This type of relationship was very untypical of the time, because in this period of history, women had no say or power in the relationship. Wives were just the property of their husbands. It would not be expected for Lady Macbeth to have any role in the vital decision-making. Clearly Lady Macbeth is a strong and clever woman for Macbeth to confide in her this much.
Certainly in the first 2 acts, the audience are presented with an evil, calculating, devious woman. In Lady Macbeth first soliloquy; as she reads Macbeth’s letter saying that he will be king, she immediately shows that she feels the same way as Macbeth as she is glad and supportive and would love for Macbeth to be king. “ He shalt be what thou art promised” this just shows that Land Macbeth is very passionate about her husband and that she wants him to succeed. Towards the end of Lady Macbeth’s 1st soliloquy, she is so ambitious for her husband she even thinks of murdering the present king Duncan, just to secure that the throne goes to Macbeth.
It is from this point in the play that Lady Macbeth’s character changes from being strong, clever and loving to being strong, evil, and corrupt. She is so determined for Macbeth to kill the king she says, “Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out.” This shows how determined Lady Macbeth is to see her husband king that she would even “dash the brains” of her own child just so that Macbeth could be king. Further evidence of this evil is when Duncan, the king comes to stay. Lady Macbeth takes matters into her own hands and organises the murder of Duncan for the night he arrives at the Macbeth castle. Lady Macbeth sees murder as the only solution to how Macbeth will get the throne.
Lady Macbeth preys and asks the spirits to help her and to guide her to complete the deed of murdering King Duncan. Surely a woman who is so evil would not ask the spirits for help in carrying out the “dirty deed”. “Spirits unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the top full of direst cruelty”. This shows that Lady Macbeth isn’t entirely the evil manipulative woman as she is made out to be originally. Moreover this shows us that lady Macbeth isn’t as strong as previously portrayed and needs the power and support of spirits to stop her from feeling the guilt and remorse after completing the murder.
Another point that shows us how Lady Macbeth is strong-minded, ruthless and undeterred from committing murder is by the ease of how she persuades her unsure husband by manipulating his mind. Lady Macbeth knows that the only way that Macbeth will become king is through the death of King Duncan, she explains to Macbeth that the perfect time for the murder to be committed will be on the day that the king comes round to stay
Lady Macbeth uses smart, strong, and effective ways to manipulate Macbeth’s mind and finally persuades his conscious that this was the right time to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth questions Macbeth in many ways, she questions his masculinity, she pushes him, she also shocks him with violent images and words, “How tender is to love the babe that milks me, I would while it was smiling in my face have plucked my nipple from its boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this.” This combination of questions and past memories causes Macbeth to crack and give in. This is another example of how cruel, determined, and callous Lady Macbeth can be.
Later on through the play, it is evident that the character and conscious of Lady Macbeth is deteriorating dramatically. Lady Macbeth’s mental state is affected so much that she starts to break down. An example of this break down is by the way she suddenly become afraid of the dark and needs to have a lit candle by her side at all times, “She has her light by her continually, ‘tis her command.” Another example of the deterioration of Lady Macbeth’s mental state is how she sleepwalks and sleep talks every night. This is an effect of how the great burden of the murder of King Duncan is on Lady Macbeth’s conscience. The guilt and remorse becomes too great for her and it is shown by the great speed of the mental and physical deterioration in Lady Macbeth’s character. When the audience are presented with the “sleepwalking” scene, we start to realise that Lady Macbeth is deeply troubled by the murder of King Duncan. “Here’s the smell of blood still, all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” This shows that Lady Macbeth regrets her actions and wants to rid herself of the memory, even when Lady Macbeth is washing her hands of the blood of Duncan (while in her sleep) she asks “what, will these hands ne’re be clean?” foreseeing that she will never have peace in her mind. She also retells events of the day the Macbeth’s murdered the king Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s condition worsens, and she goes in and out of sleep and has frequent delirious visions. This all maybe because the relationship between the Macbeth’s has slowly deteriorated and been ripped apart. At the start of the play the Macbeth’s were close, loving, and trusting. Now after Macbeth has been crowned king, he goes off on his own and does his own thing with out consulting his Lady and this is the reason for the break down of relationship between the Macbeth’s. Lady Macbeth needs Macbeth for comfort, confide in, and to be safe, but without him she just falls apart.
Now at the end of the play the audience are able to see that Lady Macbeth’s character has changed from the strong, determined, and powerful woman that was first portrayed to a scared, obsessive, even mental woman who’s previous actions have contributed greatly towards her current state. At the beginning Lady Macbeth finds the strength to entice Macbeth to murder Duncan. As time advances through, her pretended strength diminishes as she fights the torments of her conscience. Tending to her conscience Lady Macbeth cannot support Macbeth against Malcom. Lady Macbeth attempts to suppress her conscience, but fails. At the end she chooses death because she can no longer bear the torments of her guilt, so she commits suicide.
Marina & Peter Breed. Page
