Lady Macbeth's Character in Macbeth.

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Macbeth

Lady Macbeth's Character in Macbeth

Lady Macbeth is a controversial figure. She is seen by some as a woman of strong will who is ambitious for herself and who is astute enough to recognise her husband's strengths and weaknesses, and ruthless enough to exploit them. They see her in her commitment to evil and in her realisation that the acquisition of the Crown has not brought her the hapipiness she had expected, and finally, as one who breaks down nuder the strain. Others see her as a woman ambitious for her husband whom she loves. She recognises the essential good in him, and feels that, without her, he will never win the Crown. She allies herself with the powers of darkness for his sake, but here inherent(congenital) femininity beraks down under the strain of the unnatural murder of Duncan and the alienation of her husband. She can see what must be done; he visualises the consequence.

"fiend-like queen" To Macbeth, in his letter to her, she is his "dearest partner of greatness", an indication of love and trust.

Overcome By Ambition - she calls on the powers of evil to unsex her and make her cruel and to fill her full of "direst cruelty"

 "Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had done't" does this imply that she is still a woman with a woman's tendernesss? Is she alloy by exploiting his love for her when she makes his consent to murder a test of his love? Is she being cynical when she inverts logic and reality in asking him if he is afraid to be what he wants to be and in suggesting that to be a true man he must take what he wants She is aware, too, that dwelling on the moral aspect of the murder "will make us mad".

The Better Criminal? - She seems to be the better criminal; she remembers the details that Macbeth has overlooked, "Why did you bring these daggers from the place?" and shows her as she brings the daggers back. Does she really despise Macbeth when she argues him of wearing "a heart so white"? Or is she afraid for him that he may betray himself?  

 Unhappiness - Lady Macbeth realises that the Crown has not brought happiness, "Nought's had, all's spent, Where our desire is got without content." She worried that Macbeth is unhappy? She tries to console him, "what's done is done

Macbeth's Character in Macbeth

Macbeth as a Tragic Hero must have some potential nobility, some good qualities that make his downfall terrifying. Lady Macbeth says he is "too full of the milk of human kindness Malcolm considers him as a "dead butcher" he is a victim of his. From the opening scene Macbeth is chosen as a target for temptation; the witches, as agents of evil plan their trap; so the stage is set for his downfall.

* Brave - We learn of his physical prowess and bravery on the battlefield - "brave Macbeth", "valour's minion", "valiant cousin! worthy gentleman.

* Prone to Tempation - Yet in the following scene we observe his interest in the Witches' predictions. He is tempted - "Your children shall be Kings" but temptation is not guilt. When Ross tells him he has been made Thane of Cawdor, Macbeth asks, "why do you dress me in borrowed robes?" Does this suggest that, at this stage, he wants no honours that are not rightfully his?

  • Conscience? - We can see the moral struggle within him when Duncan nominates Malcolm as his successor. He calls on the stars to hide their fires so that his evil thoughts will not be seen.
  • Compassionate - Lady Macbeth says in soliloquy that he is "too full of the milk of human kindness". Does this suggest that he is compassionate

* As a Husband - His letter to LM shows a deep affection - an anxiety to share his good news - "my dearest partner of greatness" ?

  • Public Opionion - Is he concerned only with what the world thinks of him when he tells Lady Macbeth the they will "proceed no further in this business" because he is well thought of by others and does not wish to lose their good opinion. Are his words, "I am afraid to think what I have done" a sign of remorse? Is this borne out by , "Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!" ? He uses L. Macbeth's arguments to persuade the murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance i.e. he challenges their manliness.
  • Alone

* Coward? - Does Macbeth show himself to be a poor 'criminal' in the Ghost Scene, in so far as he cannot conceal his guilt? Does his fear of the Ghost show him to be a coward or a conscience stricken human being? Is his notion of manliness associated with physical bravery only? When he says, "It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood." is he really showing fear that he will be found out?

