Scott Koh
P.2
1-24-18
Power Dynamics Although some people achieve their goals in a pure manner, others achieve their goals by making unacceptable and selfish action. When these types of action are involved in the process of achieving the goal, it is most likely to be to gain power. In the worst-case scenario, they could end up committing crimes in order to gain their power. In the play “Macbeth,” the couple, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, exercise their power in an unacceptable way to gain great power. However, there is only one character who is behind all the cruel actions in the play. Throughout “Macbeth,” the change from remorseful to ruthless or from ruthless to remorseful in characters’ behaviors has an influence on the power dynamic of the couple relationship as they attempt
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Lady Macbeth was more hungry for the crown than her vulnerable husband Macbeth. So, Lady Macbeth had no patience over killing King Duncan after she realized he was an obstacle that was blocking Macbeth to become the “king that shalt be” (Shakespeare 1.5.9–10). Therefore, she decided to kill King Duncan when he is asleep, and then put the blame on “his spongy officers” (1.7.72). However, Macbeth felt guilty for having a thought of killing the king after the king has honored him during the dinner, so he decided to not go on with Lady Macbeth's plan. After witnessing Macbeth behaving “like the poor cat i' th' adage,” Lady Macbeth provoked him by questioning his gender identity (1.7.46). She claimed Macbeth was “too o’th’ milk of human kindness” (1.5.17). In other words, Lady Macbeth feminized Macbeth by saying he is too kind, which is a trait attributed to women. Furthermore, her use of the word milk created an image of Macbeth filled with milk, which makes him a woman. After Macbeth has received verbal attacks from Lady Macbeth, he decided to “bend up” his “each corporal agent to”
Not much further in the play, we see that Macbeth decides not to murder Duncan but rather, carry on serving as his Thane. However, Lady Macbeth starts her persuasion again, but this time she questions his manhood, saying "When you durst do it, then you were a man: And to be more then what you were you would be so much more the man." (1.7.49-51). Had she not challenged his manhood and his love for her, he would not have usurped the throne and she would not have become a Queen. Not only did she get him to think about the murder, she even knew what to say after he had started thinking about the murder.
Macbeth tells himself to act like a man in the following lines: “Prithee, peace! / I dare do all that may become a man; / Who dares do more is none” (I, vii, 45-47). This quote by Macbeth shows how he wants to be a man by killing King Duncan, but he does not think this would be an act of righteousness. Macbeth is in a controversy with himself in this situation. If he does not kill the king then his wife, Lady Macbeth, will not think he is a man, but if he does kill the king then he will betray his leader’s trust in him. Betrayal would not be seen as an act of manliness. Jarold Ramsey explains the situation in the following sentence: “And, striking more ruthlessly at him, she scornfully implies that his very sexuality will be called into question in her eyes if he refuses the regicide” (288). This quote by Jarold Ramsey explains how Macbeth’s manliness will be determined in the eyes of Lady Macbeth when he makes his decision on whether or not he will kill the king. Lady Macbeth shows her desire of being queen in the following lines: “What beast was’t then / That made you break this enterprise to me? /When you durst do it, then you were a man” (I, vii, 47-49). This quote shows how she wants Macbeth to kill the king. In this situation Macbeth tells himself to be a man and kill the king to please Lady Macbeth. Maria Howell exp...
