Lady Macbeth Essay
Macbeth is a Shakespearean tragedy, written in 1606 and based around the
downfall of Macbeth a Scottish noble. Lady Macbeth is his wife and is presented
throughout Act 1 and 2 as indicative of the supernatural, instigating and
manipulating her husband towards regicide. She is unable to contain her desire
and ambition for the kingship that was prophesised to Macbeth - however,
ironically, this ambition is her hamartia, leading to her deterioration and,
ultimately, suicide, as she is driven mad by her guilt.
In Act 1 Scene 5, Shakespeare successfully presents Lady Macbeth as
ruthless and wicked, as she disdains and disparages her husband’s good
qualities, paradoxically viewing them as a bad attribute. Shakespeare also
displays her unrelenting ambition towards kingship. She fears whether Macbeth
will be able to kill Duncan, commenting: ‘yet do I fear thy nature It is too full
o’th’milk of human kindness.’ The noun ‘fear’ emphasises her evil character as
she feels threatened at the good in her own husband, further stresses by the
noun phrase ‘thy nature’. The noun ‘nature’ implies humanity and emotion,
however paired with the pronoun ‘thy’ she disassociates this with herself,
creating unease in the audience towards Lady Macbeth as she is portrayed as
inhuman. This is further proven in the verse; ‘I may pour my spirits in thine ear.
’The noun ‘spirits’ displays Lady Macbeth as a dark, supernatural force within the
play, the use of the verb ‘pour’ showing her manipulative techniques. She uses
another euphemism to refer to the crown using the adjective phrase ‘golden
round’. The use of this language implicates hesitation, which contrasts with the
rest of her speech, foreshadowing perhaps her later regret of acting impulsively.
Further on in A1, S5, Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as utterly
terrifying, but powerful, as she is seen to harness the forces of evil and
supernatural. Her soliloquy begins with ‘the raven himself is hoarse that croaks
the fatal entrance of Duncan.’ The noun ‘raven’ is perhaps an omen, symbolising
the death of Duncan, as this creature was often linked to death. The adjective
‘fatal’ conveys again, her determination on the regicide as she already implies
this before discussing with Macbeth. However, this could also be linked to her
guilt later in the play, and the main cause of it – Duncan’s murder, which ironic
as it was fatal for him, but also for her, as her regret stemming from the regicide
is what leads her commit suicide. She uses the imperative ‘Come you spirits, and
unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe topful of direst cruelty’ to
stress her dominance over the supernatural – she calls them to her openly,
rather than be afraid of them, which was the common reaction in the Jacobean
Era. This further creates the image of Lady Macbeth being an unnatural by the
standard of the times, as she possesses unfeminine qualities such as cruelty and
ambition, and a connection with the supernatural. This is further reflected in the
verb phrase ‘unsex me here’. This refers to the gender stereotypes that existed
in this period – she acknowledges the fact that as a female she should be warm
and compassionate, but desires the physical and mental masculine in order to
, plan the regicide. The noun ‘crown’ is a skilful use of language by Shakespeare
as it denotes that Lady Macbeth already imagines herself with the crown and
kingship, illustrating the depth of her ambition and determination. The use of the
superlative in the noun phrase ‘direst cruelty’ demonstrates her desire to be not
only cruel but the cruellest – again depicting her unyielding ambition towards
gaining kingship.
In Act 1, Scene 7 Shakespeare represents Lady Macbeth as the dominant
character in her relationship with her husband, manipulating Macbeth towards
the regicide when he changes his mind She insults his masculinity, commenting
that; ‘so green and pale At what it did so freely.’ She uses the adjective phrase
‘green and pale’ to illustrates Macbeth’s lack of courage, as she attacks his
visual image to humiliate and shame him; she understands how important image
is as a solder and Lord, therefore she claims that he is almost not worthy of
these titles. She uses the adverb ‘freely’ to create the impression that only when
he gains kinship will he have freedom, further reflecting how much she values
this position.
She further insults his masculinity: ‘When you durst do it, then you were a
man...you would be so much more the man.’ She uses the past tense to create a
feeling of desperation in Macbeth that he has lost his opportunity to prove
himself . The use of strong consonant sounds further highlights Lady Macbeth’s
power and force over Macbeth – as she emphasises committing the regicide is
the only way to regain his masculinity in her eyes. However, she subtly
manipulates him using the phrase ‘a man’, referring to Macbeth when he had
promised her to kill Duncan. The pronoun ‘a’ is exclusive of individuality,
inferring that Macbeth would simply be like an ordinary man. This juxtaposes
with the noun phrase ‘the man’ when she challenges him to dare more. The
pronoun ‘the’ connotes a higher status – implying that in Lady Macbeth’s eyes,
the more murder committing the more of a man, and the more superior Macbeth
would be. Shakespeare successfully exhibits the disturbed and dark logic of Lady
Macbeth’s mind.
Shakespeare successfully reveals how evil and inhuman Lady Macbeth is,
using the image of a mother murdering her child. She comments: ‘tender ‘tis to
love the babe that milks me...’. The use of the noun ‘tender’ demonstrates the
strong love and connection a mother has with her child, however Lady Macbeth’s
use of the pronoun ‘the’ when referring to the baby indicates her lack of care and
attachment towards it; opposing the natural feminine value of a mother. She
then says; ‘I would, while it was smiling in my face...dashed the brains out.’ The
first verse of this quote is written in perfect iambic pentameter to highlights Lady
Macbeth’s unflinching attitude towards this murderous image. The verb ‘smiling’
evokes compassion in the audience toward the child, however this is a complete
dichotomy to Lady Macbeth reaction using the verb ‘dashed’ to represent her
violence and turpitude towards a completely harmless baby. She commands him
to: ‘screw your courage to the sticking place.’ This line is written in perfect
iambic pentameter, showing the confidence she has in their plan - the use of the
imperative verb ‘screw’ conveying her resolve and steadfastness. The noun
