Lady Macbeth's Future

Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, exemplifies the danger of having a parochial view of life. The play opens with Lady Macbeth preparing for her and Macbeth’s future and she soon becomes engrossed by the present moment, ignoring everything else. In her final appearance in Act V, Lady Macbeth relives the past in a manic state, neglecting all else. Even though Lady Macbeth changes significantly, she always commits wholeheartedly to her thoughts. When she is concerned about her future, when she worries about Macbeth at the banquet, and even when she succumbs to the trauma of her violent past, Lady Macbeth applies herself beyond all reason. In other words, as the play progresses Lady Macbeth shifts her attention from her future,

As soon as she learns about the prophecy of the witches from Macbeth’s letter, she plans to “pour [her] spirits in [Macbeth’s] ear / And chastise with the valor of [her] tongue / All that impedes [Macbeth] from the golden round” (1.5.29-31). Clearly Lady Macbeth, within seconds of hearing about the possibility of a regal future, has already devoted herself to making sure that Macbeth becomes King of Scotland. She even acknowledges that “[Macbeth’s] letters have transported [her] beyond / This ignorant present, and [she] feels now / The future in an instant” (1.5.64-6). She admits that she already feels as if she were living in the future, not the present. Soon after, Lady Macbeth outlines her plan for killing King Duncan in surprising detail, which stands to demonstrate how much she has directed her attention to the future. Lady Macbeth points out how she will “with wine and wassail so convince” Duncan’s chamberlains, how the chamberlain’s “shall bear the guilt / Of [their] great quell,” and even how she and Macbeth “shall make [their] griefs and clamor roar / Upon his death” (1.7.74, 81-2, 90-1). The depth and detail with which Lady Macbeth describes the entire process from beginning to end points out her clear infatuation with the future. Thus, Lady Macbeth first appears completely engrossed with preparing Macbeth to be king and

Lady Macbeth, realizing the immediate threat to herself and Macbeth of being discovered, responds quickly to “more knocking” and urges that Macbeth “Get on [his] nightgown, lest occasion call [them] / And show [them] to be watchers” (1.2.89-90). Later on in Act III, Lady Macbeth is concerned about Macbeth’s disposition even before the banquet begins, saying “Be bright and jovial / Among your guests tonight” (3.2.31-2). Even though in this scene Lady Macbeth expresses her worries about the future, she, in comparison to her plans for Macbeth and her own rise to power, focuses on the most pressing danger, not the remaining course of her life. Lady Macbeth’s anxiety about Macbeth’s demeanor at the banquet might seem natural, but her repetition of these insecurities to Macbeth highlights the obsessive nature of her unease. Lady Macbeth later repeats that Macbeth “do[es] not give the cheer,” and “ha[s] broken the mirth... / With most admired disorder” (3.4.37, 132-4). By the middle of the play, Lady Macbeth undoubtedly changes her focus from her far-off future to her nearby