The Slow Unraveling Destruction of Ambition Does the common ambition that draw Macbeth and Lady Macbeth together ultimately tear them apart? Shakespeare clearly establishes that Macbeth considers Lady Macbeth his true match (1.5.10-13). Their common desire for power makes them appear to be a great partnership at the start of the play. This partnership gives the illusion to others that they are in love and even King Duncan mistakes Macbeth’s excitement to share his desire for the throne with Lady Macbeth for love or fondness, noting that Macbeth is "sharp as his spur" to see Lady Macbeth (1.6.21-24). Consumed with the hope of the prophecy, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth become obsessed with the pursuit of the throne. This united …show more content…
He writes to tell her about his granted title, the witch’s prophecies and his thoughts about the future. Macbeth even seeks Lady Macbeth’s approval and opinion on whether he should act on the prophecy. They are single minded in their ambition, and neither withholds thoughts or feelings from one another, including the willingness to discuss murdering King Duncan. At this point in the play, the audience can see that the discussion of the king’s murder begins to fracture the emotional connection between the husband and wife. The soliloquy in Act 1, Scene 5 shows the inner thoughts of Macbeth and while he does tell Lady Macbeth that he does not want to kill Duncan, he is not honest about his reasons. It is the first time that he has not completely confided in her. As the play continues, Macbeth leaves Lady Macbeth out of the plotting and planning as shown when he tells her to “be innocent of the knowledge” (3.2.46) of his plans to kill Banquo and Fleance. Other than allowing her to protect him from outsider’s view of his reputation, Macbeth has silenced his wife and no longer confides in her, indicating that their emotional connection has been broken. In the ultimate emotional separation, Macbeth shows no remorse for the loss of his wife when he hears of Lady Macbeth’s suicide and utters, "she should have died hereafter, there would have been a time for such a word" (5.5.17-18), …show more content…
At the start of the play, Macbeth calls Lady Macbeth “my dearest partner of greatness” (1.5.10-13), but after the murder of Duncan he downgrades his affection terms for her and calls her his “dearest chuck” (3.2.46), symbolizing that he no longer values her as an equal, but now see her as his little pet. This also marks the time in the play when he stops confiding in her. Likewise, upon returning from battle, Lady Macbeth greets Macbeth warmly and calls him the “king that shalt be” (1.5.3). Consumed by her ambition, Lady Macbeth begins a cruel, evil manipulation of Macbeth to compel him to kill the king. She calls him a coward and questions his manhood. She threatens that she will judge the level of his love based on whether he kills Duncan as shown when she states "from this time / Such I account thy love" (1.7.38-39). Lady Macbeth’s willingness to say anything necessary to make Macbeth perform the murder, which he does not want to commit, shows the deterioration in their relationship and communication. The ultimate deterioration of their relationship is her death and the heartless words he uses to describe it confirm the complete demise of the
After the slaughter of his former comrade, Macbeth explains to his wife, “Strange things I have in head that will to hand/Which must be acted ere they may be scanned” (3.4.137-140). This assertion from Macbeth paves the path for his future misdeeds. Lady Macbeth is concerned by her husband’s announcement and responds with, “You lack the season of all natures, sleep” (3.4.141). Lady Macbeth believes that her husband has lost his sanity. She no longer supports Macbeth’s murderous plans, and resents his new impulsivity. Following this conversation, Macbeth continues to kill harmless people, such as Macduff’s wife and children. He implies that he will no longer think about his actions before completing them, which is a deranged approach to life. The change in Macbeth’s behavior reshapes Lady Macbeth’s personality. She realizes that “what’s done cannot be undone” (5.1.57). Lady Macbeth now recognizes the lasting impact of the murders on herself and her husband. Initially Lady Macbeth approves Duncan’s murder, as it leads to her queenship. Her sadism and zeal for power declines after Macbeth’s killing spree. Lady Macbeth’s newfound heart is the outcome of her husband’s wicked
After Macbeth's deed was done, he would of succumb to his guilt if it weren't for lady Macbeth. His paranoia started to get the best of him. Macbeth thinks that someone has heard him commit the crime, " I have done the deed, didst thou not hear a noise? " (Macbeth, II, II, 15) The good Lady tells Macbeth she heard nothing, she is comforting him by reassuring him that no one heard a thing, " I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. Did not you speak? " (Macbeth, II, II, 16 - 17) Macbeth feels guilt and pity for what he has done to Duncan, he looks down on himself. [looking at his hands] " This is a sorry sight. " (Macbeth, II, II, 22). Lady Macbeth comes through and shows Macbeth comfort and strength before he loses it and does something irrational. When Macbeth returns to his chamber after killing Duncan and Lady Macbeth learns that he didn't carry out the end of the plan, the reader sees a moment of panic in Lady Macbeth. She quickly regains her composure, though, and decides that she must complete the plan herself. She says to Macbeth, "Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead are but ...
