Lady Macbeth Villainous Murderer

In Macbeth by Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth manifests herself as a callous murderer, but internally she is not.
Although she appears to be a villainous murderer, on the inside she is far from vicious. For instance, she calls upon apparitions to unsex her, crying, “Unsex me here and fill me full of direst cruelty” (I.v.39-40). In other words, she calls upon spirits to infuse her with malice, in addition to removing her compassionate feelings. By virtue of her benevolent nature, she resentfully asks for guidance to the “dark side” in order to go through with the assassination. In addition, she refuses to kill Duncan as a result of his resemblance of her father, grumbling, “Had he not resembled my father, I had done it” (II.ii.12-13). When juxtaposed

with her comment on “dashing the brains out” of her own child, a disparity exists between these remarks (I.vii.58). Assuming that she truly is a cold-blooded killer, she would not allow discordant emotions to obstruct her ambitions. Due to this internal conflict, her emotions manipulate her into acting like a villain.
Lady Macbeth’s internal conflict stems from a lack of confidence. When the opportunity to murder Duncan presents itself, she hesitates and persistently asks Macbeth to murder him. When he similarly wavers on the situation, she promptly disparages his decision, saying, “Live a coward in thine own esteem” (I.vii.43). By belittling her husband, she quickly covers up her own insecurity with a facade of courage. Accompanying this denigration is Lady Macbeth’s refusal to be accountable. Although she constructed a thorough plan to murder Duncan, she steps aside and allows Macbeth to handle the assassination. Due to her insecurity, she cannot deploy her own strategy and bestows the opportunity upon her husband without hesitation. In order to conceal her lack of confidence, Lady Macbeth wears a mask of forged confidence.