Manipulation is a popular trope used in various amounts of literature; titles from William Shakespeare are an example. Many of Shakespeare’s works involves scheming and thorough plans to take someone out or betray someone for personal gain. There are numerous cases of this in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth. In Macbeth, there are certain characters who either are manipulative in their own way to get what they want or bring everything back to its natural order. This manipulation in Macbeth is portrayed through the characters Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and Malcolm.
One character that is shown to be manipulative is Macbeth. He is shown doing multiple acts to get what he wants. The play opened up with three witches talking about how Macbeth was going …show more content…
She played a pivotal role in making Macbeth king. When she gets word of Macbeth’s potential promotion, she instantly wants to achieve that promotion. She tells Macbeth and he seems conflicted about the matter. Lady Macbeth goes to say, “Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem…” (Shakespeare 338). She insults him to persuade him to through with the plan. George Gerwig also mentions this by stating, "She knows that [Macbeth] wants the throne more than he wants anything in the world" (2). He continues to say that she also knows he is too kind hearted and compassionate to carry out an act like murder (Gerwig 2). Knowing that Macbeth also has a deep trust in her, she attempts to convince him and succeeds. This action shows Lady Macbeth's true nature. McGrail makes an interesting claim regarding Lady Macbeth's nature, stating, “Her sex stands as a barrier to the commission of a crime such as a regicide. She views her sexuality as the root of that ‘nature’ which impedes her ruthlessness.” (10-11). Lady Macbeth knows what she is doing, but she does it anyway to get what she and her husband desire most, the
One character that is shown to be manipulative is Macbeth. He is shown doing multiple acts to get what he wants. The play opened up with three witches talking about how Macbeth was going …show more content…
She played a pivotal role in making Macbeth king. When she gets word of Macbeth’s potential promotion, she instantly wants to achieve that promotion. She tells Macbeth and he seems conflicted about the matter. Lady Macbeth goes to say, “Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem…” (Shakespeare 338). She insults him to persuade him to through with the plan. George Gerwig also mentions this by stating, "She knows that [Macbeth] wants the throne more than he wants anything in the world" (2). He continues to say that she also knows he is too kind hearted and compassionate to carry out an act like murder (Gerwig 2). Knowing that Macbeth also has a deep trust in her, she attempts to convince him and succeeds. This action shows Lady Macbeth's true nature. McGrail makes an interesting claim regarding Lady Macbeth's nature, stating, “Her sex stands as a barrier to the commission of a crime such as a regicide. She views her sexuality as the root of that ‘nature’ which impedes her ruthlessness.” (10-11). Lady Macbeth knows what she is doing, but she does it anyway to get what she and her husband desire most, the