Lady Macbeth

She is incredibly determined to be a powerful queen. 'Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be what thou art promis'd'

This implies that Lady Macbeth is indomitable and will not give up her cause until she has won.

Lady Macbeth is also unbelievably manipulative. She realized that if she wanted to have her status as Queen then she would have to persuade Macbeth to carry out the unlawful deed. She knew she was a very powerful woman and that she had power over Macbeth, so the task set ahead of her, she thought, was not going to be excessively challenging. 'Thou which cries, 'Thus must do,' if thou have it;' This shows us Lady Macbeths manipulative side. She says that the 'crown cries out' for it to be taken from the throne. This is someone who obviously desires something desperately.

The extent of her ambition turns her to the supernatural world. Her ambition has overthrown her body and she calls upon the spirits to turn her into the opposite sex. She wants to cross over to the darker, masculine side so she could have the power and the strength to carry out the murder she has so carefully planned out. This gives the feel of unnaturalness. 'Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me here,' this implies that Lady Macbeth is rather unbalanced from her entrance to the play, but as the play continues she gradually becomes worse.

Lady Macbeth is an extremely evil person. She calls upon the spirits to assist her in the unlawful death of King Duncan. 'fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty' This helps us understand how Lady Macbeth feels about the plan to murder. She is ruthless and has no compassion. She wants to ignore any goodness there is left in her body. She plans the killing of King Duncan with no remorse.

This scene, presumably, shocked many audiences in the 17th century, this is mainly because Lady Macbeth is the dominant person in the marriage. This was extremely rare in the sixteen-hundreds because the male sex was labelled the stronger sex. The planning of King Duncan could have also stunned the audience because the planning was so merciful.

Over the next few acts Lady Macbeth slowly looses her sanity. Though after the slaughter of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth takes control and places the murder weapon by the guards. She also orders Macbeth to wash the blood off his hand. 'And wash this filthy witness from your hand.' This shows that she does not want any piece of evidence to link them to the murder. Lady Macbeth 'faints' after Macbeth admits to killing the guards.

Lady Macbeth's use of language is extremely powerful and persuasive. 'Stop up the access and passage to remorse,' this is just a fragment of Lady Macbeth strong language but it implies that she is a very strong, powerful young women.

Part 2

Act 5 Scene 1

This scene is the last scene that the audience will observe Lady Macbeth. This scene is especially significant as the last time the audience saw Lady Macbeth was in the banquet scene, where Macbeth seemed to be unstable. Although Lady Macbeth is noticeably weaker she was still in control. In Act 5 Scene 1 she looses control on her life and has lost her sanity.

Lady Macbeth has now lost her sanity completely. In the night she sleepwalks acting out the murder of King Duncan she repeatedly did this until she awoke. Concerned maids of Lady Macbeth brought in a doctor to examine her. The doctor soon discovered Macbeth and Lady Macbeth shameful secret. But the secret did not arise to the public due to a maid convincing the doctor otherwise. 'This is her very guise; and, upon my life, fast asleep.' This is the gentlewomen trying to tell the doctor that Lady Macbeth is asleep.

Lady Macbeth is extremely scared by this point, she can not be taken any where at night without a candle, she was terrified of darkness, a complete contrast from Act 1 Scene 5 where she called upon darkness block out any light coming through from the good side. 'she has a light by her continually;' this implies that she is even too scared in her sleep to walk without a candle.

Lady Macbeth is overwhelmed with guilt, you can see because throughout the scene she is constantly washing the blood of her hands, the same blood that she told Macbeth to wash off in Act 1 Scene 5. She told him to wash his hands so she could leave the guilt behind in the dirty bowl. 'Out damned spot! Out' this show her desperation and it also implies that she wants to dispose of the guilt she has rapped up inside her body, but her mind will not let her. Her behaviour now shows that she was naïve to think she could have disposed of the guilt so easily.

The language Lady Macbeth uses now is extremely different. Now, towards the end of her malicious life she is no longer a strong speaker. She speaks in riddles, this shows her mental state. 'The Thane of Fife had a wife: where is she now?' She is talking in riddles, which do not make much sense; her life at that time did not make much sense; her speech is reflecting her life.

The audience, at this part of the play are intended to feel sorry for Lady Macbeth because of her mental state and her health. In a way Lady Macbeth deserved what happened to her because she was a very evil person, but nobody deserves to be mentally unstable.

By

Michelle Malolepszy 10L