Macbeth

Drama | William Shakespeare

Depict the character of Lady Macbeth

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What role does Lady Macbeth play in guiding the action of the play Macbeth' Or Depict the character of Lady Macbeth Or How far is Lady Macbeth responsible for the tragedy of Macbeth Lady Macbeth is one of the most important characters in Shakespeare s - play Macbeth She is Macbeth s wife and plays a key role in the story Her character is bold ambitious and full of dark thoughts She is also one of the main reasons for Macbeth s downfall In this answer we will discuss important points to understand her role character and responsibility in the tragedy Lady Macbeth s Ambition and Influence At the beginning of the play it is clear that Lady Macbeth is more ambitious than her husband When she hears about the witches prophecy she immediately wants Macbeth to become king But she knows that Macbeth is too kind to do what

is needed So she decides to guide and force him to take the crown She urges they have to act strong 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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