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Analysis of Macbeth in Shakespeare
Character analysis of Lady Macbeth and her influence in the play Macbeth
Character analysis of Lady Macbeth and her influence in the play Macbeth
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In this scene, Macbeth opens up with his own soliloquy debating on whether or not he should kill King Duncan for his own chance at the crown. Lady Macbeth ultimately convinces Macbeth to go through with her plan to kill the king and strategizes the whole ordeal. During Macbeth’s soliloquy his location is not specified; however, he must have gone to a secluded area in his house to have time to contemplate his decision as Lady Macbeth later finds him asking why he left the dining room. Macbeth can be categorized as faithful both to Duncan since he decides by his own accord to stay loyal to the king and not betray him. While Macbeth voices his conflict about killing Duncan, he says “We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honored me as of late, and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people” (1.7.25–28). This demonstrates Macbeth’s lingering loyalty towards the king and his own conclusion to keep serving the king and the people of Scotland. Lady Macbeth can be categorized as confident and self-assertive as she convinces Macbeth to through with her plan to kill Duncan. When Macbeth tells his wife that he will not go through with the plan, she responds …show more content…
His quick change in hearts suggests how easily it is to persuade Macbeth. Having Macbeth vulnerable to influence is problematic because Macbeth could easily be persuaded to the side of fair or foul. Also, this makes it unclear if Macbeth will go through killing Macbeth so it would be difficult to determine if he would do the same to others to become king. I liked the character of Lady Macbeth the most because Shakespeare describes her as powerful and confident. Surprisingly, Lady Macbeth is the one to strategize the plan to kill Duncan which makes her appear cunning. With Lady Macbeth by Macbeth’s seems to give him more courage as he decides to go with his wife’s
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a trusted soldier, who is honest and noble. Unfortunately, he meets three witches who tell him three prophecies; that he will become thane of Cawdor, that he will become king and that Banquo’s sons will become kings. These three prophecies slowly change his opinions on life and turn him into a greedy, dishonest, tyrant, full of ambition. Lady Macbeth’s thoughts change as well when she is told about the three prophecies that were told to Macbeth. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is ambitious, controlling and domineering. She is the one who encourages him to kill the king, she not only encourages him, she makes all the plans herself, which shows her determination and persistence."Yet I do fear thy nature, it is too full o’th milk of human kindness. To catch the nearest way thou wouldst be great. Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it." (Act 1, scene 5). Lady Macbeth is the force behind Macbeth’s sudden ambition and she tries to manipulate him into feeling guilty and unmanly for not following through with the murder, by using her husbands emotions, she manages to convince Macbeth to murder Duncan.
Lady Macbeth takes the role of the dominant partner in the beginning of the play, by acting as the real power behind the throne. For example, it is easily recognized that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are opposite in many ways (Scott 236). He is weak, indecisive, and takes on the traditional female role of the marriage; she is strong, decisive, and takes on the traditional male role. One place in the play where Macbeth’s character is shown is Act I, Scene 5, Lines 15-17. She says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promis’d : yet do I fear thy nature / Is too full o’ the milk of human kindness.” This is just after Lady Macbeth receives the letter from Macbeth. It is also important to notice that when Macbeth’s first thoughts of killing Duncan appear, he is scared. After he commits the murder, Macbeth says, “To know my deed, ‘twere best not know myself ” ( 2. 2. 72 ). Knowing that he has committed such a vile act makes him uncomfortable. It will be difficult to act innocent and deal with his guilt.
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...
When Macbeth was off at war, and told Lady Macbeth that the witches greeted him as Thane of Cawdor, and King of Scotland before he received those titles, she was probably scheming on how to fulfill those before he returned home. Once home, they had King Duncan stay at Dunsinane. Lady Macbeth then b-tches at her husband and ridicules his masculinity in order to make him commit murder (Friedlander). Macbeth reluctantly murders Duncan, even though he wanted to wait and have it all play out without killing anyone. When he went to the well to wash off his hands he speaks of his remorse, and lady Macbeth finds out that he did not implicate the guards, so she tells him to go do it.
