In William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, Lady Macbeth discusses the assassination of Duncan with Macbeth after Macbeth has revealed his darkest desires: murdering the king and snatching the crown. Macbeth is amazed by the three witches’ prophecy, and the prediction of Macbeth becoming the king plants a seed in Macbeth’s heart. Also hungry for power, Lady Macbeth strategizes with Macbeth and advises him to hide his real emotions. This dialogue from Act 1, scene 6 conveys Lady Macbeth’s support towards murdering King Duncan in order to gain power even if Macbeth transitions to a “serpent” (7), an evil and deceiving person. To establish Lady Macbeth’s character and position towards the murder, Shakespeare alludes to a myth, constructs the play …show more content…
In The Garden of Eden, Lucifer, an angel, is punished by the God and loses his superiority and his power. He becomes a serpent, or a snake, and persuades Adam and Eve to disobey the God in order to take his revenge. Lady Macbeth, like the “serpent,” tempts Macbeth to become evil and become a “serpent” just like her; her persuasion is successful. Similar to Lucifer, Macbeth drops from his superior, hierarchical status to an animalistic person. Being a “serpent,” Macbeth becomes a deceiving person who lies and cheats to accomplish his desires. He pretends to be an “innocent flower,” an honest man that’s free from evilness and darkness. Yet, using his pure appearance, the deadly “serpent,” Macbeth, then attacks and kills people. After Lady Macbeth’s counsel, she then reassures Macbeth to take his opportunity and assassinate Duncan: “He that’s coming / Must be provided for” (7-8). She claims that Duncan, who is coming to Macbeth’s castle, must be killed. Lady Macbeth then commands Macbeth to put “This night’s great business into [her] dispatch” (9). Lady Macbeth authoritatively tells Macbeth to let her control the “great business,” the
“O, never shall sun that morrow see!...look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.”(1.5) In the play Macbeth, we are introduced to many foul characters that play by this evil rule, but the main focus in on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. This wedded couple seems so innocent at the beginning of the play that no one would have guessed that they were responsible for multiple murders by the end. Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth into this murderous lifestyle, so by the time he has murdered Duncan he has become cocky about his deed. He believes she is no help to him anymore, as he can murder on his own. By the end of the play, when Lady Macbeth has committed suicide, Macbeth is merely fazed at all because people have been dropping like flies
Although Macbeth commits the murder, Lady Macbeth shows that she has just as many dark and corrupt thoughts as him. The one who comes up with the murder plan is Lady Macbeth, directly after she learns about the prophecy. After Macbeth informs her of the king’s overnight stay, Lady Macbeth’s first words are “O, never/ Shall sun that morrow see!” (1. 5. 67-68) as her plan to kill the king is already being put into motion. If Lady Macbeth had not made the plans Macbeth may not have gone through with the murder. Lady macbeth becomes a driving, manipulative force to Macbeth. She justifies why killing Duncan is good and shames him into committing horrible deeds. When Macbeth tries to refuse she says “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.” (1. 7. 54-56), challenging his masculinity. In the end, Lady Macbeth isn't the only one who’s mind becomes corrupted, she drags Macbeth down with her. Finally, Lady Macbeth pretends that the guilt doesn’t really bother her, she simply tells her husband that he is weak. She tries hide her corruption through lies and by putting Macbeth down, but in the end she falters, realises her guilt and drives herself insane.
Shakespeare's play Macbeth shows the roots of all evil, our own human nature. The play is centered on the coexistence of good and evil. Macbeth, unlike any other Shakespeare play has the protagonist convert to evil. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is shown as a hero in the Scottish army, that is ironic because Macbeth defeats a traitor and he himself becomes one later. Macbeth knows his place in the world. He is fully capable of distinguishing between right and wrong. Macbeth purposely disregards his own moral judgment to rise to power which is again ironic and goes against his own beliefs. Macbeth stands as a symbol for Satan's sin of ambition. Like Satan, Macbeth's thirst for power and ambition drives him to commit evil.Contrary to
However, the serpent, to which Lady Macbeth metaphorically speaks of in act one scene five, is not only these evil desires of Macbeth. It also represents the threat that Macbeth possesses to Duncan.
In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth showcases a unique form of power that changes over the course of the play. Lady Macbeth begins the play as the snake under the flower (a symbol in the play used to describe dissimulation), this later helps her achieve her goal of power. In act one scene six Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth a way to disseminate yourself and achieve power with no question. “Look like th innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” (I.vi. 64-65).
Lady Macbeth is the penultimate person in the play, especially at the beginning, next to Macbeth himself. And though she does not survive to the end, her influence on Macbeth lasts throughout.