After being told that her husband could potentially be the next king, Lady Macbeth was quick to say that Macbeth should kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth was the one that came up with the whole plan to kill Duncan and intoxicate the guards, that way it will look like they were the ones who did it. Macbeth killed Duncan, but after doing so he is extremely troubled and stressed out. He comes walking out from the room with the daggers in his hands. Lady Macbeth orders him to go put the daggers back, to which Macbeth refuses. Lady Macbeth grabs the daggers from his hands and goes back to the king’s room to leave the daggers (Act II, scene II). She then proceeds to tell Macbeth to return to bed and if woken up, pretend like they have been sleeping this whole time. Lady Macbeth, even though she should not be in this time period, is the emotionally strong one in her relationship with Macbeth. She keeps her fasade up and we only see her actual feelings a couple times. Despite that, Lady Macbeth is a dynamic character and change quite drastically throughout the play. Lady Macbeth becomes less white-hearted. However, due to the guilt after the murder and the stress from constantly looking after her husband, Lady Macbeth takes her own life (Act V, scene
After Lady Macbeth reads his letter and Macbeth arrives home, she is excited about becoming queen. She asks Macbeth when King Duncan is to be arriving and tells Macbeth to leave the plan up to her, his only job being that he has to look innocent and hide their true intentions. Macbeth seems to be stunned and nervous, telling his wife that they will talk later when she begins to tell him of her plan. In the seventh scene, at the castle, Macbeth speaks of the intense guilt he is feeling even before he is to kill Duncan; “… this even-handed justice/ Commends the ingredients of our poisoned/ Chalice to our own lips…” (1. 7. 10-12) (Shakespeare), “… He’s here in double trust…” (1. 7. 12) (Shakespeare), “… Besides, this Duncan/ Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been/ So clear in his great office…” (1. 7. 17-19)(Shakespeare) all express Macbeth’s discomfort with murdering Duncan to steal the throne. Not only does he convey these emotions during this monologue, but he does so when Lady Macbeth enters the room, saying “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…” (1. 7. 32-34) (Shakespeare). To respond to this, Lady Macbeth does what she does best: emasculating her husband. She first articulates her questioning of his manhood after she reads Macbeth’s letter in the first act when she says “Yet do I fear thy nature;/ It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness…” (1. 5. 2-3) (Shakespeare), which contrasts with the heroic description the dying Captain gives of Macbeth in the opening scene. After Macbeth tells his wife that he is calling off the plan to kill King Duncan, she
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.
The Relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Throughout the play of "Macbeth" written by William Shakespeare there is an on-going relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This relationship is one of the functions of the play that creates most of the actions, reactions, moods, feelings and attitudes. Macbeth's relationship with his wife was not always great. This is shown in one of there conversations; MACBETH: "We will proceed no further in this business: He hath honour'd me of late; and I have bought Golden opinions from all sorts of people, Which would be worn now in their newest gloss, Not cast aside so soon. "(Macbeth,I,vii, )
At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is introduced as a dominant, controlling, heartless wife with an obsessive ambition to achieve kingship for her husband. Her weak, sheltered, unsure and unstable condition is only revealed at the end of the play. However, the audience begins to see hints of this hidden nature by the manner in which Macbeth addresses her. Contrary to her supposed ruthless nature, her husband regards her as a pure being. He attempts to shield her from foreign agencies by saying, “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,” (III.II.45). It is only in private that Lady Macbeth shows her weaknesses.
