How far are you given the impression that Lady Macbeth is merely a "fiend like queen"?

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Rosie Murdoch        L5R

English Coursework

How far are you given the impression that Lady Macbeth is merely a “fiend like queen”?

Malcolm calls Lady Macbeth a “fiend like queen” as he thought of her as witch-like. Lady Macbeth was based on a real person, although no one really knew who she was so Shakespeare made up her personality and character. Elizabethans believed in magic and witchcraft and they often accused witches for anything bad that happened and many witches were put to death. Fiends and witches were often frowned upon, but Elizabethans genuinely believed that witchcraft was true and so were often scared of witches and fiends as they did not know and so feared what they might do. A fiend is thought to behave in a scheming manner, they often cover up their evilness and plan nasty events that they then deny or act innocent about later on.  

In Act one scene 5, Lady Macbeth receives a letter from her husband informing her of his success in a battle and the witches’ prophecies.  After reading the letter she is worried that Macbeth is too soft a person to be able to take the crown and is determined to assist him through the ‘valour of my tongue’. When she hears a message that the King Duncan will be staying in their castle overnight, she decides that she needs to take action so that Macbeth can be king.  She exults and invokes demonic spirits to harden her resolve and to destroy any weakness of pity.  Lady Macbeth is already prepared for the death of Duncan and her resolution is absolute. Macbeth’s seed of ambition is catalysed by his “fiend like” wife Lady Macbeth, she utilises his weak mental power and deploys manipulative techniques to make him succumb to her plan of regicide, she says “Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it” (Act 1 sc 5 line 62). The serpentine imagery used here by Shakespeare shows Macbeth to be like an “innocent flower” and Lady Macbeth is seen as very fiend like and as the “serpent under it”. Macbeth decides to stand up for himself against her, “we will have no further in this business “ (Act 1 sc 5 line 50’), however, Lady Macbeth coerces him into complying with her plan showing Macbeth to be the weaker one. Lady Macbeth is seen as more dominant and in control than him, she has power over him and role reversal appears in this scene. Macbeth’s weak mental power lets him down as Lady Macbeth takes advantage and overpowers him.

In this scene, Lady Macbeth appears ruthless, totally committed and is willing to put in every effort to strive for the greater glory of her husband.  She fears that Macbeth will let her down as he is too kind to murder “I fear thy nature, it is too full o’th’milk of human kindness” (act 1 sc 5 line 14). She sees his tendency to speculate and think round problems as a crucial weakness. There is an element of her attitude strongly reminiscent of the witches “that I may pour my spirits in thine ear”(Act 1 sc 5 line 24), she wishes to alter his character. She invokes the spirits of evil to “defeminise” her, “dehumanise” her and for darkness to hide her planned action.  Lady Macbeth makes Macbeth feel like a coward and questions his masculinity and does all she can to persuade Macbeth to kill duncan, she threatens him by saying that she will not love him anymore if he does not do it and tells him that it will be very easy, they will not get caught and that there are no risks. She succeeds as he is convinced and does go through with it. Their traditional roles are reversed in this scene, as she is a very dominant and strong person whereas he seems vulnerable, weaker and more caring. She is very unfeminine which may be due to a manly upbringing or the fact that she is childless. She seems very unnatural as a woman as it was always the woman’s duty to have children and to care and look after them.  She bullies Macbeth into it by saying that he is not a man and that he is not strong enough to go through with it.

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The language Shakespeare uses gives her speech a special urgency and determination as she uses many imperatives e.g. fill, come etc. When Macbeth appears, there is little trace of endearment from her and she forces him to see himself in terms of her plan for power. There is drastic brevity in her language here “he that’s coming must be provided for” (Act 1 sc 5 line 64) and she addresses him as he had been addressed by the witches.

Lady Macbeth immediately understands the full implications of Macbeth’s letter and her response is direct and uncompromising. She wants Macbeth to ...

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