Examples Of Persuasion Of Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth uses multiple forms of persuasion to get Macbeth to commit the first evil doing. She questions him relentlessly, exploits his ambitious nature, and challenges his bravery (Rahul). Lady Macbeth even goes as far as to doubt his manliness: “When you durst do it, then you were a man; and, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” (Shakespeare). In doing this, she is degrading Macbeth, which makes him rethink his decisions so that she will not see him as less of a man. He is left with no choice but to follow through with the plan to kill King Duncan, even though he is not fully committed. This shows the power a woman can have over her husband, which is not typical of Shakespearean relationship. In this story,

Lady Macbeth knew that being a woman prevented her from taking the initiative and getting exactly what she wanted. She speaks of how she no longer wants to be seen as a woman when she states, “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty” (Shakespeare). Lady Macbeth no longer wanted to just be seen as Macbeth’s wife; she wanted to be a separate person from her husband. Throughout the story, Lady Macbeth is never called by a first name. The same is true for Lady Macduff, the wife of Macduff, one of Macbeth’s “friends.” In the Elizabethan era, when a couple got married, the woman would become the lady of the relationship, symbolizing that the man was the head of the relationship. This renaming method showed unity between the two people, but it also showed how men of the time overshadowed their wives. As Lady Macbeth tried to remove herself from her husband’s shadow and her feminine side, she became more disconnected with her feelings. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both got caught up in the crime spree and did not think of the consequences that would soon follow. This detachment from her emotions and logical thinking leads to Lady Macbeth going insane. Sleep walking at night, Lady Macbeth is seen constantly scrubbing her hands,