The True Villain: Lady Macbeth
“I like villains because there is something so attractive about a committed person. They have a plan, an ideology, no matter how twisted. They are motivated." (Russell Crowe). From the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the character Lady Macbeth can be directly related to the quote. The villain is the character in literature that creates the conflict and many would agree that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the villains. The play follows the story of Macbeth, the protagonist, who was prophesied to become the King of Scotland. The prophecy was fulfilled through the murdering of the current king, King Duncan, planned by Lady Macbeth. Although she is more dominant of the two characters, Lady Macbeth does not directly …show more content…
If not for this, even though the plan was created, no one would have accomplished the task. One way Lady Macbeth persuaded Macbeth was through taunting him. "Was the hope drunk / Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? / And wakes it now, to look so green and pale / At what it did so freely? From this time / Such I account thy love. [...] Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,"(1.7.39-48). She says that he will always be someone who will say that he wants to but then becomes afraid and says that he cannot. One can conclude from the given evidence that being insulted and called a coward would make Macbeth want to prove her wrong. Macbeth is torn and is under a lot of pressure because Lady Macbeth is saying that if he does not go through with the plan, then like his love for her, she will assume that he is not serious about what he says, including their love. She then further insults his masculinity by saying that if he were a true man, then he would dare to do what he had said he would, in this case, murdering King Duncan. “When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man,"(1.7.56-58). Lady Macbeth tries to manipulate Macbeth by saying that if he dares to think about killing King Duncan, it will show that he is a man, but to actually commit the …show more content…
"Go get some water, / And wash this filthy witness from your hand. / Why did you bring these daggers from the place? / They must lie there. Go carry them and smear / The sleepy grooms with blood." (2.2.60-64). After the murdering of King Duncan, Macbeth is incredibly disturbed by his deed and is consumed with remorse, paralyzing him. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth, is able to think clearly, instructs Macbeth into cleaning himself, and guides him through the next following steps without problem, indicating that she is able to take control of the situation. After the death of King Duncan, there was knocking which caused Macbeth to become frightened and incapable of performing any reasonable actions without prompting guidance. “Wash your hands. Put on your nightgown. Don’t look so frightened," (5.1.65-66). From the evidence, one can conclude that Macbeth would have been caught with ease if not for Lady Macbeth being there to instruct him. This is extremely important because if Macbeth had been caught, the plot would not have proceeded since he would not have been able to become king. If Lady Macbeth had been any less ambitious and committed to becoming queen, she would not have been able to be as calm as she was, without a trace of remorse. She did not react in the same matter as Macbeth because she was mentally, physically and
“I like villains because there is something so attractive about a committed person. They have a plan, an ideology, no matter how twisted. They are motivated." (Russell Crowe). From the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the character Lady Macbeth can be directly related to the quote. The villain is the character in literature that creates the conflict and many would agree that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the villains. The play follows the story of Macbeth, the protagonist, who was prophesied to become the King of Scotland. The prophecy was fulfilled through the murdering of the current king, King Duncan, planned by Lady Macbeth. Although she is more dominant of the two characters, Lady Macbeth does not directly …show more content…
If not for this, even though the plan was created, no one would have accomplished the task. One way Lady Macbeth persuaded Macbeth was through taunting him. "Was the hope drunk / Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? / And wakes it now, to look so green and pale / At what it did so freely? From this time / Such I account thy love. [...] Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,"(1.7.39-48). She says that he will always be someone who will say that he wants to but then becomes afraid and says that he cannot. One can conclude from the given evidence that being insulted and called a coward would make Macbeth want to prove her wrong. Macbeth is torn and is under a lot of pressure because Lady Macbeth is saying that if he does not go through with the plan, then like his love for her, she will assume that he is not serious about what he says, including their love. She then further insults his masculinity by saying that if he were a true man, then he would dare to do what he had said he would, in this case, murdering King Duncan. “When you durst do it, then you were a man; / And to be more than what you were, you would / Be so much more the man,"(1.7.56-58). Lady Macbeth tries to manipulate Macbeth by saying that if he dares to think about killing King Duncan, it will show that he is a man, but to actually commit the …show more content…
"Go get some water, / And wash this filthy witness from your hand. / Why did you bring these daggers from the place? / They must lie there. Go carry them and smear / The sleepy grooms with blood." (2.2.60-64). After the murdering of King Duncan, Macbeth is incredibly disturbed by his deed and is consumed with remorse, paralyzing him. On the other hand, Lady Macbeth, is able to think clearly, instructs Macbeth into cleaning himself, and guides him through the next following steps without problem, indicating that she is able to take control of the situation. After the death of King Duncan, there was knocking which caused Macbeth to become frightened and incapable of performing any reasonable actions without prompting guidance. “Wash your hands. Put on your nightgown. Don’t look so frightened," (5.1.65-66). From the evidence, one can conclude that Macbeth would have been caught with ease if not for Lady Macbeth being there to instruct him. This is extremely important because if Macbeth had been caught, the plot would not have proceeded since he would not have been able to become king. If Lady Macbeth had been any less ambitious and committed to becoming queen, she would not have been able to be as calm as she was, without a trace of remorse. She did not react in the same matter as Macbeth because she was mentally, physically and