Lowe argues that Macbeth constantly presses the witches to reveal more, and acts under his own accord to commit the act of murder. The witches merely state that Macbeth will become king; they do not order him to kill Duncan. Lowe concludes that Macbeth is a culpable human, acting on his own ambition with help from the Witches. Macbeth, from a causation standpoint, reveals that the initial meeting with the Witches caused the downfall of Macbeth. Lowe states “Metaphorically speaking, the witches give Macbeth a flame, but Macbeth lit himself on fire and kept feeding that fire until he was completely destroyed. Thus, it can hardly be argued that Macbeth is a pawn of fate, a victim of circumstance. Rather, Macbeth creates his own tragic circumstance, freely murdering his way to his demise” (Lowe, 2005). Lady Macbeth also forces her own will upon Macbeth, calling him a coward to prick at his sides. The threat of being considered a coward in the eyes of his lover is more important than the problems anf implications of committing a murder. Macbeth values his self worth and personal gain than the life of his friends and allies. The murder of Banquo is what ultimately leads to his demise, says Lowe. Macbeth’s guilt takes the form of a ghost, coercing Macbeth into admitting his involvement in the murder of Banqou. This leads to the separation of Macbeth’s troops, whom later come to kill him in the final act. The Witches’ “prophecy” of kingship and grandeur, Macbeth’s senseless killings, and ultimately his guilt and remorse, are enough to make Macbeth believe he is acting out his
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.
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
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
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
But he wont, so she insults him more, and goes to do it herself. Lady Macbeth was the initial force to make this entire play roll along. Macbeth was comfortable where he was, he was curious about the fact the witches stated, but he didn't want to force it to work. After Lady Macbeth's help in the killing of Duncan, the only influence she has upon him is to keep everything to themselves. At the party after Banquo's murder, Lady Macbeth tries to calm Macbeth, and tell him that what he sees is only an illusion, and not to worry about Banquo, and to shut up because his fit may show everyone that they are the murders of Duncan and Banquo.
This proves his vaulting ambition and how it had taken over Macbeth. Macbeth continues to murder Banquo and does so out of fear of losing the throne. This is evident in (III, i, 47 – 50) where Macbeth says “…To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus. – Our fears in Banquo stick deep, and in his royalty of nature reigns that which would be fear’d…” this demonstrates Macbeths fear and the threat he faces. Macbeth says that Banquo’s royalty of nature should be feared, through this we are able to understand that Macbeth is evidently lost his grasp on his moral conscience and begins to take down any threat he sees, even if that threat is his best friend. Macbeth goes on to refer to Banquo as his enemy and although he could kill him himself, he fears to offend mutual friend they may have (III, i, 115 – 120). Macbeth then orchestrates the murder of Banquo and Fleance showing no remorse. Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that she should appear innocent and act nicely as to not draw any suspicion to themselves. “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed…” (III, ii, 46 – 47). Although Macbeth still refers to Lady Macbeth as his dearest chuck he has planned the murder by himself and without any help, demonstrating his inherent evil nature. Macbeth’s quest for power not only ends his life, but he continues the murders due to malice. When Macbeth plans to murder the
At the end of the play this character feels guilt for what she has done and has taken the personality, which was that of her husband in the beginning.At the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth speaks and shows her shows how cruel and heartless she really is; "And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty". This shows she has no good in her, what so ever. Macbeth on the other hand, began as a good respectable character. When Lady Macbeth speaks of killing Duncan, he gives many reasons for reasons that he could not do so. Some of the reasons he gives in that speech are, that Duncan respects him, and trusts Macbeth. Duncan is also related to him by blood, and if he were to kill him he would never be able to rid himself of the guilt; wash the blood from his hands.At the climax of the play Macbeth makes plans to kill Banquo, with out Lady Macbeth, without anyone.