Lady Macbeth by William Shakespeare

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In the beginning of the play, Shakespeare establishes Lady Macbeth as a woman who wants to take on stereotypical traits associated with men, such as acting cold - heartedly, manipulatively and being the dominant partner in her relationship. When Lady Macbeth realizes that her husband is not strong enough to kill King Duncan, Lady Macbeth tries to prove to herself and her husband that she can take on the dominant role in her relationship with Macbeth. This is best shown in one of Lady Macbeth’s soliloquies when she says, “... unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top - full / of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood; / Stop up the access and passage to remorse…” (1.5.40-43). In this passage, the words “unsex me” refer to her desire to rid herself of all the qualities that make her a woman, which she believes impede her from performing acts of violence and cruelty. The word “blood” is used as a symbol for Lady Macbeth’s emotions, which she wants to ignore so that she does not feel any remorse. This request to erase all traces of femininity implies that men are more capable of malignity than women, which Lady Macbeth uses as her reason to take on masculine traits. Lady Macbeth is also expressed as being schemeful and dominant in her relationship with Macbeth, which are all features most commonly attributed to the typical man. Lady Macbeth acts connivingly when she mocks Macbeth’s mental and physical strength to carry out the killing of King Duncan, as she says that she would commit a crime against her own child if she were asked to do it. Lady Macbeth speaks cruelly and unladylike when she says, “I have given suck, and know / How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me: / I would, while it was smiling in my face, / ...

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...he “blood stains” reveal that Lady Macbeth has not yet gotten over all the deeds and she is unable to mentally remove those thoughts from her head. Lady Macbeth’s mental unstableness becomes evident as she is unable to control her emotions, and is rather driven by them to a point of self - inflicted distress. Subsequently, Lady Macbeth’s inability to control her guilt and remorse leads her to commit suicide because she is overwhelmed with these emotions she cannot rid herself of. This is revealed when Malcolm says, “... his fiend - like queen, / Who, as ‘tis thought, by self and violent hands / Took off her life” (5.9.36-38). The coming of guilt into Lady Macbeth’s life, combined with her inability to deal with her emotions leads to her distressed mental state. Significantly, she kills herself, signaling her total inability to deal with the legacy of their crimes.

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