Lady Macbeth is another secondary character who plays a key role in advancing the plot by motivating Macbeth to kill Duncan, deceiving Duncan into a stealthy murder and revealing one of the play’s principle themes of guilt. Lady Macbeth is the driving force behind Macbeth’s motivation to kill Duncan as she manipulates Macbeth by mocking his manliness, and consequently motivates Macbeth to carry out the murder. Upon Macbeth confessing to Lady Macbeth that he will “proceed no further in this business” (1.7.32), that is, the plan to murder Duncan, Lady Macbeth initiates her manipulation to change Macbeth’s mind. Lady Macbeth accuses Macbeth of being a “coward” and replies, “Art thou afeard/ To be the same in thine own act and valor/ As thou art
