Compare And Contrast Reagan And Lady Macbeth

J Pahlmeyer
4/12/17
Mrs. DiBella
Per 2
Power
Power can be used for good and for evil. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, power is a theme used often. The plot is based around Macbeth's plan to overthrow King Duncan and the events that lead up to his rise to power. Lady Macbeth, who has a major influence over her husband, convinces Macbeth to follow through with his plan to kill King Duncan. From the beginning she is a dominant partner who persuades Macbeth to achieve his goal of being king, and she plans and organizes the murder of Duncan. This is similar to the relationship between ex President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan. During his time as a politician she experienced a sense of power which led her to take an increasingly active role in her husband's administration. Shakespeare's Macbeth and Ronald Reagan's political actions were both influenced by their wife.
Throughout Reagan’s time as a politician his wife, Nancy Reagan, influenced his political actions in many ways. An example of this is the 1980 campaign when Ronald Reagan was running

for president. His wife, Nancy Reagan, played a critical role during this time. She controlled conflicts among the staff, carefully considered her husband's schedule and shared her views on women's issues. She called for equal pay and equal wok for women yet she still opposed abortion. Some later said that Nancy was responsible for Ronald Reagan's campaign promise to appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court. Still, both stayed as solid conservatives and their victory in 1980 helped begin a new era of American politics. As they began their life in the White House Nancy Reagan was accused of being obsessed with power and status before she could even prove herself as the First Lady. Many of Ronalds advisors said that Nancy was considered a political liability and urged her to begin her own social project, but she resisted saying her husband was her “project.” When she was told her reputation was hurting the president, she took action and began her crusade against drug abuse. During the drug crusade Nancy experienced a sense of power which led her to take an increasingly active role in her husband's administration. This also became very apparent during Ronald’s second term, as Nancy adopted a role that multiple journalist called “associate president.” During the 1984 presidential campaign Nancy played a leading role. She travel to various places to reach out to voters and sharing their concerns with the president. She was extremely organized with day to day operations keeping track of the president's schedule to prevent his overexertion. When Reagan stumbled in his first debate, Nancy decided how he prepare for his second debate with Democratic candidate Walter Mondale. After Reagan won by a landslide, Nancy openly worked with the White House chief of staff and others to set the agenda for Ronald's second term. She hoped he would get rid of the useless people and began to assert herself in foreign policy. As the second term progressed, she advised her husband on many things, including military spendings, which many conservatives were not happy about and called this shift in President's view Nancyism. Reporters stated that Nancy Reagan had the ultimate source of access to her husband's power and was a woman who knew her power and enjoyed using it. Ronald Reagan's political actions were influenced by his wife during and leading up to him being president. She had a say in most anything she wanted to and made an impact on many Reagan's decisions. It was as if she wanted to be president an control everything. Reagan didn’t mind her having power and if he did he never did anything to stop it. He had control over everything yet Nancy's influence seemed to change his mindset. If she were not as involved with his political actions then his time as president possibly could have been much different for better or for worse.
In addition during Ronald Reagan's time as the governor of California where Nancy played a large role. Although she was an active governor's, wife she was often criticized for her old fashioned views on marriage. Reporters mocked the worshipful way she “gazed” at her husband while he was speaking. By the end of Reagan's term as governor, the press as well as many Republicans would say that Nancy had too much power over her husband and his political decisions, even though all she wanted to be, according from an interview in a woman's magazine, was “Ronald Reagan's wife.” Afterwards during her time as First Lady she was accused of being obsessed with power and status. The New York Times even called her “power hungry” saying he controlled many things in the White House. Something strange was that Ronald Reagan never objected to his wife having power and telling him what to do. The reason he followed his wife's orders was because in 1968 Ronald Reagan had hopes of running for president. At the Republican convention, against his wife's outgoing objections, he put his name into consideration for the nomination which soon regret as the Reagan boom soon crashed. Never again would he make such a decision without consulting with Nancy. From this point on it seemed as if Reagan's decisions were influenced by his wife even more after making a mistake. It seemed that Nancy Reagan was more intelligent than Ronald since she made all these decision that he listened to her. By no means did she limit her power usage. She used every bit of it to try to change her husband's mind in order to get what she wanted. I think her influence on her husband made her feel good and if Reagan ever broke down she would step in to try to give him the correct answer in her opinion, which he seemed to never refuse.
Identically, Macbeth's wife influenced his political decisions in many ways throughout the play. An example is when Macbeth, after agreeing with his wife to kill King Duncan, can’t stop thinking about could go wrong if he proceeds with the plan. He still has cold feet after agreeing with his wife to kill King Duncan of Scotland. Lady Macbeth responds by saying, “We fail? / But screw your courage to the sticking-place, / And we'll not fail.” (1.7.59-61). He can't stop thinking of all the consequence that will might occur even after Lady Macbeth impugned her husband's manliness and urges him to kill King Duncan. Her and her husband are opposites. Macbeth is weak, indecisive and takes on the male role in the marriage whereas Lady Macbeth is strong, decisive and take on the male role of the marriage. When Lady Macbeth emasculates her husband it gives her power. She uses this against Macbeth to influence his political actions and makes him do what she want no matter the task. Ask the play goes on she controls almost all of Macbeth's actions which involves many murders and ends with the death of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth uses her power in a negative way throughout the play which cost many lives.
This is similar to when Macbeth believed in the witches’ prophecies that he will become king.

Lady Macbeth did not think he had what it took to become king, "Yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o' the milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way" (1.5.16-18). Her reaction to the leader show she knows her husband very well. The “nearest way” for both of them is murder. In an earlier scene, Macbeth had commented, "If chance will have me king, why, chance may crown me, / Without my stir" (1.3.143-144), but later he assumes that he must murder in order to become king. And this has always been his wife's assumption, which later he beings to follow. Macbeth never senses how much power Lady Macbeth has and how much he influences his political decisions. It is as if he is a robot and she is controlling him. He listenes to almost everything she tells him throughout the play and never second guesses

her.
Macbeth and Ronald Reagan's political actions were both influenced by their wife. Both of their wives had the ultimate source of access to their husband's power and both knew their power and enjoyed using it. Lady Macbeth and Nancy Reagan used their own power to influence their husbands to make decision they might not have otherwise made without them. They overuse their power to get everything they wanted and neither Macbeth or Reagan did anything to prevent it. The influence their wifes have on their political actions changes their for good and for evil.