  • Despair? - Malcolm describes Macbeth as 'treacherous' and Macduff refers to him as a tyrant. Malcolm further calls him "...bloody, Luxurious (i.e. lustful), avaricious, false, deceitful, Sudden, malicious, smacking of every sin That has a name."

* Defiance of His Enemies?- Is his refusal to fight after he had learned that Macduff is not "one of woman born" a sign of cowardice? Why then does he fight him? Is it because Macduff calls him "coward" and his concept of manliness cannot stand this? Or is it because he cannot bear to be humiliated in public and so forfeit his pride? Is there despair in his final words, "Yet I will try the last" ? Or is he heroically accepting Fate, knowing that he must die? Dead butcher or Tragic Hero?

What are the influences of the Witches' prophecies on Macbeth's actions?

The three witches in the tragedy Macbeth are introduced right at the beginning of the play. They recount to Macbeth three prophecies. That Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis and King. These prophecies introduce Macbeth to ideas of greatness. Macbeth will eventually follow through on killing king Duncan, a destruction of the natural order; it was sometimes thought that the witches had the ability to reverse the natural order of things. This brings into the play idea of fate and the role with which it has in the play.

It is more realistic to believe that Macbeth was responsible for his own actions throughout the play as in the end it was he who made the final decisions.

Banquo says in line 24, "The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray 's / In deepest consequence." He thinks and says bad things of the witches. He calls them instruments of darkness and the devil. He might believe that these prophecies will only bring harm even before anything begins to happen. So Macbeth is warned by his best friend before he makes any decisions that the witches are evil, and what they suggest is evil.

The witches could foretell the future, they can add temptation, and influence Macbeth, because they had told Macbeth that he would be King he became impatient and tried to hurry it as quickly as he could. but they can not control his destiny. Macbeth creates his own misery when he is driven by his own sense of guilt. This causes him to become insecure as to the reasons for his actions which in turn causes him to commit more murders. The witches offer great enticement, but it is in the end, each individuals decision to fall for the temptation, or to be strong enough to resist their captivation. The three Witches are only responsible for the introduction of these ideas and for further forming ideas in Macbeth head, but they are not responsible for his actions throughout the play.

Lady Macbeth is shown early in the play as an ambitious woman with a single purpose. She can manipulate Macbeth easily, "That I may pour my spirits in thine ear" She is selfless, and wants what is best for her husband. Before the speech that Lady Macbeth gives in act one scene five. Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth's self-esteem by playing on his manliness and his bravery. This then convinces Macbeth to commit regicide. It seems that she can convince him to do anything as long as she pushes the right buttons in. she says " Art thou afeard/ To be the same in thine own act and valour, As thou art in desire?"

On the other hand, as the play progresses, and Duncan is killed, there is a reversal of natural order, and Macbeth becomes the dominating partner again. Lady Macbeth becomes subservient. She becomes pathetic and only a shadow of her former self. Ambition plays a large role in this tragedy. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have "vaulting ambition" that drives them. Macbeth's fierce ambition is present before the witches' prophesies. He would never have thought seriously about killing Duncan without the witches. Yet the combination of both his ambitious nature and the initial prophesies leads him to kill the king. It is Lady Macbeth who states "Thou wouldst be great/ Art not without ambition." Macbeth states that it is "his besetting sin: I have no spur/ To prick the sides of my intent, but only/ Vaulting ambition." Macbeth's continued ambition is present in his wanting to have a succession of kings after him. Macbeth's ambition is deep within him and because of this, both the witches and Lady Macbeth are able to sway him to evil. It is this ambition that gets him into so much trouble initially.

Once Macbeth kills for the first time, he has no choice but to continue to cover up his wrong doings, or risk losing everything he has worked so hard for.

