Possession: the indwelling of a demon inside a human person. After reading The Tragedy of Macbeth it is important to consider whether or not Lady Macbeth was possessed during a section of the story. There are three main scenes that directly deal with this possible possession: the convincement of Macbeth, the murder of Duncan, , and the suicide of Lady Macbeth. During these three scenes there can be much conjecture about the possession of Lady Macbeth. She was not possessed; it was all in her head. A powerful speaker is required to convince someone to commit murder, and it seems Lady Macbeth is that and more. Many people will claim she is possessed and that is why she tries to convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, but a closer look at the text will reveal her greed. In Act I scene v Lady Macbeth receives a letter from her husband announcing his recent promotion (Shakespeare 256). Lady Macbeth immediately is not content with this new found power but jumps right into contemplating murder. This is not a sign of possession by something dark, but a stark insight into the character of Lady Macbeth. In the same letter Macbeth calls his wife his ‘dearest partner in greatness’ which shows how different and out spoken Lady Macbeth must be from other women of her day (Shakespeare 256). This was not a common endearment in the days of Lady Macbeth and shows that Macbeth values her opinion. This could be a blessing or in this case a curse seeing how twisted Lady Macbeth’s character seems. During the next three scenes Lady Macbeth shows her overbearing personality when constantly convincing her husband it is a good idea to murder Duncan (Shakespeare 258-66) Macbeth, unlike many men of his time, is quite fickle in his thought. Lady Macbeth with h... ... middle of paper ... ...e been possessed here or before because of her obvious deterioration from the weight she has carried from her known actions. She knows why she carried out the murders and what she was guilty of, and was not possessed and unknowing when it happened. The non-possession of Lady Macbeth seems unquestionable after looking at these three integral scenes from The Tragedy of Macbeth. When considering whether or not a person is indwelt by a dark force it is imperative to consider the experiences of that person’s life before making a decision. The debate of the possession of Lady Macbeth’s possession can be seen in the convincement of Macbeth, the murder of Duncan, and the ensuing suicide of Lady Macbeth. These three life events paint a very convincing picture of the sick mind Lady Macbeth has and that she was not possessed but did all with full knowledge and intent to harm.
Lady Macbeth has a greater control on Macbeth’s actions than any other character in Macbeth apart from the Weïrd Sisters. She is well known for her persuading speeches to her husband, convincing him to fulfill the murder of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth’s manly qualities, and informs him that only when he follows through with the murder that
As Lady Macbeth becomes consumed by fear and guilt, she is slowly losing her sanity. This is a result of her not being able to handle what she has done to Duncan. In one scene, Lady Macbeth is trying to wash out what she sees as being blood on her hands, even though she is sleepwalking, though the doctor and woman in the room dare not blame her for anything, for fear of being accused and executed for treason. At the start, Lady Macbeth was pushing the fearful Macbeth to kill Duncan. Now, late in the play, their roles have reversed, and it is Lady Macbeth who is fearful, not her husband.
Before an exploration of the actual occult, supernatural and other spooky things that happened in Macbeth, it is best to look at the history of witchcraft in the time and how people dealt with the threat of witchcraft. In the 1840s, Wilhelm Gottlieb Soldan believed that witchcraft was actually something that was made up by monks and that it was actually a non-existent crime while German mythologist Jacob Grimm viewed witches as “wise-women persecuted by the church” (Gaskill 1070). Soldan’s view is also shared by Daniel Fischlin, who “argues that witchcraft during James's reign was a constructed political threat to be punished in order that the king's absolute monarchical a...
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.
When Macbeth becomes king he controls almost everyone, from servants to assassins. He even attempts to order the three witches to do his bidding. However, Macbeth’s actions and demeanor later in the play are the result of Lady Macbeth, who holds sway over her husband. It is she who at first coaxes and controls Macbeth, resulting in the change in his personality. The supernatural, in particular the three witches, exert control over both Macbeth and his lady. In fact, it is their influences that initiate the sequence of events, and are therefore an integral part of the play.
He no longer is the innocent soldier he once way, he now has “unclean hands”. Lady Macbeth however, assumes his innocence. She claims she cannot murder Duncan herself because Duncan looks to much like her sleeping father. She is all words and no actions. Macbeth is devoid of any human emotions as the play goes on, and Lady Macbeth assumes the emotional role. Lady Macbeth begins to have dreams in which she cannot get the blood off her hands, and ultimately commits suicide from guilt of her actions. This breakdown of Lady Macbeth really highlights how inhuman the murder of Duncan has made Macbeth.
In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is overly whelmed by the letter she receives about Macbeth. This pushes her to the extreme and causes her to react outrageously. " Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here…make thick my blood…take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers…come thick night." (I;v;40-50) All these images of darkness and horror reveal the true character of Lady Macbeth; she feels the need to become wicked. Her attitude is even more horrific when she calls on evil spirits to come and possess her, taking control of her actions. This sort of behavior causes the audience and reader to assume Lady Macbeth is a psychopath, and therefore would have reason to hold her responsible for having a major impact on her husband and driving him off, enlightening a twisted sinister and threatening dark side of him.