Since the witches’ prediction about him becoming Thane of Cawdor had already come true, Macbeth felt very little desire to chase after the throne. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, wanted her husband to pursue the rank by murdering King Duncan instead of waiting to receive it. The idea that a woman, who were considered inferior and powerless compared to men during shakespeare's time, would be the responsible for such violent conflict in the play was unusual. Because she was still unsure of her thoughts, Lady Macbeth prayed that her womanly features would be removed in order to gain more, at the time, manly qualities; such as violence and ambition. “...unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the top-full of direst cruelty.” (Act I, Scene V) This decision was not an easy one, for it meant that Lady Macbeth would no longer be able to give birth to any children, thus resulting in the end of their blood line. In the spur of the moment, Lady Macbeth trusted that her decision was the best, even though she was completely blinded by her desire. She was willing to change her gentle, womanly features for those of a man’s. Once her ambition began to grow, it affected Lady Macbeth’s morals, because it allowed her believe that killing King Duncan was acceptable, since it would fulfill the witches’ prophecy. Her amount of ambition caused Lady Macbeth to not only have a troublesome introspection of her identity, but also let her conceive a heinous crime against her
It is in human nature that the more power one desires the more corrupt actions one must do to attain it. In Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth, a Scottish noble's craving for power leads him to do terrible deeds that leads to his demise. Shakespeare shows that power corrupts by using Macbeth who corrupts under the thought of have power over others. Macbeth becomes corrupt under the thought of becoming king and gaining almost complete control over the people that he rules. Macbeth wants the power badly enough to do horrible deeds such as commit regicide. Lady Macbeth becomes very ambitious and allows herself to become seduced to the idea of becoming Queen. Her ruthlessness urges Macbeth to commit regicide by questioning his love for her and his own manhood.
Truly, Lady Macbeth does not appreciate the honours King Duncan has bestowed on her husband. She is determined to convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan, “What beast was it, then,That made you tell me about this plan? When you “dared” to do it, then you were a man; And, in order to be more than what you are, you would Be so much more the man.” This shows how selfish she is. She compels him to follow her plan to kill the king instead of celebrating his promotion.
After receiving prophecies from the witches about his future to come, he is forced into an ambition-fuelled madness. As previously mentioned, Macbeth was persuaded to kill King Duncan by his wife due to his debatable manliness. This presented Macbeth’s need to prove to his wife he was manly by being valiant and strong and partaking in violent acts. He responds to his wife’s forceful directives by telling her, “Please stop! I dare do all that may become a man;/ Who dares do more is none” (1.7.46-47). This quote indicates how Macbeth believes a “real” man would not murder, and only due to Lady Macbeth explicitly attempting to manipulate him into action, does he succumb to do so. Macbeth endeavours the heinous crime of murdering the King, all owing to Lady Macbeth’s commands. On more than one occasion Macbeth is seen becoming mad, being overtaken by guilt and concern, highlighting that his manhood does not in fact give him any power, but only draws attention to his lack thereof. The inferiority he has within his relationship, also makes evident that Lady Macbeth’s pressure causes the transpiration of Macbeth’s powerful future. It is clear that Macbeth’s power was affected by his gender, as seen through his desperate need to prove his masculinity. Without the questioning of his manhood, Macbeth would have still been the
In the above passage, Lady Macbeth fears that Macbeth is "too full of...milk." This description reminds us of another instance, when Lady Macbeth says, "Unsex me here...Come to my woman 's breasts / And take my milk for gall" (1.5.38, 45-46). Here, removing milk is equated with removing femininity, demonstrating that milk is an essential part of femininity. Therefore, in saying that Macbeth is "too full o’th’ milk of human kindness," Lady Macbeth worries that Macbeth is too feminine to do what is necessary to become king as quickly as possible (i.e. kill Duncan). Furthermore, she calls it the "milk of...kindness," suggesting that it is the feminine quality of kindness that renders him unable to act. Lady Macbeth further characterizes her definition of femininity, saying, "Stop up the access and passage to remorse, / That no compunctious visitings of nature / Shake my fell purpose" (1.5.42-44). Feelings of remorse are "visitings of nature," suggesting that remorse is a part of the female nature. Emotions such as remorse "shake [her] fell purpose," diminishing her ability to act. According to the Macbeths, femininity is defined by emotions, which stand in the way of
“When you first do it, then you were a man, And to be more than what you were, you would, be so much more the man” (I. VII, 54-56). After struggling with the thought of killing Duncan, Macbeth is reprimanded by Lady Macbeth for his lack of courage. She informs him that killing the king will make him a man, insinuating that he isn’t a man if he doesn’t go through with the murder. This develops Lady Macbeth as a merciless, nasty, and selfish woman. She will say, or do anything to get what she desires, even if it means harming others.
...hers and husbands. Although Lady Macbeth believes she has convinced Macbeth to kill Duncan, she resolves to carry out the deed herself. When Lady Macbeth arrives at the king’s chambers, she cannot execute the king. Lady Macbeth expressly rejects the masculine power that would allow her to wield a dagger. While she makes a case for killing Duncan, even declaring that "had he not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done't" (2.2.12-13). According to Chamberlain, “Lady Macbeth ultimately refuses masculine authority. What she craves instead is an alternative gender identity, one that will allow her to slip free of the emotional as well as cultural constraints governing women” (79). Furthermore, Lady Macbeth’s submissive gender role plays an important part in her failure to kill Duncan because she sees the king as the ultimate symbol of male authority.
Lady Macbeth takes on the traditional role of the masculine, as she is the one who encourages Macbeth to commit regicide. She describes him as ‘too full of the milk of human kindness,’ Lady Macbeth says this because she wants Macbeth and her to be in power. Lady Macbeth is mocking his manhood to goad him into murdering King Duncan to assume power. The effect this has on Macbeth is a negative one, as it makes him paranoid and insane. The reason he took notice is that he could not let Lady Macbeth seem like more of a man than him, so he went through with the
Macbeth attempts to murder King Duncan, but he convinces himself to not kill him. Macbeth returns back to the celebration banquet to talk to Lady Macbeth, telling her that he will not kill King Duncan “We will proceed no further in this business” (Ⅰ vii 33). Lady Macbeth is manifested when she discovers that Macbeth did not kill Duncan. She then again changes Macbeth’s decisions by mocking him of being less of a man “When you durst do it, then you were a man; [a]nd, to be more than what you were, you would [b]e so much more the man” (Ⅰ vii 54-56) and if he were to murder Duncan, he would then be more of a man than he was. Near the end of Macbeth’s conversation with Lady Macbeth, they plan on how they will proceed and kill King Duncan.
Shakespeare is known for strong male heroes, but they are not laying around in this play, not that Macbeth is full of strong female heroines, either. The women in the play, Lady Macbeth and the witches have very uncommon gender belief, and act as inhumane as the men. While the men engage in direct violence, the women use manipulation to achieve their desires. As Lady Macbeth impels Macbeth to kill King Duncan, she indicated that she must take on some sort of masculine characteristic in order to process the murder. “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.” (i v 31-34) This speech is made after she reads Macbeth’s letter. Macbeth, she has shown her desire to lose her feminine qualities and gain masculine ones. Lady Macbeth's seizure of the dominant role in the Macbeth's marriage, on many occasions, she rules her husband and dictates his actions. Her speeches in the first part of the book give the readers a clear impression. “You shall put this night’s great business into my dispatch, which shall […] gi...
Throughout the play we are able to see the change Macbeth has encountered. He started out as a noble thane, content with his life. But as soon as the Three Sisters' have gotten the notion of Power in his head, we see his thrive for power ultimately corrupting him. By studying the impact power has on relationships in Macbeth, it is obvious that Banquo and Macbeth's relationship best represents the impact which the need for power can have on a relationship. This conclusively demonstrates that lust of power can drive people to doing the cruelest things in order to capture it.
Discussing about power and corruption, a British Lord Acton wrote “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” People who argue that “power tends to corrupt” have three main arguments: human has a strong desire for power, power negatively affects one’s mind, and person with absolute power is beyond everything; which will be proved through Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
In conclusion, after analysing the contrasting presentations of Lady Macbeth I have shown how certain events have had a massive influence on the mannerisms and mental state of her character. Macbeth is the tragic hero; mainly good yet thanks to the weakness of his character towards his wife, falls victim to an untimely death. Lady Macbeth is portrayed as so maliciously evil at the start that we find it a true challenge to forgive her at the end.