The Breakdown of Lady Macbeth in William Shakespeare's Macbeth
Throughout the play of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth goes through several
drastic personality changes, which finally leads her to breakdown. In
some ways I feel the breakdown and collapse of lady Macbeth is quite
unexpected, but on the other end of the scale it could be seen to be
inevitable. I will cover the points for and against, how the collapse
could be seen to be surprising and how it could have been expected.
When we first meet Lady Macbeth, in the play, she has just read the
letter from Macbeth, in which Macbeth speaks of… " What greatness is
promised" … and of the witches predicting him to be… "King
hereafter"…But Lady Macbeth, in her soliloquy, asks of whether Macbeth
is worthy of the position as the king as she expresses him as … " too
full o' the milk of human kindness"…as if he doesn't make the grade
and that Macbeth has the … "ambition"… but not the …"illness"… that
makes a successful King. But instead of criticizing her husband's
idea, Lady Macbeth decides that she will help to provide Macbeth, the
necessary determination he needs. This gives an indication of the love
she has for him, and that their relationship is healthy. Immediately
after a messenger tells Lady Macbeth that King Duncan intends on
staying at their castle she conjures a plan and sees this as an
opportunity to kill Duncan. A sinister side to Lady Macbeth's
personality is revealed as she calls up the spirits of darkness and
pleads with them to …"unsex"…her insisting to take away all that makes
her a woman. She asks to be made insensitive so that she may carry out
her scheme;...
... middle of paper ...
... also used
hyperbolic imagery to describe the blood on his hands…"Will all great
neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?" … All of these
aspects of Lady Macbeth expose a side of her personality, which she
tries to hide, even from her husband.
In conclusion, I believe it would be difficult to judge whether the
breakdown of Lady Macbeth is surprising or not surprising, as there
are an equal number of points, which in turn give a different aspect
of either opinion. In summary I believe that the composure of Lady
Macbeth at the beginning of the play and the great collapse she
suffered, gave the play an unexpected twist, but there were also clear
signs of Lady Macbeth not fully revealing her true feelings about the
'deed' which she committed, which could be said to be the cause of her
self destruction.
...that King's characters are so thick that the teachers only cared when it was too late. Along with the traditional assets to a fairytale plot, there is also the heroine fighting the battles and problems set before her to become the master of her own kingdom, therefore having the ability to rule her own life – just as Carrie White was able to do (Winter 33).
quote displays the woman’s incoherence to her own submissive condition in her marriage, since she is not allowed to write...
Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most famous and frightening female characters. As she is Macbeth’s wife, her role is significant in his rise and fall from royalty. She is Macbeth’s other half. During Shakespearean times, women were regarded as weak insignificant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Though in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the highest influence in Macbeth’s life. Her role was so large; in fact, that she uses her position to gain power, stay strong enough to support her unstable Lord, and fails miserably while their relationship falls apart. Everything about Lady Macbeth is enough to create the perfect villain because of her ability to manipulate everyone around her. It appears that even she can’t resist the perfect crime.
serious if his wife was not more anxious than he was. She, more than her
Lady Macbeth Mental Illness William Shakespeare tragedy in Macbeth. Macbeth was a Thane, which is a noble. Lady Macbeth wants to be Queen of Scotland. Lady Macbeth wants to be king no matter what it takes, Lady Macbeth was going to be king and Lady Macbeth was going to be queen. Lady Macbeth was a very strong person.
There were several aspects of Shakespeare’s novel ‘Macbeth’ that led to the downfall of Lady Macbeth. The mentality of Lady Macbeth in the play changes dramatically from the wife a Noble General, to an evil aggressive murderer (brought upon by the witches predictions), and finally a woman who had de-graded to such an extent that she took her own life.
The play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, explores the darkest corners of the human psyche. It artfully takes its audience to a place that allows one to examine what a human being is truly capable of once tempted by the allure of power. In the play, Scottish noble Macbeth and his wife inevitably fall prey to their own self corruption. Initiated by prophesies made by three mysterious witches, the Macbeths set their sights on the throne. When the curtains open on the plot to murder King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is the driving force. Her criminal mind and desire for ruthlessness have led many a critic to define her as evil. Closer examination, however, reveals that she is a multifaceted character; other sides to her persona include: genuine good will towards her husband, coy manipulation, and feminine tenderness.
...irl she always, throughout the end of the play, tends to bow down to her lord with no opposition showing the claim of her character being nothing more than an object for the men in the play to use as a slave with no pay as well as a consistent source of sexual desires.
Macbeth’s Descent Into Madness. In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, the character Macbeth descends into madness. Macbeth’s descent into madness first started with the witch’s prediction. If he had never met the witches, none of this trouble would have occurred.
The Queen being strong, smart and noble, Shakespeare would create characters like this, for example Juliet from Romeo and Jul...
worsens her condition. It is visible that she considers herself worthy only if she has a man by
In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s desire and ambition leads to her eventual downfall. When Lady Macbeth hears of Macbeth’s prophecy she dreams of the glory and high-standing that awaits being queen. She cannot withhold her ambitions and she is willing to manipulate fate to bring about Macbeth’s prophecy. She invokes evil spirits to be filled from head to toe with cruelty to do the evil actions necessary to make Macbeth king and to remove all remorse and pity for her action from her heart. 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.
Queen Elizabeth the first was one of the first woman monarchs to rule alone in the history of Europe. Her character, the way she ruled, and even her gender transformed her country’s go...
...what she needs. She, an elder who should be respected, submits in a manner befitting of a female in that society. This further exemplifies the inherent control that men exert over women.
Factors Contributing to Macbeth's Downfall in William Shakespeare's Macbeth In William Shakespeare's famous play Macbeth, there are many reasons for Macbeth's gradual downfall. Numerous factors contributed to Macbeth's ruin, such as his own character flaws and his demanding wife, Lady Macbeth. The Three Witches, however, caused Macbeth the most trouble. First, the sisters stirred up his dormant ambitions to be king.