The Role Of Punishment In Macbeth

Sometimes, a criminal only commits a crime because they have been manipulated to believe it is the right thing to do. One such instance is in the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth, a fierce warrior, is told by three witches that he will eventually become King of Scotland. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan so that he can claim the crown. Although Lady Macbeth did not actually commit the murder, she is ultimately the driving force behind Macbeth’s downfall throughout the play. Lady Macbeth is able to control Macbeth through emotional abuse, guilt, and by setting the groundwork for the murder. Lady Macbeth uses many tactics to persuade Macbeth, but her use of emotional
In their argument, Macbeth states that he does not want to murder King Duncan; Lady Macbeth insists, and emotionally abuses him by questioning his masculinity. Lady Macbeth asserts, “’Art thou afearded to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem . . . When you durst do it, then you were a man’” (I.VII.20). Lady Macbeth is emasculating Macbeth, calling him a coward and telling him that he is not a man. By stating this, Lady Macbeth is emotionally abusing Macbeth and causes him to feel insecure. Because Macbeth does not want to be emasculated, he is motivated to kill Duncan to prove to his wife that he is not a coward. Emotional abuse is a powerful form of peer pressure, used to degrade the victim to make them do the bidding of the abuser. In expressed peer pressure, a victim may be challenged to take risks they do not want to in order to improve their standing in the eyes of their peers and assure their acceptance in the group (“Peer Pressure”). In the play, Macbeth is challenged to prove his manhood by murdering King Duncan. By using emotional abuse as an extreme form of peer pressure, Lady Macbeth is able to get what she wants so that she can be Queen. In addition to emotional abuse, Lady Macbeth also manipulates Macbeth through
Lady Macbeth pressures Macbeth into murdering Duncan through emotional abuse, saying that he is a coward and not a man. This abuse causes Macbeth to feel emasculated and insecure, so he wants to prove himself to his wife. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth also uses Macbeth’s promise to her, making him feel guilty about not upholding their agreement. She wants him to feel as if he was breaking the vows of their marriage if he does not go through with the murder. Finally, by drugging the guards, Lady Macbeth convinces her husband that they have gone too far to turn back. She tells him that they would be destroyed if they failed so far into their plan. Although Lady Macbeth did not physically commit the murder, she manipulated Macbeth and convinced him that killing King Duncan was the right thing to