g, like a man. She says:
“When you durst do it, then you were a man.”
Moreover, Lady Macbeth calls on evil spirits to“unsex” her and fill her with cruelty. She wants to remove all her soft feelings so she can help Macbeth kill King Duncan. Besides, her famous line, “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t,” shows her manipulative nature. It teaches Macbeth to hide his evil intentions.
Pushing Macbeth to Murder Duncan: When Macbeth hesitates about killing Duncan, Lady Macbeth becomes angry. She calls him a coward and questions his manhood. She says,
“But screw your courage to the sticking-place, and we’ll not fail.”
Through these words, she uses emotional pressure to change Macbeth’s mind. Without her pushing him, Macbeth might not have killed the king. So, she plays a big part in starting Macbeth’s journey toward evil and murder.
Change in Lady Macbeth after the Murder: After Duncan is killed, Lady Macbeth starts to change. At first, she thinks that washing their hands will clean away their guilt. She says:
“A little water clears us of this deed.”
But soon, she begins to feel uneasy. She realizes that being queen does not bring peace or joy. This shows that her inner guilt has started to grow. Unlike before, she is now weaker and full of fear.
Guilt, Madness, and Death: By the end of the play, Lady Macbeth becomes mentally sick. She is completely overcome by guilt. She starts sleepwalking and talking about blood on her hands. She says:
“Out, damned spot! Out, I say!”
This line shows her guilt. She is trying to wash away an imaginary bloodstain. This shows how guilty she feels after murdering King Duncan. Her guilt becomes so strong that it drives her mad. She cannot live with it anymore and finally dies.
Her Responsibility in Macbeth’s Tragedy: Lady Macbeth is clearly responsible for Macbeth’s first crime. She plans it and gives him the courage to do it. But after that, Macbeth becomes more violent on his own. He kills Banquo and orders the murder of Macduff’s family without her help. So, we can say that Lady Macbeth starts the fire, but Macbeth keeps it burning. Both husband and wife fall into darkness and are punished in the end.
In conclusion, Lady Macbeth is a strong but tragic character. Her ambition leads her to guide her husband into evil. Her actions help begin the chain of events that end in death and destruction. Though she seems fearless at first, her guilt slowly destroys her. She is a key reason for Macbeth's tragedy. She is represented both as a guide and as a victim of her own dark desires.
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