She immediately forces Macbeth to act on the witches prophecies and murder Duncan in his sleep. Later, when Macbeth becomes uncertain about committing the crime, it is his wife who goads and belittles him guilting him into doing something he does not necessarily want to do. When Macbeth returns with the bloody dagger after killing the King, Lady Macbeth gets angry and calls him a coward, questioning his manhood, again manipulating her husband to get what she wants – the
"He's here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subjects, Strong both against the deed; then as his host, Who should against his murderer shut the door, Not bear the knife myself" (1.7.12-16) This is where Lady Macbeth comes into Macbeths fall. Because of Lady Macbeths strong will, she convinces Macbeth to kill Duncan so that he may become king. She becomes so obsessed about this crime that she even contiplats doing it herself. "Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty." (1.6.35-38) Her drive behind Macbeth drove him to kill Duncan.
Although, Macbeth takes the dagger and kills King Duncan, Lady Macbeth was the one who planned to kill him that night and frame his guards. I believe that Lady Macbeth played a huge part in the murder of King Duncan. Macbeth was ambitious about becoming King, yet, at moments he felt uneasy about the idea of murdering Duncan. Lady Macbeth convinced him otherwise challenging his manhood and planning the murder to the finer details. Lady Macbeth went to great measures to make sure Duncan was killed; she even called upon the evil spirits to aid her.
The death of Duncan would mean the birth of a new Macbeth, King Macbeth. Lady Macbeth decided to have her husband kill Duncan and said in Act I scene 5, "He croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan." (p.33) This quote says how the presence of Duncan would turn fatal once Macbeth kills him. Once Duncan is killed, Macbeth has second thoughts about the murder of Duncan and his conscience starts to kick in. His wife then puts his conscience at ease.
I believe Lady Macbeth is more evil. When Macbeth first thought of killing the king, in Act 1, sc. 3, in the aside that begins at approximately line 148, he says that the thought of killing, "...that suggestion / whose horrid image...", makes his heart pound and his hair stand on end. Then, in Act 1, sc. 4, after Duncan announces that Malcolm is his successor, Macbeth says, "Stars, hide your fires!
Pushed by the idea that he could be king, his growing ambition and misguided confidence in the prophecies makes Macbeth starts to ignore his conscious. After he is crowned king, Macbeth changes for the worse. He would turn into an evil, brutal killing man with no sense of morals. From the beginning to the end, it’s as if Macbeth has changed in character completely. The actions he took from killing Banquo, then having Lady Macduff and her children murdered, shows the insecurity that was present in Macbeth.
Without Macbeth’s ambition his tragic flaw could not come into place. From the moment Macbeth murdered King Duncan for his ambition, he became the tragic hero and developed the fatal flaw which leads him to his death. With the contributing factors of: the 3 witches’ prophecies, Lady Macbeth’s negative influence and manipulation, and Macbeth’s ambition to be King, all together greatly contributed to the degeneration of Macbeth from a well respected noble man to a detested blood-lust fiend, and then… to his untimely
Macbeth is an extremly complicated character to portray. His personality changes throughout the play beginning as an honurable war-hero and being praised highly by the King; making him Thane of Cawdor even though he was already Thane of Glamis. He then becomes a hesitant murderer, constantly distressed about his situiation ‘I am afraid to think what I have done’ to actively planning the murder of Banquo and showing little contrition for the death of his wife, Lady Macbeth ‘She should have died hereafter’ and becoming responsible for the massacre of Macduff’s wife and children.it is imperative that the actor playing Macbeth understands the intricacy of his character. He must also be able to show the contrast between Macbeth’s character in Act 2 Scene 1 and Act 5 Scene 5, in order to portray Macbeth, the actor must contemplate the mood and tone of what he is saying, his gestures and actions to match a certain phrase or speech. Also his facial expressions are very important.
Act 3:2 shows the guilt of both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth as they yet have to kill Banquo, who he suspects the duo have killed Duncan. Their lines earlier in the scene show a mood full of tension and anxiety. However, due to each other’s presence they become stronger, braver and darker. The scene starts with Lady Macbeth who is now Queen Macbeth due to the death of Duncan and the crowning of Macbeth. She states after the servant leaves: ‘tis safer to be that we destroy, than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy’ (7-8).
Downfall: Macbeth’s Malevolent Ambition William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a dark tale of murder, rape, deception, and the supernatural, and it very much reflects the state of England at the time. With the death of Elizabeth I, her distant Scottish cousin James took the throne, and many other relatives of the former queen were quite angry with the fact that James got the throne and not them. There was a huge conspiracy where many relatives planned to seize the throne, but the plot was foiled and the conspirators were tortured and then executed in a brutal fashion. Many historians believe the play was written because King James was Scottish and there were not many stories of Scotland, but the deeper reason is that he wanted to show the evils and dangers in having such large ambitions, such as regicides like the relatives of King James. Now in the play, Macbeth starts off as a loyal, courageous, stereotypical, drone like war hero but once a group of witches put this idea in his mind that he could become king, he starts spiraling downhill.