Lady Macbeth is more evil and responsible for the murder of King Duncan because she has the strengths that complement Macbeth‘s weaknesses. Although the Witches tempted Macbeth with Scotland’s crown, initially he was hesitant whether or not to believe their prediction. Macbeth was hesitant because he knew the Witches got the information from an evil source. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth did not hesitate about usurping power because she was more obsessed with power than her husband was. Therefore, she is a more evil character and therefore more responsible for the murder. Lady Macbeth has the strengths that complement Macbeth’s weaknesses and so their plot succeeded for the time being. First of all, she is the driving intelligence behind the plot. She organizes the details of the plot, whereas Macbeth simply follows her instructions. Secondly, her confidence and her will power exceed that of her husband’s. On the contrary, Macbeth has doubts even about his goals. Finally, Lady Macbeth goes beyond every means to achieve her objective even when she needs to do unnatural things.
First of all, Lady Macbeth is more responsible for the murder of King Duncan. She is also a more evil because she is the driving intelligence behind the plot. Lady Macbeth is also more capable of manipulating the characters around her. The first victim of her flattery is King Duncan who is disarmed of all feelings of suspicion. She is the master flatterer and she easily sways the naïve Duncan. Lady Macbeth thanks Duncan for “those honors deep and broad wherewith Your Majesty loads our house” (Act 1, 6, 17-18).
The Essay on Macbeth Lady Duncan Kill 2
In The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth is a strong influence on Macbeth to murder King Duncan. Macbeth must withstand the pressure that Lady Macbeth exerts Lady Macbeth is not a monster without feelings, however she is tricky and cunning when she influences Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth's ability to influence her husband leads the audience to believe that she is the ...
Duncan only demurs with a naïve complaint saying that “the love that follows us sometimes is our trouble” (Act 1, 6, 11-12).
Through flattery, Lady Macbeth prepares the unsuspecting king to fall victim to the plot.
Through guilt, Lady Macbeth also co-opts her husband into the plot. In the beginning, we see that Macbeth is hesitant about being an accomplice in the crime but Lady Macbeth successfully removes all his doubts. She convinces Macbeth through the use of guilt. She is able to manipulate Macbeth‘s sense of guilt because she makes it known to him that nothing is hidden to her. Lady Macbeth is not only able to read men‘s thoughts but she also tells Macbeth to confuse other people about his true intentions. Lady Macbeth is the master reader for whom every person is a message. She tells her husband saying “your face, my thane, is a book where men may read strange matters”. (Act 1, 60-61)
Lady Macbeth‘s ingenuity is that she is able to see through Macbeth ‘s weaknesses and manipulate his sense of purpose and guilt. In the beginning, Macbeth hesitates against Duncan‘s murder. Macbeth recognizes the good nature in Duncan and so he is unwilling to commit the murder. Macbeth realizes that he would be several times more guilty if he participated he king‘s murder. Macbeth even recognizes that Duncan has a kind of angelic quality about him. He tries to equivocate over the plot saying “this Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been so clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels, trumpet tongued, against the deep damnation of his taking off” (Act 1, 7, 16-20).
Macbeth realizes the great sin of his plot. On the other hand, the evil ingenuity of Lady Macbeth is that she is able to manipulate her husband. She does so by taking her husband into account and questioning his love for her. She uses guilt to pressure her husband into committing the murder. First, she raises the question of his manhood accusing him saying how “look(s) so green and pale at what it did so freely” (Act 1, 7, 37-38) when Macbeth first promised his cooperation. Lady Macbeth judges her husband’s love saying “from this time such I account thy love” (Act 1, 7, 39).
She uses a combination of love-guilt and fear to pressure him into cooperating with her. Finally, Macbeth relents and pleads his manhood saying “prithee, peace. I dare do all that may become a man” (Act 1, 7, 46).
The Essay on Prosecution Of Macbeth if He Was Tried For The Murder Of Duncan
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, we have heard the defence glorify Macbeth in an effort to cloud the horrible acts of murder that he committed. The question that we are here to answer today stands, ?is Macbeth guilty of the murder of our beloved king, Duncan?. Many questions cloud our judgement today. Did Macbeth have a motive to kill the king? Did Macbeth meticulously premeditate the murder of ...
Lady Macbeth finishes her act of deceit by laying the blame on the warders who guard the king (Act 1, 7, 65)
-Lady Macbeth plans on blaming the scapegoat “the warders”, Macbeth does not do the actual blaming himself (Act 1, 7, 65)
Secondly, Lady Macbeth is more responsible for the murder of King Duncan because her will power and confidence exceeds that of her husband’s. Not only is she the intelligence behind the plot, she is also the daring that motivates the crime.