Macbeth is put together with many character traits. He is a very complex character. In the beginning Macbeth was brave and loyal. He won the battle of Norway and became the Thane of Cawdor. For brave Macbeth disdainding fortune with his brandished steel which smoked with bloody execution( ACT1 SC2 LNS18-20). Macbeth is also a gullible man, when he runs into the witches he believes them when they say, all hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter(act1 sn2 line 50) . He is so gullible to what these witches said that he killed his best friend Banquo and nearly kills Banquo's son. Macbeth also was convinced by his wife to kill Duncan. Macbeth conscious becomes guilty after he kills Duncan when he said, will all great neptunes ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?(act2 sn2 lines 79-80). He is thinking that nothing can take back the murders he had committed.
When Macbeth is confronted and chided by Lady Macbeth for his cowardice, he reluctantly agrees to kill Duncan. It is evident that Lady Macbeth is hunger for power Lady Macbeth’s manipulation and dominance over her husband is evident when she demands Macbeth to prove his ‘masculinity by killing Duncan.
In the beginning of the play Macbeth showed his love for Lady Macbeth in many different ways. He told her his feelings toward her "My dearest love" (act I, scene v, l 58). Macbeth listens to what Lady Macbeth has to say, and takes her advice into consideration every time he makes a decision. He also has great love for her and tries his best to make her happy no matter what it takes. Lady Macbeth convinced Macbeth that he wasn't a man unless he went through with the murder of Duncan. She threatens his manhood by saying
25-26), expressing nothing but loyalty to his ruler; not 30 lines later though he thinks to himself how he must “o’erleap” (iv. 56) the Prince of Cumberland, the rightful heir, if he is to become king. Macbeth appears to be a faithful servant of the king, but he is fantasizing and ultimately falling toward the path of a wretched murderer. Macbeth even has a dichotomous relationship with Lady Macbeth. The couple, in terms of their love for each other, is unfailing; they call each other “dearest partner” (v. 11) and “dearest love” (v. 67), earnestly at each other’s sides. However, there is a corruption to their love, symbolic of Mars triumphing over Venus. The love between them is so great that, instead of Lady Macbeth talking her husband out of murder, she encourages it, revealing corruptness even in their affections for each other. By the end of the act, Macbeth finds himself in the ultimate self-conflict. He hushes Lady Macbeth, saying “We will proceed no further in this [murder] (vii. 34), but in a moment he has already changed his mind again, setting out to kill the king. Macbeth is a character of self-contrast and self-conflict, made ever-evident in Act I of
... Lady Macbeth because of her single minded determination to become queen and her overpowering, manipulative and often cruel behaviour towards Macbeth. This is cleverly portrayed by Shakespeare as women in that era were regarded as inferior in the mind, will and body. Alternatively, men were superior yet Lady Macbeth was able to take control and overrule Macbeth. This is how Lady Macbeth’s character became so cold and calculating. Her role was vital, as Macbeth is tempted to perform evil deeds, Lady Macbeth is the key human agent, the one who Macbeth loves and trusts the most. Lady Macbeth can use this to her advantage to ensure the temptation is completed. I believe Shakespeare was a very accomplished writer and storyteller. The language Shakespeare uses clearly reflects Lady Macbeth’s character and personality. This creates clear impressions in your mind.
Macbeth's desire to become king is strongly supported by his wife, Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is a highly ambitious woman who, like her husband, is willing to do anything to obtain power. Shakespeare uses a series of imagery to vividly portray the desire for power in Lady Macbeth's soliloquy: “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!” To achieve her ambition, Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth “to catch the nearest way.” This means she wants him to kill Duncan so that he can become king. However, she fears that Macbeth is “too full o' th' milk of human kindness” to “catch the nearest way.” When Macbeth is reluctant to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth starts attacking his masculinity. “Then you were a man,” she said. Lady Macbeth also uses the power of emotional blackmail to manipulate Macbeth into killing Duncan.
