A way we learned about the ruthless Lady Macbeth from the quote on Act 1 Scene V, page 312, line 16-17 “What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness.” This quote is Lady Macbeth during her soliloquy is saying that Macbeth is to nice to become king even though he just cut threw an army and cut a man open. If this is too nice for her this means she must be a really nasty person which will rub off on Macbeth and make him do things he will not want to do like kill the king and price so he will become king. Then there is a quote that tells about Lady Macbeth and Macbeth’s relationship Act 1 Scene V, page 312 lines 11-12 “My dearest partner of greatness.” Lady Macbeth reads this is Macbeth’s letter to her and it makes her seem like she is equal as him. Also Macbeth seems further in the play to listen to what Lady Macbeth says and will obey her or be tricked by her into doing what she wants.
But, she is afraid of his personality ‘too full o’th milk of human kindness’ and decides to take matters into her own hands. This is also the scene where we hear her first famous soliloquy which is ‘unsex me here’ when she calls on the evil spirits. Really, she wants to be the same as the three witches, but because of who she is, she has to repress all her inner feelings and her conscience in order to carry on with her plan to murder Duncan. She has to be two-faced. When Macbeth returns later in the scene, she immediately pounces onto him and tries to persuade him to murder the King and she says it in a very manipulative way.
Is Lady Macbeth a fiend like Queen? Macbeth is an original tragedy. The tragedy Macbeth was written in 1606 for King James the 1 of England it appeals to many of his personal interest, particularly that of the divine right of kings and witchcraft. The play is about the character Macbeth yet we are all still fascinated by Lady Macbeth who Malcolm describes as a fiend like queen, King James 1 and the Jacobean audience would have agreed with this statement but in modern audience has more difficulty in assigning her with this clear-cut description. The play is about Macbeth so why do we have this fascination with Lady Macbeth, I shall delve in to the deep character that is Lady Macbeth and find out if she is a fiend like queen.
This forebodes the death of Macbeth and also Lady Macbeth by suggesting that they will not be able to kill the King and live a normal, guilt free life afterwards. Lady Macbeth then creates irony as she mocks Macbeth for thinking this way, she refers to him as a ‘coward’ and insists that this murder is necessary. This part of the play is extremely significant as we realise just how harsh Lady Macbeth is and how far she would really go. She removes any maternal characteristics that she may have had by explaining that her lack of pity would extend so far, that she would murder a baby. “Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out”.
The banquet scene is the final time that Lady Macbeth is in control: this is expressed by her verbal dominancy. She uses imperatives to be in command of the situation, her rank as Queen allows her to order the thanes to ‘keep seat’, Additionally, Lady Macbeth expresses her superiority in their relationship by answering ‘I pray you speak not’ for Macbeth to Ross. This use of dramatic irony between the audience and Ross, allows only us to detect desperation in her voice; we can see past Lady Macbeth’s false charade ‘my lord is often thus,/ and hath been from his youth’ and is only just silencing Macbeth’s confessional delusions. Shakespeare uses an aside with Macbeth, Lady Macbeth mocks and taunts him where she accuses him and questioning his masculinity, ‘are you a man?’ she confronts him, this is to coax him into concealing their crimes. The aside used Act 3, Scene 4 represents the contrast of Lady Macbeth’s dominance between their relationships and her minor place around the table in the Banquet scene.
Her mood at this stage displays a dominant aura therefore she shows a real power over Macbeth throughout the play. Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth’s power over Macbeth throughout act 1 scene 5 and act 1 scene 7 in which it is proved that she is the real power behind the throne because she persuades macbeth to achieve his goal of being king. As she continues to read the letter, her mood changes and she starts thinking that Macbeth is "too full of the milk of human kindness" she means that he is too gentle and weak to murder Duncan and in this stage, it proves that she is the most powerful woman by the fact that she enters the stage alone and her thoughts turn to possible failings in her husband as well as filled with death and distractions. As she finishes reading the letter it's as if she has decided that Macbeth will be the King. She does not hesitate for a moment and she knows that the only way is by killing Duncan.
She uses her womanhood to portray her innocence but it is then exposed by her soliloquy that she wishes the spirits “unsex” her, leaving Lady Macbeth only with mortal thoughts. Macbeth also utilizes the darkness to allow him to understand and accept his own desires. Soon after hearing the witches’ first prophecy, Macbeth is told the Thane of Cawdor was executed and he will be the replacement. He is excited by the news and Macbeth and Banquo discuss the logic and certainty of the witches, “…And oftentimes to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths, win us with honest trifles to betray in deepest consequence.” Banquo believes that the witches are tied to the devil and would tell half-truths in order to win them over to the dark side. Macbeth wonders if the next prophecy, that of king, would simply fall on him or if he would have to perform a dark deed in order to gain the crown.
Firstly, through diction, Shakespeare develops Lady Macbeth’s second character. By commanding the spirits to “Stop up the access and passage to remorse” (1.5.7) and “ Come to my woman's breasts” (1.5.10), Shakespeare’s use of imperative verbs suggests that she has authority. This new authority that Lady Macbeth has gained shows another developing side of her. This new personality that she has gained after she receives the news is developed by Shakespeare’s use of imperative verbs. Also, the idea of psychological challenges, such as her breaking down into another person due to her determination is also conveyed through the verbs that show her empowerment.
Number 1: After Act 1, Scene 5 When Lady Macbeth reads the letter from Macbeth about the prophecies of him being king she is very confident that they will come true. Lady Macbeth also seems to feel as though Macbeth may not be able to go through with the process of becoming king. This is when Lady Macbeth feels she must help him through his task. Lady Macbeth yells out load that she wants the sprits to '' unsex'' her; which means that she wishes to be less like a women and more manly to go through with the task. I think Lady Macbeth is the type of person who will do anything to get what they want.
Although it is true that Lady Macbeth is a big part of the play and adds a lot of interest, her character is revealed through her unkind attitude with Macbeth, careless feelings towards the lives of others, and her guilty conscience. Lady Macbeth is very pushy when it comes to the murder of Duncan and Macbeth’s hesitations towards it. She gives this comment to Macbeth, “Oh, never shall sun that morrow see! Your face, my Thane, is as a book where men may ready strange matters. To beguile the time, look like the time, bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue.