Lady Macbeth talks to Macbeth when he arrives at the castle and tells him of the plan to kill the King. She says “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under ’t. This metaphor creates an image that means welcome Duncan into the castle and be all welcoming on the outside but underneath be evil, think you are going to kill him. Macbeth is not sure about this and say’s “we will speak further”.
Lady Macbeth remains determined through out that Duncan will die that night and Macbeth will be King. When Macbeth has doubts Lady Macbeth uses different methods to persuade him that it is a good idea. The first is by showing her anger andcalling him a coward and taunting him. She says, “Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?” She is calling him stupid for telling her he was going to kill the king and now wimping out. She continues to insult him by saying, “live a coward in thine own esteem” meaning that everyone thinks you’re a great man but you and I know that you are no more than a coward. She then continues by quoting him “I dare not” and “I would” This is making him more and more angry until he final has enough and says “Pr’ythee peace” He is telling her to be quiet because he can not take anymore of her putting him down like that.
Lady Macbeth then changes to use a different means of persuasion, she makes him feel guilty about breaking his promise to her. She says “what beast was ‘t then that made you break this enterprise to me?” She is asking what has made you break your plans to me. She argues that she would love him more if he killed the King and become it himself. “ Be so much more than a man”. She says that she would rather kill her own child than break a promise she had made to him “I have given suck and know how tender ‘t is to love the babe that milks me: I would, whilst it was smiling in my face, have plucked the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this”. This is making him feel more and more guilty and is persuading him to do it for her.
Macbeth is still worried and says “if we should fail” Lady Macbeth is determined that they will not fail and says, “screw your courage to the sticking-place and we’ll not fail”. Lady Macbeth really takes charge of the planning and continues to persuade Macbeth that it will be easy and that she has thought about everything including someone to blame for the murder. She says, “When Duncan is asleep (whereto the rather shall his day’s hard journey soundly invite him)” she is saying he will sleep well because he has had a hard days riding and will be tired. “His two chamberlains will I with wine and wassail so convince, that memory, the warder of the brain, shall be a fume, and the receipt of reason a limbeck only: when in a swinish sleep their drenched natures lie, as in a death what cannot you and I perform upon th’ unguarded Duncan?” She is saying it’ going to be easy I will get the guards drunk on wine so you can kill Duncan when they are asleep and when they wake in the morning with the daggers beside them they will be blamed.
Macbeth is a powerful character otherwise he would not lead the Kings army. He is also ambitious and pleased by the witches’ prophecy that is quickly fulfilled about becoming Thane of Cawdor. He writes to Lady Macbeth telling her about this and also that he will become king. Lady Macbeth shares the ambition and seizes the opportunity presented by the Kings visit. She needs to persuade Macbeth to see the plan through and by the end of scene seven Macbeth has been persuaded to kill the king by calling him a coward and making him feel guilty, . Lady Macbeth will get what she wants and that is to become queen. She has used her powers of persuasion to get her way. She flirts and plays with Macbeth to get him to change his mind as well as using powerful language.
