A Thorough Examination of Lady Macbeth

***This essay was written on April 2, 2018 for Ms. Seuk's British Literature class

Lady Macbeth is the character who shows the most drastic change in the play Macbeth.From a devious criminal mastermind to a sleepwalking suicide victim, she is the epitome of a guilt-ridden character. Although she is only the wife of the main character in his namesake play,Lady Macbeth and her evolution throughout the play plays a significant role inMacbeth.

In the beginning of the play, she is full of greed and would do anything to satisfy her desires. Immediately after reading the letter that alerts her of the prophecy, she says 

“Yet do I fear fthy nature, It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way…Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear and chatise with the valour of my toungue All that impedes thee from the golden round” (1.5.15-27)

Lady Macbeth starts to plan how to make Macbeth king, immediately jumping to the conclusion that they are going to need to pry the crown from the dead hands of King Duncan. She already thinks that she is stronger than Macbeth and worries about Macbeth’s ability to do what it takes. 

With words like “When you durst do it, then you were a man.” (1.7.49), she urges Macbeth to do the deed. 

            This strong demeanor continues while Macbeth actually kills King Duncan. Lady Macbeth is shockingly relentless and remorseless even after witnessing the dead body and, both figuratively and literally, getting blood on her hands. Although Macbeth appears shocked after murdering King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is unwaveringly callous and takes matter into her own hands by saying “Give me the daggers…If he do bleed, I’ll gild the faces of the grooms withal, For it must seem their guilt” (2.2.56-60). Even after getting her hands dirty she says “My hands are of your colour, but I shame To wear a heart so white.” (2.2.68) and continues to question his courage and manliness. This behavior emphasizes the strong but cruel and heartless characteristics of Lady Macbeth.

            However, as time passes, fear and guilt starts to break down her façade and reduces her to a sleepwalking nutcase. The contrast between her merciless acts of indirect murder and how she crazily relives the incident in her sleep shocks the reader and stresses the fact that guilt and fear has drove Lady Macbeth mad. Her words, “What need we fear who knows it…Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?” (5.1.33-36), show that although she kept on reassuring Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is now afraid of getting caught. Her following words, “The Thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean?” (5.1.38-40), is the first appearance of her humane character. She now feels guilt for her actions, worrying about the wife of Macduff. The remorse is now driving her mad, knowing that “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand” (5.1.44-45) and that she will never be free nor be able to hide her crimes. In the end, Lady Macbeth cannot stand the compunction and commits suicide.

            Lady Macbeth’s character development has various functions inside Macbeth.First, her initial greedy and pitiless personality is what drove Macbeth to do the deed. Without Lady Macbeth, it is safe to say that Macbeth would have gotten cold feet and would have never become king. Because Lady Macbeth was strong and devious enough to know just how to coax Macbeth into murdering Duncan, the entire story was able to progress.

Lady Macbeth is also the character whose guilt and the impact of it is clearest. Her evolution shows what committing a grave crime and the guilt that comes with it does to a person. It conveys that even the most cold-blooded, relentless person cannot remain completely sane under the weight of one’s actions. 

Finally, the various characteristics of Lady Macbeth are also successful in playing with femininity and masculinity. There are various references to gender throughout Macbeth. When Lady Macbeth first decides to help Macbeth become king, she says “unsex me…Come to my woman’s breasts And take my milk for gall” (1.5.40-47). This not only indicates that the cruel, passionate desires were only associated with masculinity but also shows that Lady Macbeth, although she is of course a woman, had masculine characteristics and she herself identifies with masculinity. Macbeth later says to her “Bring forth men-children only, For thy undaunted mettle should compose Nothing but males” (1.7.72-74) which again indicates that Lady Macbeth’s strong demeanor were considered masculine characteristics and fit for men. However, later on as Lady Macbeth loses her role as the decision maker and Macbeth takes the masculine role from her, Lady Macbeth loses her importance. She is neglected and ignored, as she is reduced to a mental patient and even Macbeth doesn’t dwell much on her death. One unique characteristic of Macbethis that a single character is able to portray the stereotypical characteristics of both genders. From Lady Macbeth, one can read into the gender roles of the time and clearly see the definition of femininity and masculinity. 

Both an appalling criminal and a guilt-ridden mad person, Lady Macbeth is able to show diverse characteristics and gender roles in Macbeth.Her role in Macbethis so impactful that one cannot dare to imagine the play without her. Whether she is showing the results of guilt or playing on the line between feminine and masculine characteristics, Lady Macbeth is a character that a reader cannot forget.