Soon after, a letter is sent by Macbeth to Lady Macbeth it begins to show Macbeth the reader learns Macbeth may not be as heroic as he is on the battlefield. The letter that Macbeth writes to Lady Macbeth explained what the witches prophesied to Macbeth. Lady Macbeth comments by saying “ Yet I do I fear thy nature: it is to full of th' milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way”(1.5.16-18). Lady Macbeth views Macbeth as a coward and therefore would not kill the king for the throne. In fact, Lady Macbeth is the person who pushes Macbeth to commit the murder of King Duncan in order for her to for her to become queen. Lady Macbeth is the one who plans King Duncan's murder. “When Lady Macbeth enters, though, she uses her cunning rhetoric and persuasive techniques to convince Macbeth of the murders.” (Macbeth-Attitude Changes). Lady Macbeth is strong and likes to get her way. Macbeth continues to demonstrate his lack of heroism because he is Lady Macbeth's follower and does whatever she makes him do. Lady Macbeth treats Macbeth as though he was a ring on her finger. Lady Macbeth at first is shown as ruthless and has complete control over Macbeth and makes him do what ever she wants “Had he not resembled my father as he slept I don it”(2.2.13). This states though she is ruthless she has a
Also, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both strong conveyors of deceit. From the onset on the play, Macbeth is characterized as strong and loyal to his king and country. However, once the witches’ prophecy is planted in his head, his thirst for King is so intense that it cannot be quenched and slowly his admirable traits are erased. When Macbeth is preparing for the King’s arrival at his house, he starts to question his murderous thoughts. He states that the King will be here in “double trust” , for Macbeth will be his hostess and will also be acting as a subject of the state. How can he possibly do such a grim task? The answer is Lady Macbeth. She lusts after becoming Queen and living a life of fantasy and does everything in her power to persuade her husband to kill the King. She questions his courage, she feeds his ego and she emasculates poor Macbeth all in an effort to get what she wants disguised as what is best for him. When he agrees, she tells him to “look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” in order to commit this regicide. Lady Macbeth, such a beautiful woman, is actually a cunning, strategic and determined lady – so determined that she’s willing to risk everything and make her husband lie to the king and betray him. It’s funny how things are not always what they appear to be.
Lady Macbeth provides a scheme for Macbeth to assassinate the King. She is manipulative and persuasive in corrupting Macbeth s judgement. “What beast was’t then that you break this enterprise to me? 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.” (Act I. Sc.VII) In this quote, Lady Macbeth is agitating Macbeth by saying he is not a man if he does not do what he says he is going to do, which is to murder the king of course.
In “Macbeth” written by Shakespeare Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to kill King Duncan so he can become king, and her queen. Ambitious and cunning she convinces Macbeth to go along with her plan to murder Duncan. Lady Macbeth shows her desire to become evil and remorseless in her monologue by using the literary devices such as symbolism, and alliteration. Lady Macbeth fully expresess her desire to be cruel and heartless in order to become Queen of Scotland. She describes how she wishes for demons to “unsex” her and strip away her womanly emotions.
When Macbeth is starting to crave power, he decides that he needs to kill King Duncan. His wife, Lady Macbeth suggests, " Look like th'innocent/ Flower,/ But be the serpent under't"(I.vi.76-78). Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to be deceitful to get rid of King Duncan, while Macbeth does not want to kill him at this point. The snake is how Macbeth will solve his problem, for he needs to be the snake himself. He needs to be the snake who will get himself to power. Although, Macbeth problems only go deeper from there. Macbeth's best friends Banquo is a part of a prophecy stating that his children will be kings. With Macbeth's power on the line he feels, "we have scorched the snake, not killed it."(III.ii.15). He hopes his problems will be solved once he kills Duncan, except his problems, carries on to Banquo. After Macbeth Gains power he does not want to lose that power so he decides to kill Banquo and his son. At this moment, Macbeth who is lusting for power believes the treacherous snake is now holding him back from the power which Macbeth feels is his. This is a development in Macbeth’s ideology, for now, he is no longer the snake trying to get power, rather he is fighting the snake. He feels less treacherous and he is starting to lose the morals which once held him back. The murder, however, does not go as he has planned and only Banquo is dead, leading
Shakespeare's Macbeth explores the question behind the cause of evil in the world. Are humans innately evil? Is evil caused by an outside source that we, as humans, have no control over? As the plot of Macbeth unfolds the possible sources of evil (humans, nature, etc.) are personified and displayed as characters throughout the play. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth personify the evil in humans and their actions shape the possible answers to the question of what/who evil is.
In order to gain the crown, the Macbeth’s have to go against their nature to kill the king; they turn to darkness to get the strength needed to murder Duncan. This goes against human nature. In order to commit this act, Macbeth and Lady M go against everything they believe in. Macbeth believes he has to give up God, going so far as not being able to say ‘amen’ when praying(II.ii.28-29). Lady M turns from a loving wife to a power hungry temptress, she turns to darkness to gain the strength they need to murder King Duncan. We see this transition to darkness in her soliloquy in act I scene v, she calls upon the darkness to shed her womanhood so she can be strong enough to carry out the deed. When Macbeth has doubts and guilt over the idea of killing the king, Lady M snaps him out of it by calling him a coward(I.vi.48-59). She convinces him to commit the heinous act and that is when all hell breaks loose in the Macbeth household.
In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the true villain of the play as she is evil, ambitious and eventually insane. Lady Macbeth masterminded the idea to kill King Duncan and planted the vision into Macbeths mind, she convinced Macbeth to commit such a crime, and her love for her husband was eventually overruled by her determination and lust for power. Throughout the play she starts to show her true colours and the destructive force of her ambition, which inevitably results in nothing but disaster.
In Shakespare’s play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s destiny is formed by her own actions through mind and free-will. In act I, Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to murder Duncan, even though Macbeth was strongly against it. Lady Macbeth is very successful at persuading him to go against his better judgment. She entirely changes the stereotype of women being kind and caring in the first act. After Macbeth writes home telling of his murderous plans, Lady Macbeth begins talking to evil spirits. Because women often lack the ruthlessness to kill someone, Lady Macbeth asks the spirits to make her male. One of the most vivid descriptions of Lady Macbeth’s wickedness is directly after Macbeth announces to her he does not want to kill Duncan. This speech symbolizes Lady Macbeth’s evilness. She is ruthless, because of her evil accounts for the murders that occur throughout the play. Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to commit murders that will make them king