‘Lady Macbeth is a female character who changes during the play’. Starting with this
moment in the play, explore how far you agree with this view.
In Shakespeare’s tragic didactic play, ‘Macbeth’, Lady Macbeth (who begins the play as a
domineering and influential wife) changes significantly as the action unfolds. Initially, she
proves herself to be a domineering and autonomous character who rules over her husband –
noting like the pious and subservient wife that Jacobean societal norms dictate that she
should be. The power and strength she initially has is not retained throughout the entirety of
the play. Instead, it gradually diminishes as her mind unravels. Shakespeare punishes Lady
Macbeth’s defiance and ambition to expound a clear warning: women who subvert societal
roles are dangerous and unnatural.
In act 1 Scene 5, she is introduced as a determined, commanding and diabolical character.
More specifically, she is introduced with a soliloquy – a singular, confessional form of speech.
Her speech is forceful and uninterrupted, conveying her power. After having heard that
Duncan will be residing at her castle, she calls upon supernatural forces, saying “come you
spirits… unsex me here”. The intended audience for the play would have been both excited
and fearful of this irreligious woman. She represents the danger posed by those who reject
Christianity. Here, her use of imperative verbs could show her masculine and authoritative
command of the beings. Notably, her use of the noun, “spirits”, in conjunction with the overall
spell-like quality of the soliloquy aligns her with evil. Her consorting with these “spirits” clearly
plays upon the Jacobean fear of the supernatural. Jacobeans were immensely afraid of the
supernatural – King James I even wrote a book condemning witchcraft. It is likely that
Shakespeare highlights Lady Macbeth’s association with evil forces to convey that women
with power and ambition are strange and threatening. Alternatively, her use of imperatives
conveys a sense of urgency and desperation, implying that she must rely on external sources
for power.
Certainly, her power is repeatedly displayed through her ability to manipulate and influence
her husband. Later, in the rising action, she commands Macbeth to “look like the innocent
flower, but be the serpent under’t”. The duplicitous noun, “serpent”, is arguably a biblical
allusion to the story of Adam and Eve, with the snake representing temptation and female
sin. Her comfort at suggesting that she and her husband be intentionally deceptive is
indicative of her traitorous nature. Furthermore, the feminine metaphor of an “innocent
flower” and snake imagery could be a reference to a medallion, (commissioned in 1605),
which depicted a snake amongst roses to represent treason and deceit. Her repeated use of
imperatives reiterates how unconventionally powerful she is. Shakespeare’s representation
of women reinstates the patriarchal norm that men should be in control of their domestic
realm, and women should not be involved in politics at a national or domestic level.
Later, in the denouement, Lady Macbeth changes as she becomes increasingly afflicted and
unstable. In act 5 Scene 1, she appears to be wracked with guilt as she desperately attempts
to remove a hallucinated blood stain, exclaiming “Out, damned spot! Out I say!” Interestingly,
she continues to use imperative verbs although they no longer mark her dominance. This, and
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