By this she is doubting her husband devotion to the possibility of the prediction becoming reality. Without even discussing this with him she already has doubts, she knows he isn’t the strong figure that she can be. Lady Macbeth also had a few ideas of her own for her husband when she says…‘I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chastise with the valour of my tongue.’ (this quote is sounding much like a spell and incantation, something this play hints at all the time, could Macbeths actions all be part of the witches spell, or his own physiological thinking that he HAS to do it , or is it the power hungry lust his wife is pumping into him.)
So within her first scene in the play this confident lady has already began to show her deceiving side. After this she is informed of King Duncan arrival to her house that very night, something inside her head clicks and as if like another spell or mantra she tells the audience of her formulating plan and prays that the spirits give her the strength to carry out her plan-This ‘evil personified’ starts to unleash itself making the audience conclude that she will be the driving force in the murders that follow. Other evidence for this is found mainly in the first murder for example. . .
lady Macbeth reveals her plan to her husband by implying . ‘never shalt that morrow see’ Duncan (King of Scotland) will never see the light of day again! Macbeth nervous and uncertain is told to leave it to her. Later on Macbeths nerves are still holding up proceedings but the plotting lady Macbeth already has Dunce’s death planned and reasoned in her head.
What Macbeth feels about his wife and her attitude is vital to answer the question . I have found that his doubts are quickly turned into planning by his wife’s persuasive taunts. ‘ If it were done when ‘tis done, then ‘twere well it were done quickly.’ Other evidence of his desires and apprehensions is in his ‘visions’ of the daggers. Macbeth wants to be king. Who wouldn’t? But to have to go through such horrific means to do it, he’s not sure… His wife’s lust for power has rubbed off on him ands has made him no longer content with being thane of Glamis and Cawdor , he will do anything to achieve more. Because of his wife, the witches or his own desires.
After the murder of Duncan his sons retreat, a great thing for Macbeth and his wife as they don’t have to dispose of them! After Macbeth becomes king, much to the dislike of some, he starts to change. He has the power, all that he was predicted has come true but the nerves that we saw before Duncans murder returns to haunt him. He’s threatened by the prediction the witches gave Banquo (loyal friend and soldier) ‘You will father kings, though not be king yourself’ to ensure he stays king he must get rid of Banquo and , I think more importantly Fleances he is destined to be king! But Banquo in macbeths eyes has to be disposed of so he cant father any more threats! The murder of Banquo has relatively less of his wife’s influence than the first, and by what she says she wants little to do with it, if anything. ‘You must leave this!.’ Lady Macbeth has all she needs and indeed will get, she doesn’t perceive Banquo as a threat, as long as her lifetime is secure, to hell with the next generation! We see her apparent coldness towards children here and when she was persuading Macbeth to go through with the first murder. She said… ‘I have given suck… dash the brains out, as I so sworn you would have done this.’ Lady Macbeth was prepared to kill her own child to get him to do this, another evil streak? A woman literally posessed?
The final piece of the play the play that I think is significant is the death of lady Macbeth, the events leading to it and macbeths reaction.
The final scenes that involve Lady Macbeth are brief and confusing, her servant is continually watching over her (by order of Macbeth) and has noticed her sleepwalking and mad, troubled ramblings and calls a doctor. They both witness Lady Macbeth washing her hands (though there is no water) in her sleep and calling out to someone repeating conversations that she had with Macbeth and revealing bits of sacred information. ‘She has spoke what she has not, I am sure of that; Heaven knows what she has known.’ Says the Doctor. This scene gives the reader the softer side of Lady Macbeth; the once evil woman has become deranged, scared and nervous, surely this weak woman couldn’t influence Macbeth?
Lady Macbeths death isn’t acted in the play but macbeths reaction is. This is the final piece of evidence to answer the question. When he hears the cry of a woman he is preparing for war and his mind is preoccupied he says when hears the cry he almost had forgotten what fear was , it had been long ago that he had heard such screams, he is not positive, his fears are confirmed, the cry was of lady Macbeth jumping from her tower, to her death. ‘She should have died hereafter ;there would have been a time for such a word. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time: and all our yesterdays have lighted fools to dusty death. Out, out brief candle! Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets upon this stage, and then is heard no more. Its is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’ In this Macbeth is saying that the word death could be used at any other time but now, he means that he doesn’t need this now when he’s about to go to war. He talks of ‘dusty’ death and it being a brief struggle and pace. Life is like a poor actor doing his bit and then disappearing, he does his job poorly and is forgotten, or remembered for his poor acting. Life signifies nothing and is a tale told by an idiot. The suicidal text is showing us his way of dealing with his great loss, he feels his life is now full of sound and fury, worthless without her.
In conclusion the strong influence Lady Macbeth has on Macbeth is great. He dotes on her and wants to make her happy. He also wants to keep her under control he loves her feisty nature but feels sometimes that he cant keep up with her poisoned imagination; his ambitions are the same as hers for him but he can see a clear long path to the goals, lady Macbeth sees a short blood stained path.
Macbeth can choose what he wants to do but his wife is there to give him a push in the wrong, but quicker direction. If lady Macbeth has her way she’s Queen and has achieved her goal a lot quicker than Macbeth could take,. I think lady Macbeth ‘eggs on’ her husband for her own personal gain. Macbeth ultimately chose to do what she wanted and has as much responsibility for his actions as his wife, he of course with the taste of Duncan’s blood still fresh killed his comrade to achieve his goal. At that point he took all blame. Lady Macbeth planted a shoot which she nurtured so far and took a back seat, on its own it prospered but when lady Macbeth totally left it was overcome. To make his reign great he needed his wife. He needed her to help to a point but then went his own evil path.