He is responsible for anything he does and must take total accountability for his actions. Macbeth is the one who made the final decision to carry out his actions. He made these final decisions and continued with the killings to cover that of King Duncan. However where as some facts show that the results were all of his own doing, in act IV he returns to the witches voluntarily to find out his fate in order to see what actions he should take. This shows that maybe the witches did have a great influence on his actions.

The killing of Duncan starts an unstoppable chain of events in the play that ends with the murder of Macbeth and the suicide of Lady Macbeth. Macbeth chooses to murder Duncan. Macbeth, in the beginning had all of the qualities of an honourable gentleman who could become anything. This is all shattered when his ambition overrides his sense of morality. Although Macbeth is warned as to the validity of the witches prophesies, he is tempted and refuses to listen to reason from Banquo. When the second set of prophesies Macbeth receives begin to show their faults Macbeth blames the witches for deceiving him with half truths. While the witches are not totally responsible for the actions of Macbeth, they are responsible for introducing the ideas to Macbeth which in turn fired up Macbeth's ambition and led to a disastrous and unnecessary chain of events.

How does Macbeth's character Change

Q1. How does the audience´s perception of Macbeth change during Act One.

In William Shakespeare´s “Macbeth”, the audience witnesses one man´s is overriding ambitions resulting in consequences both for himself and those around him. In the play the main character is heavily influenced and persuaded by external forces, particularly the supernatural and the immense ambition of Lady Macbeth.

In Act I, Shakespeare set the scene for what is to prove the pivotal part of the play, the death of King Duncan. Therefore, through act one the audience´s perception of Macbeth changes completely. The character who entered the stage at the beginning is, in the eyes of the audience, completely different person from the character at the end of the first act. He transforms himself from a man of deep morality and honesty to one who is prepared to kill the sovereign king.

Even before Macbeth himself appears on stage, he is discussed in admiring terms by the king and the king´s eldest son ‘Malcolm´. They speak of Macbeth in such glowing terms following his recent successes in the battlefield, whilst in the service of the King. In act I scene 2 a captain describes how Macbeth killed McDonald in battle. McDonald is a traitor and this further elevates his stature amongst the king and his followers.

“Captain: … but alls too weak,
for brave Macbeth where he deserves that name-” (I.I.I5-I6)

In hearing Macbeth had been described in such praise worthy terms, Shakespeare drives the audience to view the lead character with the highest regard. Macbeth comes across as an honest, obedient and most loyal servant to the king.

Shakespeare wrote in approval of those who supported the Monarch. It is thought that his inspiration for the play was the current king, James I. James I was known for his interest in witchcraft and the supernatural. Furthermore, he liked plays that dealt with the concerns of royal life, for example, loyalty, family ties and most importantly public perception of the monarchy. Hence the issues of personal power, trust and ambition are fundamental to the play.

The audience is highly approving of Macbeth initially. This sense of approval and admiration is further emphasised by the award and praise heaped on Macbeth from king Duncan. Not only does the King refer to Macbeth as “worthy cousin”, but also, the King confers upon Macbeth the new title “Thane Of Cawdor”.

It is ironic that Macbeth has been given this title “Thane Of Cawdor”. Prior to Macbeth, the title is held by a man who emerged as a traitor to the King. Therefore, is some sense the audience is already being given indications that Macbeth may not possess completely pure intentions. The irony is that King Duncan´s conferring the title upon Macbeth demonstrates his admiration and respect for a man who will become a traitor and more significantly his murderer. The act of rewarding a seemly honourable subject seals the fate of the king and highlights through out the vulnerability of the king from within his own court.

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In act I scene to the audience is at their highest point in terms of their perception of Macbeth. Onwards our view of him will gradually deteriorate through the events of the play, until he himself, is killed by Macduff. At Macbeth´s death he has evolved fully and we will perceive him as the most evil, ambitious and treacherous person in the play. This is a complete contradiction to our original perception of him.

When the witches appear to Macbeth, in act one scene III, he is intrigued by their presence. This curiosity and interest is a significant factor in ...

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