Lady Macbeth Research Paper

Improved Essays
Macbeth Essay

Expectations are put in place for people in society, and if people do not follow these expectations they may think differently than an average person would. If someone is brought up in life with different outlooks than you then maybe their decision making skills may be different than yours and some might not have the same feelings as you do on a certain act or deed.
When someone has convinced themselves that the decisions they are making are the right ones then any act of anything is acceptable in their mind.
In the script Tragedy of Macbeth, the character of Lady Macbeth, does not fit society’s expectations of her role as a woman, feeling of guilt, and desire for the title of the queen. Lady Macbeth didn’t fit the gender
…show more content…
“Ribner then examines duncan’s murder, arguing that this specific act of evil corrupts all levels of creation, contaminating the family, the state, and the physical universe.” The quote said that it corrupts all levels of creation which includes peoples innocence and maybe Lady Macbeth had her innocence finally sealed off for good after Duncan had finally died, and maybe this is why she feels guilt for an act she did not physically commit. She did have a part in goading him into the murder so she could bear the title of the queen so maybe she is just as physically guilty as he. “ The guilt is thus more equally divided than we should suppose when we hear people pitying ‘the noble nature of Macbeth,’ bewildered and goaded on to crime, solely or chiefly by the instigation of his wife. ”The things Lady Macbeth has known started coming out in her sleep as she sleep walked towards the end of the story. She had spoken “The thane of fife had a wife. Where is she now? What, will these hands ne’er be clean?” Lord Macduff's’ wife had been killed by Macbeths hitmen and Lady Macbeth had figured out and this may have been the guilt that finally drove her past the edge of destruction and she ended her own

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Insecurity In Macbeth

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He already feels responsible for Duncan’s death, and the guilt prevents him from continuing his plan. Macbeth’s loyalty gives him no reason to kill Duncan, and he is unable to live with himself knowing that Duncan’s kingdom “will plead like angels” (1.7.19). Duncan’s intentions were never bad nor dishonest. Macbeth pities himself, not wanting others to think poorly of him. Macbeth’s uncertainty makes him look weak and the audience is able to detect his…

    • 781 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Although Macbeth actually murders Macbeth, it is indirectly Lady Macbeth who murdered King Duncan by convincing her husband that he needs to murder the king. Macbeth does the physical murdering of King Duncan, but Lady Macbeth, it can be said, succeeded in convincing him that he must murder the King. Also, in a sense, the witches are to be held responsible for the murder because it is after the prophecy about Macbeth's succession that these tragedies occur. This ignites Macbeth's ambition to want to be king. The witches expect this when they tell Macbeth about their "prophecy" and they know of the bloodshed and death that it will cause.…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Unfortunately, she is no longer sane and is consumed by the guilt of her actions. When she does pass away, Macbeth is left to fend for himself which makes him even more paranoid. Since “Macbeth leans upon her strength, trusts in her fidelity, and throws himself on her tenderness” (Jameson 7), his goal becomes more difficult. It is evident that their relationship, while she was alive, was one filled with love and equal respect for one another – he fondly calls her “my dearest partner in greatness” (Shakespeare 46) in the letter addressed to her. After Duncan’s murder, it seems to distance the partners in crime.…

    • 852 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lady Macbeth Guilt Essay

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The nature of guilt, then, envelopes her state of mind and causes her to go insane with guilt. Evidences [1] In Act One Scene 5, Lady Macbeth summons evil spirits as she says, [1, V, 39-45] “Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me from the crown to the toe topful of direst cruelty; make thick my blood, stop up the access and passage…

    • 660 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth Through The Feminist Lens Throughout Macbeth, gender roles are displayed in various ways. These roles affect who has control, and shows the fear of men when women are not submissive. The mixing of gender roles is portrayed by Lady Macbeth, and the Witches. Because Lady macbeth and the witches do not fit into traditional gender roles, they have more power than other women, and they cause discomfort for the men in the play. Viewing Macbeth through the feminist lens demonstrates men’s fear of changes in social power dynamics.…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Do you think that Macbeth had the characteristics to be recognized as a tragic hero? A tragic hero is a man of noble stature. A tragic hero has outstanding qualities and greatness about himself. Tragic hero’s main characteristics are that they are noble, they are not all evil, has talent that makes him great, share responsibility of his down fall, and makes the audience feel some type of pity. I believe that Macbeth was all the characteristics to be classified as a tragic hero.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She is guilt-ridden, paranoid, and tortured from the crimes that she and Macbeth committed in order to obtain the throne. Lady Macbeth’s final appearance in the tragedy is the sleepwalking scene. Her conscience has become too much for her to bare and has driven to the brink of insanity. She is unable to rid herself of the figurative blood that stains her hands, so her subconscious is making the blood a reality for her. She continuously attempts to wash the blood off her hands and insists that “the smell of the blood” (5.1.53) will not dissipate.…

