But then Macduff tells him that he was not woman born; he was “from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d”. When Macbeth realizes that he has been tricked, he gives up and is killed. Macduff decapitates him and King Duncan’s son becomes the new king of Scotland.
I think in conclusion King James and the Shakespearian audience would have been very pleased with the outcome of the play, as the would have appreciated the Divine Right of Kings and understood that justice must prevail. “Sacrilege must, and will, be punished by God”.