-Lady Macbeth is able to instil the sense of guilt in Macbeth
-“art not without ambition” (Act 1, 5, 17)
Lady Macbeth possesses this sense of daring because she sees herself as co-operating with an appointed destiny. She sees her plot as part of her working with fate. According to her sense of predestination, “fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have thee crowned withal” (Act 1, 5, 26-28) on the plotting couple. However evil Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are, we see a glimpse of their humanity from which we can sympathize. There is also a sense of denial that she wants the outcome (her final goal) but she does not want to see the process itself. She is struggling with her goal but there is a sense of denial holding her back. Lady Macbeth is reluctant to murder Duncan because he resembles her father in his sleep. Surprisingly, she invokes the feelings of filial ties on the eve of committing a horrific murder. Even before she commits murder, Lady Macbeth even shows a pang of reluctance when she wishes “that my keen knife see not the wound it makes” (Act 1, 5, 50)
-Lady Macbeth is reluctant to murder Duncan because he resembles her father in his sleep
The tragic irony of Lady Macbeth ‘s behaviour is that during the murder her role and her husband ‘s roles are reversed. She takes on the courage of the man while Macbeth shows the hesitancy of the “weaker gender”. Lady Macbeth is over confident that she will not fail. In a way, it is arguable that her “confidence” is necessary in order to act as a foil to Macbeth‘s weakness. She tells her hesitating husband to “screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail” (Act 1, 7, 60)
The Essay on Lady Macbeth Scene Act Duncan
... after the murder, Macduff finds Duncan dead, Macbeth then starts to act suspiciously and draws attention to himself. It is then that Lady Macbeth has ... s Macbeth, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had the goal of Macbeth becoming king: to obtain this they took matters into hands and killed Duncan. In ... there are many ways that one can achieve these goals. To achieve what you desire you can either wait ...
-Lady Macbeth is overly confident that she will not fail
-“but screw your courage to the sticking place, and we’ll not fail” (Act 1, 7, 60)
Finally, Lady Macbeth is more responsible for Duncan‘s murder because she goes beyond every means to achieve her objective even when she needs to do unnatural deeds. One of the most obvious signs of her embrace of unnatural behaviour is her adoption of the Witches ‘symbolism thus putting her on par with the weird sisters. Prior to the murder, even aspects of nature reveal an evil characteristic. One of the totemic animals of the witches appear on the scene to announce the inversion of natural order. The “raven himself is hoarse” (Act 1, 5, 38) as he announces Duncan ‘s fatal welcome. The reason why Lady Macbeth is more willing to use unnatural means to her goals is because she values expedience no matter through what means. Once she has her mind on a goal, she will not quit until she has attained it. She urges her husband towards the plot saying “to catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great” (Act 1, 5, 16).
One of Lady Macbeth‘s most unnatural acts done is to change her identity. In order to do evil things, she has to adapt an evil persona. She begins by renouncing her role as a mother as she sensed that motherly feelings will hamper her plot. Lady Macbeth and her husband‘s roles are reversed. She worries about her husband saying “yet do I fear thy nature: it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness” (Act 1, 5, 14-15).
Lady Macbeth deliberately changes herself into someone who is non-human. She renounces her womanhood but she does not exactly change into a man. She becomes neither female nor male as she calls the darkness to aid her saying “come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me, from crown to the toe, top full of direst cruelty! Make thick my blood” (Act 1, 5, 38-41).
As she renounces her womanhood, she also denies all motherly tenderness. She literally assumes the persona of a weapon saying “come to my woman‘s breasts and take my milk for gall” (Act 1, 5, 45-46).
Lady Macbeth achieves her goal by taking on the witches ‘persona. In a way, she acts as an extension of where the weird sisters have left off. She gives further push to the plot when she calls upon the demons to help influence her husband. She wishes that “that I may pour my spirits in thine ear, and chastise with valor of my tongue” (Act 1, 5, 24-25).
The Term Paper on Witches In Macbeth Lady Woman Witch
"The Witches in Macbeth" People that lived during the Elizabethan period were very superstitious. They feared the power of witches the most. The hate stemmed mostly from the .".. supposed satanic beliefs of the witches and their heretical partnership with the Devil" (Papp and Kirkland 43). Others thought of witches only when something of value had been damaged. They automatically assumed that a ...
Lady Macbeth knows that there are dire consequences to her actions. She knows that the plot does not only involve murder but that since it is the death of a king there are extraordinary consequences. The consequences are so dire that they even involve disorder in nature.
-she renounces all human feelings
-renounces her womanhood
-she takes on many of the Witches ‘symbolism
-“the raven himself is hoarse”
-Lady Macbeth values expediency towards her goal no matter the means
-Lady Macbeth is the first one who intends to reach her goals even by means of evil
-she changes into someone who is non-human, she changes into a man but not exactly
-Lady Macbeth parallels the Witches in that she calls up the demons to influence Macbeth
-she knows she is not simply killing Duncan but that her acts have supernatural / God consequences
-“nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark, to cry ‘hold, hold” (Act 1, 5, 51-52)
-Macbeth feels regrets but Lady Macbeth does not (even after the murder of Duncan) -sleepwalking is her unnatural punishment / consequence of her crimes. Her night turns into day and her day into night
