To What Extent is Lady Macbeth Responsible for the Downfall of Macbeth?

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Jeffrey Nelson

To What Extent was Lady Macbeth Responsible for the Downfall of Macbeth?

In Macbeth, Shakespeare explores diverse levels of humanity.  The play begins on a supernatural plane with the witches’ prophecy.  We are then introduced to the noblemen Macbeth and Banquo, and to a world of royalty and politics.  Finally we meet Lady Macbeth, the loyal wife in waiting at home.  Shakespeare brings the play down from a supernatural and spiritual level, to the normal and simple way of family life and most importantly, the interactions between a man and his wife.  The witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will one day be King certainly ignites the plot, but it is his marital relationship that drives the play forward and leads to his ultimate demise.  To what extent then, is Lady Macbeth responsible for the downfall of Macbeth?

In answering this question we must consider various elements of the play and different attributes of the characters.  What type of woman is Lady Macbeth?  How much power does she command over her husband?  What kind of a man is he, Macbeth, to allow his wife to dictate to him his actions?  Is it really the case that she does have complete reign over the household, or are we treating Lady Macbeth unfairly by labelling her the villain of the play?  By considering questions such as these I will assert that yes, Lady Macbeth is responsible to an extent; with her over zealous ambition and disregard for morality she encourages him initially to embark on his tyrannous road to power.  However, I will argue that Macbeth is inherently bad to begin with and possesses a lust for power even before Lady Macbeth learns of the prophecy; he seals his own fate.        

Lady Macbeth is a strong female character; she refuses to allow her sexuality to hinder her intense ambition. Shakespeare presents strong women in other plays such as Rosalind in “As You Like It” and Viola in “Twelfth Night” who describes herself as “all the daughters of my father's house, / And all the brothers too”. However unlike Lady Macbeth, who comes to embody true masculinity without resorting to cross-dressing, Rosalind and Viola must resort to disguising themselves in male attire to establish masculinity.

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Lady Macbeth is still a woman who rages constantly against the limitation of her own sex, and when she learns that Duncan is to visit her castle, she at once determines that she will overcome any remaining traces of mere womanly weakness,

Come you spirits that tend our mortal thoughts, unsex me here. (I.v.39)

Macbeth too, recognises her masculine character and almost in awe says to her,

Bring forth men children only, for thy undaunted mettle should compose Nothing but males. ( I.vii.73)

Lady Macbeth is shown early in the play, not only as an ...

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