    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Lady Macbeth’s brutal and conniving personality provides a great contrast to what is normally thought to be the “gentler sex” and allows the reader to observe the great lengths she takes in order to inspire her husband to do horrible actions seemingly by his own accord. Her call for the spirits to “unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full / Of direst cruelty!” shows her dedication to the cause of her husband’s ambition and her belief that she must renounce her womanhood in order to plan and perform these dastardly deeds, which she knows her husband will be too nice to perform (Shakespeare 1.5.42-4). Lady Macbeth’s indirect influence on Macbeth’s actions is especially notable in the latter portion of the play in which he seems to singlehandedly commit brutal acts. These independent acts, however, were only made possible and necessary for Macbeth after her instigation of the regicide. This indirect influence concurs with the ancient stereotype of women as manipulative and tempting characters, which she evidently embodies through her plotting and ability to make others do work for her.…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Lady Macbeth

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Shortly thereafter, Lady MacBeth felt guilty about the murder until her mental…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Gender roles are culturally constructed and, in the case of ‘Macbeth’, masculinity has as many expectations and connotations as femininity. At the beginning of the play Macbeth fulfils the criteria of contemporary masculinity; presented as ‘brave’ and ‘valiant’, he is described as the perfect soldier and seems to represent the ideals of men of the time. Yet, despite Macbeth conforming to the stereotype, it could be argued that the exposition also suggests equality between the Macbeths- which would have been improbable in the time period. This is shown when Macbeth refers to his wife as his “Dearest partner of greatness” therefore subverting the stereotypical power balance of the patriarchal society, and, defying the norm. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth welcomed more ‘masculine’ traits when she “unsexed” herself in order to be ‘strong’; whereas Macbeth appears weak in the face of the murder and is particularly vulnerable to her manipulations when she ‘pours her spirits’ into his ear.…

    • 1568 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Women compose a fundamental component of society that is equally significant in comparison to men, as both genders depend on each other in order to achieve certain aspects in life. In Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, women are not equally present as men, since their presence exemplifies either extreme wickedness or moral decency. Thus, Shakespeare uses female characters such as Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff in the play to represent the struggle between good and evil by examining elements like gender archetypes, gender identity, and marriage partners. This use of female characters identifies morally different sides within the play and allows the audience to distinguish between every side’s decisions.…

    • 1130 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The reader should notice that not once does Lady Macbeth speak of her own desire to be queen or the power that she might gain. Upon realizing that Macbeth can only attain the crown through regicide, her only concern is that her husband will need her help. She even feels it necessary to beg the forces of darkness to fortify her for the task, thus betraying the fact that she does not believe herself to be capable of the murder without appealing to the supernatural. This is important. In Shakespeare’s time, the act of opening oneself up to evil spirits would have been scandalous, and Lady Macbeth does exactly that for the benefit of Macbeth.…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout Shakespeare’s Macbeth, a recurring theme is gender roles. For the duration of Macbeth the idea of how males and females behave are consistent. Macbeth derives its drama from the character’s ability to exploit one another based on their short comings in their particular role, either as a man or a woman. Examining the role of gender and its parallel with manipulation throughout Macbeth, we see the importance each male character places on his masculinity.…

    • 1001 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Women In Macbeth

    • 1500 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The women in Macbeth are presented by Shakespeare to be powerful and ambitious which was unlike the typical views during Jacobean times. The playwright portrays Lady Macbeth and the witches to be highly influential to male characters in the play, which again contrasts the contemporary views to that time. Their ambition and power are demonstrated through the perversion of nature. This highlights the evil and immoral side, they possess. Shakespeare, however, presented Lady Macbeth and the witches to be manipulative and cunning, rather than violent like Macbeth was during the play.…

    • 1500 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Macbeth: The Role of Gender William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth is set in a patriarchal Elizabethan society during the 17th century, a time when gender roles were clearly defined. The play tells the story of Macbeth, a Scottish general driven by a prophecy of his rise to power followed by his subsequent demise. Shakespeare uses the story to examine and subvert male and female stereotypes. Characters frequently reference and distinguish issues of gender. At first, Macbeth appears as a brave, strong, and loyal man that is able to lead and fight fiercely in battle.…

    • 982 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays