Lady Macbeth's Guilty Conscience

“Some people create their own storms, then get upset when it rains” (Lookup Quotes). In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is Macbeth’s wife who prepares to kill Duncan, but after she commits the deed, she gradually changes into a character who cannot handle the guilt of the crime. Lady Macbeth initially appears to be an ambitious, manipulative, and bold character; however, as the play progresses, her guilty conscience gradually makes her insane, weak, and mad which ultimately leads to her tragic death.

To begin, the audience is first introduced to Lady Macbeth as a manipulative, power-hungry, and a bold woman who has a very strong relationship with Macbeth. When Macbeth sends a letter to his wife regarding the witches’ prophecies,

she immediately formulates a plan to kill King Duncan so that she and her husband will be king and queen of Scotland. When Lady Macbeth discovers that Macbeth does not have the capability to kill Duncan, she questions his manliness by asking him, “Was the hope drunk / Wherein you dress’d yourself?

Hath it slept since? / And wakes it now to look so green and pale / At what it did so freely? From this time, / Such I account thy love. Art thou afeard / To be the same in thine own act and valour, / As thou art in desire… / and live a coward in thine own esteem” (1.7.36-43). By doing so, she is manipulating Macbeth because he would want to prove to his wife that he is a man by continuing with the murder of Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s manipulative character eventually allows Macbeth to agree on murdering the king. Moreover, the quote reveals that Lady Macbeth is equally ambitious as her husband since she persistently questions him about killing Duncan so that she can be queen. Furthermore, she is a bold woman because she is not afraid to question his manliness since it is usually men who do so (question women on their femininity), which demonstrates the theme of gender role. When Lady Macbeth uses the word “hope”, she is using personification and a metaphor to represent Macbeth’s character as a man who is afraid to murder Duncan and she states that he is a coward; however, as the play proceeds, both characters evolve. In addition, Lady Macbeth’s ambition and manipulation contribute to

developing the plot since it motivates and forces her husband to kill Duncan for the witches’ prophecies to come true and for Lady Macbeth’s yearning to be queen is achieved. Nevertheless, Lady Macbeth’s ambition contributes to Macbeth’s character since it may allow Macbeth to commit more murders to prove his masculinity to his wife. Therefore, Lady Macbeth is a manipulative, ambitious, and a bold woman as she insults Macbeth’s manliness so that Macbeth can murder Duncan and for their desires and ambitions to come true.
Secondly, as the play progresses, Lady Macbeth begins to show her despair, guilt, and remorse towards the murder of Duncan before the banquet.

Just after Macbeth murders Duncan, both begin to regret committing the deed. Similarly, Lady Macbeth begins to experience signs of worry and despair because of the crime that she commits. However, despite ascending to the throne, Lady Macbeth expresses her despair when she says, “Nought’s had, all’s spent / Where our desire is got without content” (3. 2. 4-5). She expresses to her husband that they have gained nothing and lost everything by killing Duncan since even though they have ascended to the throne, Macbeth is busy after being declared king and they are not sure what to anticipate when people find out of the crime they have committed, hence Lady Macbeth is not happy with their accomplishments. Moreover, she tells him that by killing Duncan, she feels melancholy and unsatisfied that it was not worth doing so, thereby revealing that Lady Macbeth is feeling guilty towards her actions. Her despair replaces her burning ambition since she feels that all that they have done to achieve the crown was not worth murdering Duncan because he was an innocent and fair man. Rhyme is evident in the quote which reveals that Lady Macbeth is upset, and the theme of remorse and guilt is present in her character. Because of Lady Macbeth’s despair, there is a plot advancement since Macbeth would act to ensure that both will live contentedly which

may include committing more murders. As a result, Lady Macbeth is slowly shifting into a woman who is starting to feel guilty for her immoral actions which is demonstrated when she expresses her despair and unsatisfactory to her husband.
As the end of the play arrives, Lady Macbeth transforms into a weak, insane, and mad woman as she becomes anguished with the guilt from committing Duncan’s murder. By the beginning of Act 5, Lady Macbeth begins to sleepwalk, and she dreams about the crimes she has committed, including the murder of Duncan while Macbeth fights with Macduff and Malcolm on Dunsinane Hill. As the Gentlewoman and the Doctor observe Lady Macbeth at night, she seems to be unconsciously walking and imagines herself washing her hands and she says, “Here’s the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of / Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O” (5.1.44-45). It is evident that Lady Macbeth’s ambition has been replaced by the guilt. By the hyperbole, Shakespeare reveals that the crime that she has committed is forever within her and cannot be eradicated. Likewise, the exaggeration displays how much Lady Macbeth wants the blood on her hands to be washed off. Although there is no blood on her hands, the blood symbolizes her overwhelming guilt that she has and how she is unable to handle the horrid deeds that she and her husband have committed. In the same way, the motif of blood is associated with hands which develops Lady Macbeth’s character since her repetitive attempt to wash her hands reveals how much she wants to remove the blood on her hands and how she has gone mad in attempting to do so. She realizes that the guilt cannot be washed off because of the repetition of “O” three times. The theme of guilt and remorse is present in Lady Macbeth which is substantial to the plot because it eventually leads to her death as she cannot handle the guilt and consequences of her actions. Hence, Lady Macbeth has transformed into an insane, mad, and weak woman who feels guilty for the crimes that she commits.
Overall, in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is one of the characters who undergo a lot of change throughout the play as she dramatically shifts from a strong, ambitious, manipulative woman into a woman who has gone insane. At the start of the play, Lady Macbeth appears to be a manipulative, ambitious woman who has the ambition to be the queen and encourages Macbeth to murder Duncan to further achieve their desires. Not long after Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth begins to show signs of guilt, despair, and remorse to her husband before the banquet as she tells him that everything that they have done had gained them nothing. Due to the rapid pace of events that Lady Macbeth cannot handle, she ultimately reveals the guilt consequently for her actions when she sleepwalks which leads to her tragic downfall. As evidenced in Shakespeare’s play, the horrific crimes that are being committed can lead to serious consequences and effects on characters, such as Lady Macbeth’s.