Lady Macbeth: the Heinous, Yet Deceitful Queen

Lady Macbeth: The Heinous, yet Deceitful Queen

        The transformations of Macbeth from a loyal, noble, and brave soldier to an evil, demented and cruel king can be attributed to many reasons, but is one of them his wife, Lady Macbeth? In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is one of the most sneaky, cunning, and interesting characters; however, could she be responsible for the murders and atrocities committed by Macbeth? In Shakespearian times, women were thought of as weak insignificant beings that were there to birth children and look beautiful; however, Shakespeare innovated her role as Macbeth’s equal or maybe even the dominant partner in their relationship. Through carefully examining Macbeth’s murder of King Duncan, their marital relationship, and Lady Macbeth’s deceitful character, one can see that Lady Macbeth is responsible for her husband’s horrid transformation.

        In the days leading up to Macbeth’s murder of King Duncan, it is obvious that Lady Macbeth’s thirst for power and disregard for life is shocking. The moment she learns of the witches’, she stand behind Macbeth and makes sure that he gets to the throne. “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be/ What thou art promised” (I, V, 13-14). This quote is extremely important because of the fact that it details a turning point in the play. This is the point where Lady Macbeth realizes that she will likely have to kill to fulfill her dream of royalty and power. At first, Macbeth is doubtful about their plan to kill Duncan; however, Lady Macbeth attacks his courage and manhood. She even goes as far as deeming that his love is worth nothing if he does not if he refuses, which only proves that she is manipulative and power-hungry. “We fail!/ But screw your courage to the sticking place,/ And we’ll not fail. ” (I, VII, 65-67). In this quote, Lady Macbeth attacks her husband’s courage and makes it clear that the only way he’ll succeed at anything is if he becomes more courageous which...