How does Shakespeare develop the character of Lady Macbeth?

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How does Shakespeare develop the character of   Lady Macbeth?

 

“Macbeth” or “The Scottish Play” as some people call it, was written by Shakespeare in seventeenth century. It entails a Scottish army general called Macbeth on a series of murders for power and status. However, Macbeth is not alone in these acts of violence, his wife Lady Macbeth, manipulates him to do it. Lady Macbeth drives Macbeth to murder certain people because she craves power and control.

The hierarchy of the time when Shakespeare was writing Macbeth was simple but very rigid. There was God at the top, then the king, then all the noblemen, then the citizens and then finally at the very bottom was the devil. In Macbeth this structure is broken because Lady Macbeth plays in between the ranks and disturbs the order to achieve her greatest ambition of being Queen of England.

James I was the king of England when Shakespeare was writing Macbeth. James I was especially interested in witches and magic; this is why Shakespeare chooses to put the three witches in Macbeth to please James I. In addition some of the events that happen throughout the play Macbeth are there to satisfy James I. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth’s character is a reflection of Queen Elizabeth I who was the Queen of England before James I. Shakespeare bases the character of Lady Macbeth on Queen Elizabeth I because women at that time were not seen to be very commanding and controlling, and taking responsibility for a nation requires a lot of power which the people did not think women had. The link between Queen Elizabeth I and Lady Macbeth is that they both contradict what they were perceived to be. This stuns the audience of Shakespeare’s time.

In Act 1, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth receives a letter from Macbeth informing her about Macbeth’s meeting with the three witches. Lady Macbeth is very proud of Macbeth when he becomes Thane of Cawdor, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; shalt be what thou art promised.” From this quote the audience clearly recognises the proud emotions that Lady Macbeth expresses when she finds out that Macbeth is the Thane of Cawdor. However, the quote also shows that she craves power and strives to achieve becoming the Queen. “Shalt be” is a command; this shocks the audience because women were not seen to be commanding. Shakespeare does this because at the time it would alarm the audience to see a demanding woman. Lady Macbeth is worried that Macbeth won’t kill King Duncan, “yet do I fear thy nature; it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.” This quote connotes that Lady Macbeth feels that Macbeth is not masculine enough to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth clearly expresses her “fear” because of this. This creates tension amongst the audience by making Lady Macbeth’s character seem masculine. This might lead to the hierarchy and the order being disrupted. On the arrival of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth shows that she is concerned, “Thou’rt mad to say it.” This illustrates to the audience the close bond between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth because she shows her passionate concern for Macbeth. However, this causes confusion in the audience because it seen to be unnatural in the seventeenth century for a woman to plan the assassination of the king.

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In Act 1, Scene 5, Shakespeare begins the rise of masculinity within Lady Macbeth when she receives a letter from Macbeth, “unsex me here.” From this quote a common theme is recognised between masculinity and femininity. Lady Macbeth craves so much power that she will take drastic measures to achieve her ultimate goal. “Unsex” shows that Lady Macbeth wants to be masculine because women would not get any power in the time that Shakespeare was writing Macbeth. In addition, “here” emphasises the urgency that Lady Macbeth does not want to be feminine. When Lady Macbeth receives the letter from ...

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