In these two quotes we see that there is a disagreement that continues through the entire scene. Macbeth decides that he does not want to murder Duncan and that is final and that the discussion is over. Lady Macbeth on the other hand feels that Macbeth is being a coward and that he should think about what he is doing before he makes up his mind. Slowly throughout the scene Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth that he should kill Duncan and he finally agrees. This goes to show that the relationship produces a sense of trust and openness. This is due to the fact that Macbeth listens to his wife and finally takes what she has to say into thought and carries through with it. The function of this is to create a sense of hostility amongst the audience. Everyone can't believe that Lady Macbeth is encouraging her husband to kill someone and it really makes them uncomfortable and shifts there mood of love towards Lady Macbeth to hate. This mood of the audience is highened in Act 2 Scene 2 when once again Macbeth has decided that he is going to stop what he is doing although he had already killed Duncan;
“Present fears are less than horrible imaginings. My thought, whose murder is yet but fantastical, shakes so that my single state of man that function is smoldered I surmise and nothing is but what is not.” Macbeth as you can see is thinking about the witches’ prophecy of him becoming king. Macbeth knows that Duncan must be killed if he wants to acquire the throne, and the thought of Duncan’s murder is very disturbing to him. Macbeth desires to become king, but his ambition is halted when he thinks of the consequences that follow if he were to get his wish. However when Malcolm is chosen to become Prince of Cumberland Macbeth knew that if he did not take any actions then he wouldn’t be king. The reader can see that the ruthlessness that lied in Macbeth is coming out when he says “The Prince of Cumberland – that is a step On which I must fall down or else o’erleap, For in my way it lies. Despite the fact that Macbeth is a ruthless individual Lady Macbeth makes him look like a saint. After Lady Macbeth reads her husband’s letter she sees an opportunity to become queen that she probably never thought about. Lady Macbeth’s desire for her husband to become king is stronger than Macbeth’s own desire for the throne. After Lady Macbeth learns that Duncan is going to visit Inverness she begins plotting to kill him even though her husband does show hesitation to kill Duncan.
While speaking to herself, Lady Macbeth contemplates how she will convince Macbeth to agree to kill King Duncan. She urges Macbeth to hurry home so that she can “pour [her] spirits in [his] ear/And chastise with the valor of [her] tongue” (1.5.29-30). Lady Macbeth implies that her speech is honorable and just, and that she will be able to hold persuasive power over Macbeth and use it to their collective advantage in their rise to power. Her confidence in both the high caliber of her words and being able to convince Macbeth to follow through with her plan underscores her cruel ability to lure someone to murder another, as well as her bold resolve to successfully murder Duncan. Later, after a messenger arrives and tells Lady Macbeth that King Duncan will be arriving soon at the castle, she speaks of Duncan’s foreboding future; a “the fatal entrance…under [her] battlements” (Act, Page number, Line). The tone of finality in which Lady Macbeth describes the king’s arrival implies not only that Lady Macbeth already has full confidence that her deadly scheme will succeed,but also in the case that her strategic plan fails, she will persevere to ensure that Duncan does not leave her castle walls alive. Lastly, at the conclusion of her soliloquy, Lady Macbeth claims once she sees Macbeth that she “feel(s) now/The future in the instant” (1.6.64-65).
When the three witches had met with Macbeth, and then he had told his wife, he did not feel sure that murdering the King was right, although he was the King’s savior. When Lady Macbeth hears about the news, she awakens, starts to plot Duncan’s murder and backstabbs Macbeth to kill him. She tells him to ‘be a man and go get what he wants’. At this point, Macbeth doesn’t have a choice. When she thinks that she can kill the King, she cries, “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex
Initially, Macbeth is a confident man battle-hardened and fearless. He cuts an enemy “from naval to jaw” in battle and seeks to gain glory and power. The captain says, “fear brave Macbeth,” and well he deserved that name. Macbeth is a great warrior and never would consider a murderous act before Lady Macbeth’s interference. The witches’ prophesies do not seem feasible to him at first so he does not act upon them. Lady Macbeth is a wicked woman who does much to affect Macbeth’s overall character.