A Comparison of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
To understand Shakespeare’s tragic play, Macbeth it is necessary to fully comprehend the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. The differences between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are profound. Over the course of the play, Shakespeare skillfully changes the role of the two characters. Macbeth is frightened at the beginning then confident at the end while Lady Macbeth confident at the beginning and frightened at the end.
At the beginning of the play King Duncan hears of Macbeth, the bloody hero. The battle was horrific, but Macbeth was fearless, fighting his way through the enemy and literally cutting the rebel leader in half. King Duncan is suitably impressed by Macbeth's braveness.
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Lady Macbeth at this point has a stronger inner conviction and uses very powerful antilife phrases in an effort to persuade the evil spirits to make Macbeth kill Duncan.
“Come to my woman’s breasts
And take my milk for gall.”
One would assume here that if one of the two were to have the strength of mind to live through this evil tragedy it would be Lady Macbeth. Shakespeare is entering into the very interior of Macbeth's mind allowing the audience to realise further differences between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Macbeth at this stage is going deeper and deeper into the world of evil.
“Nature seems dead, and wicked dreams abuse
The curtained sleep.”
Macbeth realizes that in obtaining the crown by foul play he is devaluing it as the king is meant to be appointed by God. By now, Macbeth is able to have the courage to look into the heart of fear; Lady Macbeth on the other hand is unable to do this.
Following Macbeth's murder of Duncan, Macbeth becomes frightened and unsure of himself. He begins to regret his actions and realises that this will remain on his conscience until his own death.
“Macbeth shall sleep no more”
Conversely Lady Macbeth pushes her knowledge of this sacrilegious act deep inside her, trying to ignore it.
“Consider it not so deeply”
She believes that she will be able to do this with relative ease.
“A little water clears us of this
Lady Macbeth is filled evil schemes, and knows how to achieve her goal of getting her husband into the kingly position. Lady Macbeth is very convincing in her ideas, and does not leave a lot of space to think otherwise. Macbeth is not left much choice but to conform himself to his wife’s mischievous strategy to get him to become king. He is very loyal, and wants to remain so to his king even knowing he would become king if Duncan, the present king, were to die. Lady Macbeth, however, has other plans for Macbeth, and she soon has him convinced to commit an act which will change their lives forever. Macbeth and his wife are truly opposite people, as Macbeth is laid back and easy going, while Lady Macbeth wants everything planned out and will go onward with plans no matter who they affect. She truly does make Macbeth a more interesting person through her evil schemes.
Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ is a character who suffers greatly in because of her human weakness, which is her vaulting ambition. This ambition is not for her, but for her husband. This woman, who seemed so in control at the beginning of the okay, only cared for her husband and his success, later becomes so consumed with guilt and remorse that it results in her tragic death. Through the discussion of characterisation and lkey scenes, I shall reveal that Lady Macbeth’s human flaw is not only a major contributor to the ruthlessness of her husband but creates a huge influence in how the play unfolds.
Macbeth is confused as he is arguing with himself on what he should do. He states reasons not to kill Duncan, because Macbeth is his noble kinsmen and the act would bring dishonor. However, he also states reason why he should kill him, because Macbeth will then become king and fulfill the witches ' fortune. Lady Macbeth, who appears in the beginning as the driving force for the murder of King Duncan, also develops internal conflict. At first, Lady Macbeth seems to be a woman of extreme confidence and will. But, as situations become more and more unstable in the play, guilt develops inside her. For instance, she exclaims; "Wash your hands. Put on your nightgown. / Look not so pale. I tell you again, Banquo 's / Burried; he cannot come out on 's grave" (Shakespeare V, ii, 65-67). Lady Macbeth sleepwalks and frets about her evil wrongdoings because she is extremely guilty of her influence on Macbeth to commit the murder. Lady Macbeth reacts emotionally and dwells on her actions as guilt eats at her soul.
Lady Macbeth’s strength of will persists through the murder of King Duncan as it is she who tries to calm Macbeth after committing the crime by declaring confidently that, “a little water clears us of this deed,” (2.2.67). Afterward, however, Lady Macbeth’s strong and ambitious character begins to deteriorate into madness. Her first sign of weakness occurred when she confessed that she could not have killed the king, revealing a natural woman’s feelings, “had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done’t” (2.2.13-14). Just as ambition has affected her before more so then Macbeth before the crime, the guilt plagues her now more effectively afterward as she desperately tried to wash away the invisible blood from her sin, “Here’s the smell of the blood still: all the perfume of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand,” (5.1.48-49). Lady Macbeth’s
Although Lady Macbeth is still stronger and more ambitious than Macbeth the killing of Duncan is the point where the gap starts to narrow. She calls Macbeth a coward when he tries to back out of the plan and is the driving force that causes Macbeth to kill Duncan. She also shows strength when Macbeth returns from the murder and she tells him "These deeds must not be thought after these ways. So, it will make us mad". But when she has to go kill the guards she starts to lose some of her composure. Upon return to their room Lady Macbeth is just as shook up as Macbeth. This shows how Lady Macbeth is mostly talk and starts to weaken when the murders begin and the pressure sets in.
