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Lady Macbeth Hunger For Power Essay

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The play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare has many universal themes that still connect with society today. Two of the major themes are hunger for power and the reversal of gender roles, both which are quite evident in Macbeth’s wife. In her hunger for power, Lady Macbeth is able to draw on her masculine side so she can control Macbeth; however, as she loses control of her husband, she loses both power and masculinity.
Lady Macbeth is a very complex character; she has a way to manipulate people in order to come to hold whatever she wants. The play starts off with Macbeth hearing his future by three witches, and he proceeds to write a letter to Lady Macbeth telling her what the three witches have told him. Upon reading this letter, Lady Macbeth immediately starts thinking about killing King Duncan so that Macbeth may become king. “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art is promise. Yet I do fear thy nature. It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness o …show more content…

She is a fragile character and meets a weak and fragile demise. She seems to be very determined in what she does but she quickly loses control of Macbeth and their lives. Macbeth starts going rogue and trying to achieve things that go past the prophecy. He tells Lady Macbeth that we will murder Banquo to which she replies, “You must leave this” (3.2.40). It becomes clear that she is scared and she is becoming paranoid. All of these small factors will lead to her total loss of masculinity and also loss of power. Toward the end of the play Lady Macbeth loses herself completely. She is walking in her sleep and yelling “Out, dammed spot! Out, I say! One; two.” (5.1.34-36) causing other people around the castle to hear her and draw conclusions of their own. She has become so paranoid and ill by the end of the play that she cannot take it anymore and commits

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