How does Shakespeare make Lady Macbeth into such a Dramatic CharacterHow does Shakespeare make Lady Macbeth into such a Dramatic Character

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How Does Shakespeare make Lady Macbeth into such a Dramatic Character?

Creating a character like Lady Macbeth who is ahead of her time, domineering and so far away from the 16th and17th century stereotypical women, is a fantastic achievement for Shakespeare. Lady Macbeth’s character is not too dissimilar to that of a witch as many aspects of the things she does and the language and imagery she uses have led me to believe that she may well be one. This could well have been the response if a Jacobean audience, There are also frequent times when she appears to call on spirits.

At the time when Macbeth was written the public were becoming increasingly pre-occupied with witchcraft. A law was even put in place to ban it. It was also estimated that at least a staggering 8,000 witches were burned at the stake just in Scotland between 1564 and 1603 (which would have supported the Jacobean view at the time). As witches were used in the play it would have made it all the more intriguing to the audience and to James I. Another point of attraction is the fact that Lady Macbeth appears to have some witchlike features, or that she could be working in sync with them. This only adds another fascinating dimension to her character and so would have broadened her appeal as a dramatic character at the time.

When Macbeth was written, women were believed to be inferior to men. Lady Macbeth contrasts to this belief in numerous ways. She, for example, has more control over Macbeth than he has of her. She also seems able to manage and manipulate effectively and uses these skills in act 1 scene 7 she does a great job of persuading Macbeth to go through with the murder of Duncan and in act 3 scene 4 when she attempted to stop Macbeth from giving away that he murdered Duncan.

I also believe that the impact of the witches, especially at the very beginning of the play provides an excellent building block for her to manipulate, control and domineer him. One of the most important factors in being able to control Macbeth are the witches. Without the information and ambition that the witches feed him, Lady Macbeth’s persuasive powers wouldn’t be anywhere near as effective. In addition Lady Macbeth seems to be undecided whether she is good, evil, somewhere in between or indeed what ulterior motive she has. Maybe she acknowledges she is human after being taken over by spirits, but ultimately she cannot defeat her humanity.

Lady Macbeth’s portrayals in the Polanski and ‘Estate’ film version contrast greatly. In the Polanski portrayal, Lady Macbeth is seen to reflect the way Shakespeare intended her to manifest. She also is seen to be devious and conniving just as Shakespeare intended. However in the ‘Estate’ version, Lady Macbeth gains sympathy from the audience and we are certainly more sympathetic towards her, because as the film indicates she lost her child earlier in life. This is also why many characters in the film look upon her differently in comparison the Polanski version.

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The evidence we have of Lady Macbeth being portrayed in two different ways shows what an impressive, dramatic and intriguing character Shakespeare has created, and I’m sure that numerous other interpretations can be made, and will be made in the future.  

The very first time we are introduced to Lady Macbeth is when she has received a letter from Macbeth informing her about what the witches had told him. What is interesting is that she never dwells on the letter for a moment. She just gets straight into devising a way of how to get Macbeth to be ...

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