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth the reader watches as Macbeth changes gradually as the play endures. He are transforms from a loyal person with a loving and loyal disposition with other people, into a tyrants who are willing to kill in order to keep himself on the throne. He is tormented with fear, regret, and guilt. When someone does something they know is wrong it causes them to fall prey to their own emotions.
In acts 1 and 2 of the play “Macbeth” by Shakespeare, the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are presented to the audience through soliloquies and dialogue between the two. Macbeth is presented as brave, ambitious and guilty in Acts 1 and 2 of the play through the way others describe him, what he says and how he internally feels, and Lady Macbeth is presented as being determined and driven.
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as they both in turn take on the role of the
In the play, “Macbeth”, the character that stands out the most is Lady Macbeth. Her role in this story is significant, she is an evil, ruthless, and ambitious person. She is responsible for the murders that her husband commits because she was bloodthirsty for the crown. In fact, she then becomes more eager to get the crown than Macbeth himself and soon realizes that once you commit one violent act, there is almost no way of ever turning back. An analysis of Lady Macbeth reveals that she is a powerful character who adds complexity and depth to a play about murder, madness, and revenge.
As the main motivator to Macbeth’s actions, Lady Macbeth is a character whose ambition and greed lead her and her husband to their inevitable fate of death. Lady Macbeth’s relentlessness, as well as her longing for power, generate an emotion of endless pain and suffering
Lady Macbeth is more power hungry and ambitious then Macbeth is. She, through ambition she gives the finial push to Macbeth to kill Duncan the king of Scotland. Her power however, is not driven by the sisters, hers is greed. She wants to be Queen, she wants the power of being Queen. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeths ambition is tragic flaw. Her ambition drives her to her to go crazy which ultimately drives her to her death. There is an instance where she is sleep walking, eyes open. She goes to her vanity and sits down, she looks at her hands a sees blood. Then she sticks her hand in the water bowl and attempts to wash them. When she pulls them back out the blood did not wash away. Only she can see the blood her maid and doctor see this happening and they just think that she is going crazy. This is only the beginning of her insaneness. Just before her death she vilely reads a letter that Macbeth sent to her, telling her that he was to be King some how. It is her guilt that kills her.
Throughout this chaotic time in Scotland, many characters within act III of Macbeth occur to be experiencing mental battles about distressing problems. Two of these characters include Lady Macbeth and even the main character, Macbeth. Lady Macbeth’s mental battle encompasses dealing with Macbeth’s grief and obvious loss of sanity. Throughout this play, she is able to witness her husband’s dramatic transformation from a strong, noble man to one that is weak and unconfident in his abilities which can especially be seen in act III. Within act III, scene ii, Lady Macbeth advises Macbeth that “tis safer to be that which we destroy / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy,” and continues on to say that he “must leave this” regret and killing behind (8-9,37).
In the story of Macbeth there were different characters with many different characteristics. In the story, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth shared a variety of different traits. MacBeth being the main character begins very confused. He doesn’t understand why he gains the title of the thane of cawdor. He feels as though he’s getting put in clothes which he doesn't own and he’s very bewildered.
All throughout his play, ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare excogitates the inevitable obliteration emanating from unrestrained ambition. He exposes in Act I Scene VII, the inner turmoil which plagues Macbeth succeeding the witches’ prophecy of his future as King of Scotland. A glimpse into Macbeth’s soul in this soliloquy enables the audience to analyze Macbeth’s character and state of mind at that specific moment, to gain a better perspective of Duncan’s character, to acquire information necessary to follow the play, and to foreshadow Macbeth’s future actions. These four purposes of Macbeth’s first soliloquy will be further discussed in the
Everyone is born with a capacity for great evil. The idea of freedom and absence of law alters our character to ignore values and virtues, exposing our egotistic personality. Over the course of the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, unchecked ambitions awakens evil within characters, allowing them to be compared and contrasted. In the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth is initially presented as a confident yet ruthless individual who lacks concern for the well being of others. Meanwhile, Macbeth, the new Thane of Cawdor is able to maintain loyalty to King Duncan but also Scotland, being a character that easily obtains sympathy from the audience. Therefore, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth can be compared and contrasted to one another for their apparent similarities and differences in character. This is achieved by examining their personalities, decisions made and the conflicts they are involved in.