Macbeth or Lady Macbeth

Shakespeare’s Macbeth introduces numerous characters whom possess traits of genuine humility and righteousness and genuine insanity and greed. Taking a closer look at the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, there is a noticeable difference in each of these characters’ analysis of being wicked. Although both characters originally act together as deceitful, murderous, and heartless individuals, Macbeth continues to be overcome by this dark persona. Thus concluding, that Macbeth displays a more wicked character than Lady Macbeth does because he lacks emotional suffering, he becomes that which he originally suppressed, and because he carries a paranoia around him that is distinctively malicious. Macbeth lacks emotional suffering. This particular trait, which makes him appear more wicked than Lady Macbeth, occurs throughout the play. In the occurrences of death of close ones, Macbeth illustrates no remorse or distress about the situation. Taking for example, his response as he is informed of his wife’s death, “She should have died hereafter.” (V.v.20). He continues to live and breathe as if the death never occurred or as if the death was that of some stranger. Particular scenes such as the death of his wife, death of Macduff’s family, death of everyone he has vowed to kill, further specify those times to which his response can be considered heartless and cold. Furthermore, his response to the hallucinations from the weird sisters continues to show that Macbeth lacks emotion. This being, because Macbeth witnesses and is made aware of those who will die because of his encounter with him, instead of initially having feelings of guilt and anger, he feels satisfaction and laughter at their tragic future. A response to the second appari... ... middle of paper ... ...eep walking incidents. She breaks down mentally and takes away her life because of it. She also does not decide to continue killing and is eventually left out of the loop of the later happenings of treasonous acts committed by Macbeth and company. In final analysis, Macbeth portrayed a more wicked character than Lady Macbeth did soon after Duncan’s death. It appears as if he needed that initial start from Lady Macbeth in order to exert his full malevolent potential amongst those around him. His later actions are not a response or means of a coping mechanism to the mental instability he suffered after Duncan’s death, they are more so representations and proof that evil did co-exist and was just lingering within him, waiting for the right moment to strike and stay alive. Macbeth definitely outshines Lady Macbeth on the wicked scale, and there is no argument there.