Macbeth Character Analysis

976 Words4 Pages
Lady Macbeth, the Lovely Throughout the play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, we witness the promotion and destruction of Lady Macbeth. A dynamic character seemingly propelled by her cupidity for dominance. In the early acts, Lady Macbeth professes to her husband, “you shall put this night's great business into my dispatch,” while discussing murdering King Duncan for the position of king (I.v.422-423). Nonetheless, in later acts, Lady Macbeth is so detrimentally overcome with guilt that she starts hallucinating blood on her hands, sleepwalking, having nightmares, and hardly sleeping. Therefore, how do you classify such a character? She has antagonistic characteristics, yet does not remain so set in those wretched ways. Lady Macbeth appears in the storyline without any prior knowledge to her nature or disposition, contrary to Macbeth who is introduced through the description of him in battle. In fact, her first lines aren’t even hers; they are read from a letter from Macbeth. This is the first insight into her having a say over his thoughts, if you will. Lady Macbeth presents herself as a woman feeling that superiority is necessary. When acquainted with the idea of Macbeth becoming king and therefore, her, queen, she becomes entrenched with the idea of killing King Duncan for the crown—her husband being the Thane of Cawdor and one of the most prestigious soldiers was not enough for her taste. When Macbeth purports doubt over murdering Duncan, Lady Macbeth, shows just how truly manipulative and self-seeking she is. “When you durst do it, then you were a man; 
and, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man” (I.vii.528-530). She plays his ego, knowing that he truly is egotistical and that if she could accuse him of otherwise, that she could convince him to continue on with their plans of murder. Lady Macbeth is very cognizant of her actions throughout
Open Document