Lady Macbeth is a very loving wife to Macbeth and she wants to do anything she can for him to achieve his goals. She just takes it a little too far, and she puts too much pressure on Macbeth to commit crimes that he is not sure he wants to do. After Macbeth sends her a letter about the witches’ premonitions, Lady Macbeth is no longer the sweet innocent lady we expect her to be. She turns into a person who is just as ambitious as her husband and she wants to do whatever it takes to help him get Duncan out of the way. She even goes to the point of calling Macbeth a coward, and mocking his bravery when he fails to complete the job. She is even willing to do it herself (plant the bloody knife with the guard). Lady Macbeth is constantly putting the pressure on Macbeth to do things that he is not sure about. She almost turns into a bully who dares Macbeth to go out and do evil things. She even says in a soliloquy that she wants to be released of all her morals and values so that she can help him commit these crimes.
To commit the murder of King Duncan Lady Macbeth calls upon “…the spirits that tend on mortal thoughts…”. She evokes evil to commit the deed and loses her identity; I would then argue that if she has lost her identity then she has lost her soul and that, in my opinion, makes her a monster. This is illustrated by her willingness to “…dash the brains out…” of her baby, if she had one. The loss of her feminine qualities exemplifies her knowledge of the consequences of kill...
She is initially able to be involved in the treacherous deeds that are needed to bring about the prophecy quickly, but as the play progresses the weight of the merciless deeds fill her with remorse. The remorse and pain she feels for her wicked ways cause Lady Macbeth to lose control of her life and wither away until the weight of her deeds causes her to die. Lady Macbeth’s wish is partially granted, her mind becomes evil and enables her to do horrific things, but her soul remains pure and unsure of her actions and her remorse for her wicked ways leads to her destruction. Lady Macbeth invokes evil spirits, asking them to grant her extreme cruelty and to feel no remorse or pity for her victims. She asks the evil spirits to grant her these ills so she can take over Macbeth’s prophecy to prevent him from backing out, “Yet do I fear thy
...e of guilt. She went through some psychological incapacity, and had no ability to make decisions. While Macbeth, when hit by guilt, could still make decisions and make some imprudent acts such as murdering again. Even though the murdering caused him to experience glimpse of insanity he could still control his mind so resentment would not take over.
As Macbeth is imagining this ghost of Banquo he is clearly not in a healthy state of mind, he becomes disoriented and confused. Lady Macbeth realizes he is revealing he was responsible for the murder of Banquo and takes him aside to speak to her after using an illness as an excuse for Macbeth’s actions. Her excuse, though, may not be made up. Macbeth seems to be hallucinating more than one time since he murdered King Duncan; the murder may have caused him to develop some kind of mental illness causing all these hallucinations and anxiety he has been experiencing. If Macbeth really had developed a mental disorder, he is more susceptible to the manipulation from Lady Macbeth. She uses her previous method of manipulation on him once again. Aside to Macbeth, she asks, “Are you a man?” (3.4.59) Macbeth tries to defend himself by saying he is brave and courageous but is cut off by Lady Macbeth: “O proper stuff! This is the very painting of your fear. This is the air-drawn dagger which, you said, led you to Duncan. O, these flaws and starts, imposters to true fear, …Shame itself! Why do you make such faces? When all’s done, you look but on a stool.” (3.4.61-69) Lady Macbeth overlooks Macbeth’s fear using his past hallucinations as an excuse for the episode he is demonstrating, overlooking the fact that his fear may be real. She also uses the excuse of him not being a man because he is fearful of the ghost he is seeing. Although Macbeth’s fear is true, his masculinity is so important to him, his mind makes the ghost vanish, only appearing again when he illustrates a sign of fear or any sign of
Lady Macbeth proved to support her husband by using her strengths to make up for his weakness by consoling him during the decline of his insanity. Lady Macbeth becomes afriad that could perhaps expose their devilish doings through his acts and facial expressions. She tells him, “Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t”. It is clear that Macbeth needs support, and without insurance and control from his wife, Macbeth would have fallen apart sooner than later. Although Macbeth committed the murder, it is actually Lady Macbeth who is in control of the assassination. She assures him, “Infirm of purpose! / Give me the daggers The sleeping and the dead/ are but as
Shakespeare’s Macbeth is full of supernatural forces and events. These supernatural forces were a very big role in the creation of a suspenseful atmosphere as well as in the development of the character Macbeth. Additionally, they justified his changing personality, beliefs, and morals. The inclusion of prophetical witches, ghosts, apparitions and visions eventually led to Macbeth’s tragic downfall.
Depending on the version of "Macbeth" and how it was presented, Lady Macbeth came across as strong and forceful in her choice of words. Prior to Macbeth's very first murder of King Duncan, Macbeth had been second guessing himself about whether or not he would follow through with his initial plan. After the dinner party he had hosted Macbeth states, "We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honored me of late, and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people" (I. VII. 32-34). This shows the audience that Macbeth decided not to murder the king because the king thought highly of him. King Duncan was the man whom Macbeth was to protect, his job was to be his host. The audience then hears the harsh words of Lady Macbeth, who questions her husband's manliness. As her words are recognized by Macbeth, he does not show hurt. He tries to explain that a man was to honor his king, not steel the glory from him. As Macbeth becomes more insulted by his evil wife, he gives into the idea of becoming the king himself, he would have all of the land and be honored by all of the people. Here, Lady Macbeth has convinced and pressured her husband into murdering their guest. Throughout th...