If it were not for his wife, Macbeth would never have decided to murder Duncan. In MacBeth, a famous Shakespeare play, MacBeth, with the aid of his lover, Lady MacBeth, murders Duncan, King of Scotland, for his throne. In the Act in which this occurs, before the deed is done MacBeth is doubtful and wavers. Lady Macbeth sees this as weak and cowardly and manipulates him into killing the King. Lady MacBeth plays an important part in Duncan’s murder because it is she who had the greater ambition to kill him.
Lady Macbeth calls on the spirits of darkness and evil to replace her nurturing and feminine qualities with remorseless cruelty. Macbeth is appalled of the thought of killing his king and can think of many reasons for not going ahead with the murder. So Lady Macbeth manipulates him by accusing him of being a coward and unmanly, until he agrees to proceed with the murder. Lady Macbeth presents her plan that when Duncanâs servants are asleep, he will enter Duncanâs chamber and kill him. Macbeth carries out this murder so the third prophecies will be fulfilled.
13-18) Lady Macbeth voices her concern over Macbeth’s nature, stating that he is “too full o’ the milk of human kindness” to commit the murder that Lady Macbeth desires. Lady Macbeth is not troubled by murder. Given her immoral mindset, no despicable act is beyond her. She simply has to work harder to overcome Macbeth’s reluctance. Accordingly, Lady Macbeth shows that she is willing to perform any evil act in order to ascend to the throne.
All these inexcusable, yet necessary, deeds that I have committed art for what? For Maduff to betray us, and for Malcom to overthrow us? (Laughs hysterically) Oh, how excited I was to learn my dearest Macbeth wouldst be King, keen to “pour my spirits in thine ear”, and I wouldst be his Queen! To think that an ambition so strong wouldn’t succeed, how cruel this world is! Macbeth/Weird Sisters It was those wretched Weird Sisters who wedged themselves into our thoughts, manipulating and distorting Macbeth and I both.
The two tragic characters being compared are Lady Macbeth and Madea. Lady Macbeth is the wife of Macbeth and plays a key role in the play. She causes Macbeth to commit acts of violence and to go insane. Through her role in the play Lady Macbeth becomes insane and causes Macbeth to spiral out of control leading to the death of Macbeth and the suicide of herself. Madea is the wife of Jason, who was abandoned by him and left with no one because she was exiled from her original land.
But it isn’t just a role reversal in her behaving as a man might. Lady Macbeth is more indecent and conniving because she has maintained her manipulative feminisms which ironically diminish her husband, making him appear weak and without resolve. In the end when she finally confronts her own conscience to know how horrible she has been, the Lady collapses, disintegrates and disappears. How awful. Over and over and over again Lady Macbeth challenges her husband’s manhood and his will to kill and seize Duncan’s throne in Act I:
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
/ I would, while it was smiling in my face, / have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums / and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you / have done this” (Lady Macbeth, I, vii, 63-67). Now we see here that Mrs. Macbeth has a little bit of power over her husband, and when she wants to make a point, she does it, and she does it well. Now does this demonstrate courage? By this point in the play, she has come up with a plan to obtain what she thinks is right for her and her husband, and has convinced him to go through with the ultimate sin: killing the king. I believe that Lady Macbeth is full of courage.
"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.
The thought of becoming Queen pushes her and causes her to act outrageously. Macbeth is slightly doubtful of her plan to kill the King, however Lady Macbeth overwhelms him with comments that question his courage and by saying that his love is worth