Macbeth as a Fiend-Like Queen in William Shakespeare's Play
The play Macbeth was written in the 17th Century when
a typical woman of the Jacobean period looked up to her husband. She
would be expected to dedicate her life towards looking after her
husband and children. She would be dominated by him and her husband
would be the leading figure of the household so she would also be
submissive and obedient. In “Macbeth” Lady Macduff represents this
figure.
Lady Macbeth however is the antithesis of Lady Macduff as Lady Macbeth
is dominant over her husband, also she is strong, demanding and
unquestionably manly. In the Jacobean period this would have scared
the audience as they would see this as inhuman in a woman.
Even though Lady Macbeth is shown as an unusual person in the play it
starts off with Macbeth writing a letter to her and in this Macbeth
shows his love towards her. The fact that Macbeth has written a letter
for Lady Macbeth rather than waiting to see her shows that he loves
her deeply.
Macbeth is possessive in that he calls Lady Macbeth
“my”, Macbeth describes Lady
Macbeth using superlatives “my dearest” showing that there is no other
person who is a dear to him, he then uses the word partner which shows
that he’s sees it as an equal partnership where no-one is dominant.
Their relationship is sharing, trusting and totally open with good
communication. He finishes the phrase off with the word greatness
which shows his respect for her “my dearest partner of greatness”.
Although Lady Macbeth has spoken as if her relationship between
herself and Macbeth is on equal groundin...
... middle of paper ...
...en down.
Lady Macbeths earlier actions of praying to darkness is a contrast to
her current actions as she walks around with a candle as she is scared
that when she dies she will go to hell, and she is willing to try
anything to prevent this. Lady Macbeth realises the only answer to her
problem is death as she is insane and there is no going back on what
she has done.
My conclusion is that whether you feel sorry for Lady Macbeth towards
the end of the play or not, she is not fiend like. Although she is not
fiend like she is wrapped up in her own scheme which has no turning
back and only gets worse and worse making her appear fiend like. The
audience would also realise that the moral of the story is not to be
greedy as it is greed that makes Macbeth unhappy and also takes Lady
Macbeths humble yet happy life away.
mental illness in which she is addicted to committed suicide and wont rest in peace until
There is no one to listen to her or care for her ‘personal’ opinions. Her husband cares for her, in a doctor’s fashion, but her doesn’t listen to her (Rao, 39). Dealing with a mentally ill patient can be difficult, however, it’s extremely inappropriate for her husband to be her doctor when he has a much larger job to fulfill. He solely treats his wife as a patient telling her only what could benefit her mental sickness rather than providing her with the companionship and support she desperately needs. If her husband would have communicated with her on a personal level, her insanity episode could have been prevented. Instead of telling her everything she needed he should’ve been there to listen and hear her out. Instead she had to seek an alternate audience, being her journal in which he then forbids her to do. All of this leads to the woman having nobody to speak or express emotion to. All of her deep and insane thoughts now fluttered through her head like bats in the Crystal Cave.
Power is a theme used by Shakespeare throughout the play Macbeth. The plot involves Macbeth trying to gain more power. Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan so that he will become king in his place. Macbeth also is persuaded to kill anyone who threatens his chances of being king, including Banquo. Power is used by certain characters in the play to influence others. One such character is Lady Macbeth. In the beginning of the play, she is a strong-willed character. She takes on the role of a dominant male. She has great influence over her husband, who appears to be weaker than she is. It is her influence that convinces Macbeth to murder Duncan. Lady Macbeth is the dominant partner at the beginning of the play, she persuades Macbeth to achieve his goal, and she plans the murder of Duncan.
...portant than anything and she did not let anyone or anything stop her from her main goal. This plays themes were based on love, passion, rage and vengeance.
Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. As she is Macbeth’s wife, her role is significant in his rise and fall from royalty. She is Macbeth’s other half. During Shakespearean times, women were regarded as weak insignificant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Though in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the highest influence in Macbeth’s life. Her role was so large; in fact, that she uses her position to gain power, stay strong enough to support her unstable Lord, and fails miserably while their relationship falls apart. Everything about Lady Macbeth is enough to create the perfect villain because of her ability to manipulate everyone around her. It appears that even she can’t resist the perfect crime.
that it is cruel and unjust and a sin against God, and what she has
After analysing Lady Macbeth’s character, I able to conclude that I don’t fully agree with Malcolm’s description of lady Macbeth. Many scenes in this play manage to convince us of her association with the devil. However, some parts lead us to believe that she is not entirely evil and that she is capable of remorse. Lady Macbeth is an ambitious lady, led by her thirst for power. She is capable of unpleasant deeds, some so atrocious, they would have been unheard of by a lady at her time, getting her exactly what she desires.
Throughout the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the protagonist Macbeth undergoes an immense amount of change. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is a very loyal and respected scottish man on and off the battlefield. But as time progressed, with the help of his wife and the three weird sisters, Macbeth begins to develop a dangerous lust for power leaving many dead and the country of Scotland in shambles. In the end Macbeth's once loyal and honorable stature was destroyed by his false confidence of being an almighty ruler, and in actuality becoming a mad tyrant.
The Relationship Between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare's Play In the early stages of the play, the Macbeths seem to be devoted. couple. I am a little bit a bit a bit a bit Their love and concern for each other remains strong and constant throughout the play, but their relationship changes. dramatically following the murder of King Duncan in Act 2.
believes in Christ; however Vianne is not the least bit afraid of showing her very
At the start of the play Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are seen as a united
With close reference to and comparison of act 1 scene 5 and act 5 scene 1, explain what you learn about Lady Macbeth’s role and character in the play
William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the history of English literature as well as the world’s paramount playwright. Possibly the most superlative writing attribute he possessed was his unmatched ability of characterization. Shakespeare created unique, opaque, and eminent characters who related to almost everyone. When one thinks of these famous characters, Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth comes into consideration. Macbeth is possibly Shakespearian Theatre’s densest and most disturbed character, and this prestigious title can be credited to his obvious psychological problems. The troubled mind of Macbeth can be related to several modern day psychological problems.
Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is presented as an evil, cold-hearted person, but, when it comes to the actual act of committing the murder, Lady Macbeth does not commit murder. In the end, it is Macbeth who plunges the knife into Duncan’s heart. Lady Macbeth had planned the whole murder, brought the daggers, and even intoxicated the guards, but it is Macbeth who ultimately killed Duncan. After the crime is committed, it is Macbeth who collapses and Lady Macbeth who smears blood on the guards to complete their plan. From Lady Macbeth actions, it is readily apparent that she is physiologically and physical capable of committing murder, but why does she not? Lady Macbeth is unable to kill Duncan because of the 1600s notion of how a woman should be, Macbeth, being a man should, be the one to seek power, and Lady Macbeth’s feminine qualities forbid her to commit such a crime.
There is arguments to whether or not this statement is true or not; Lady Macbeth is the most interesting character in the play and without her there is no play. One would say Macbeth would’ve still been capable of coming up with back stabbing Duncan without Lady Macbeth. Another would say Lady Macbeth forced Macbeth into believing that was the right decision. It all depends on your perspective and how you look at the roles of the characters.