How Does Lady Macbeth Kill Duncan

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In act 1 scene 7, Shakespeare characterizes Lady Macbeth as controlling. After King Duncan of Scotland arrives at the Macbeth estate, Macbeth contemplates the benefits of killing Duncan versus the harms of doing so. Macbeth concludes that it would be unjust to kill Duncan because not only has Duncan given Macbeth praise for defeating the Thane of Cawdor, but Duncan is a very popular monarch. When Macbeth tells his wife “We will proceed no further in this business” (34), the response from Lady Macbeth is “Art thou afeard” (43). This calls in Macbeth’s bravery into question through the use of “afeard”. The word “afeard” denotes that he is scared and carries the implication that he is not brave enough to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s taunt is extremely

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