Many people tend to underestimate the strength and power many women may hide. Not long ago, women were viewed as weak and innocent. In a traditional Shakespearean relationship, the male is displayed as the dominant partner, while the female just hides in the shadows. These roles are reversed in William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, for Lady Macbeth is displayed as dominant over, and more evil than her husband, Macbeth. She uses manipulation, her calm demeanor, and her ambition to control her husband and assert her strength onto him; which ultimately makes her more evil than Macbeth.
One trait that Lady Macbeth possesses that is the opposite of the traditional wife is her manipulation. When she first hears of the Witches prophecy that Macbeth is destined …show more content…
Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures: 'tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil," (2.1.116-119). The way that Lady Macbeth speaks to her husband can be interpreted as mocking, yet wise. She tries to alleviate Macbeth 's worries by comparing the dead to the sleeping. She says that from a distance they look the same. Duncan appears to be only sleeping and that is how Macbeth should think of him. Additionally, her artful and sly ability are shown through her meticulous attention towards detail, which allows her to successfully devise and carry out the plan to kill Duncan. Many people misinterpret her and think she is out of control when in reality, Lady Macbeth is in her right mind, and more intelligent than people think. All of her actions and words are planned and controlled, but she still has a conscious that will not allow her to be the cold hearted killer that she wishes to be. She is hungry for power and often seeks the help of demons to fill her with darkness. After she reads the letter from Macbeth she says; "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty!" (1.5.43-46). She wants spirits to help me not feel remorse so she will be able to further assist her husband in achieving royalty. The only time that her thoughts start to betray her are towards the end of the play when guilt overtakes her. Throughout the play she remains in …show more content…
Her strength of will is far greater than her husband 's for while he hesitates and is distrustful of his powers, she never wavers. Unlike Macbeth, she needs no supernatural temptations to urge her on. While reading her husband 's letter, she decides on a course of action and is determined to achieve her goal. Her first words after reading the letter show clearly the strength of her determination: "Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be what thou art promised" (1.4. 3-14). In Macbeth 's letter, he outlines his encounter with the Witches and their prophecies. When he told her that he was ultimately destined to be King, she immediately decided that Duncan would have to be killed. Some scholars believe that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth had discussed killing him previous to the beginning of the play. This idea that the assassination had been in their minds before is not hard to believe for Lady Macbeth immediately jumped to the decision to kill Duncan and devised a plan in less than a day. It is clear that Lady Macbeth is more ambitious than Macbeth for she has no fear in doing what needs to be done. She initially believed that Macbeth was too weak and kind-hearted to take part in such a bloody task; however, her continuous ambition is what keeps Macbeth on the bloody path. Towards the end of the play, Macbeth redeems himself and gains more ambition that leads him to kill Macduff 's family, but he
One trait that Lady Macbeth possesses that is the opposite of the traditional wife is her manipulation. When she first hears of the Witches prophecy that Macbeth is destined …show more content…
Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures: 'tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil," (2.1.116-119). The way that Lady Macbeth speaks to her husband can be interpreted as mocking, yet wise. She tries to alleviate Macbeth 's worries by comparing the dead to the sleeping. She says that from a distance they look the same. Duncan appears to be only sleeping and that is how Macbeth should think of him. Additionally, her artful and sly ability are shown through her meticulous attention towards detail, which allows her to successfully devise and carry out the plan to kill Duncan. Many people misinterpret her and think she is out of control when in reality, Lady Macbeth is in her right mind, and more intelligent than people think. All of her actions and words are planned and controlled, but she still has a conscious that will not allow her to be the cold hearted killer that she wishes to be. She is hungry for power and often seeks the help of demons to fill her with darkness. After she reads the letter from Macbeth she says; "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full of direst cruelty!" (1.5.43-46). She wants spirits to help me not feel remorse so she will be able to further assist her husband in achieving royalty. The only time that her thoughts start to betray her are towards the end of the play when guilt overtakes her. Throughout the play she remains in …show more content…
Her strength of will is far greater than her husband 's for while he hesitates and is distrustful of his powers, she never wavers. Unlike Macbeth, she needs no supernatural temptations to urge her on. While reading her husband 's letter, she decides on a course of action and is determined to achieve her goal. Her first words after reading the letter show clearly the strength of her determination: "Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be what thou art promised" (1.4. 3-14). In Macbeth 's letter, he outlines his encounter with the Witches and their prophecies. When he told her that he was ultimately destined to be King, she immediately decided that Duncan would have to be killed. Some scholars believe that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth had discussed killing him previous to the beginning of the play. This idea that the assassination had been in their minds before is not hard to believe for Lady Macbeth immediately jumped to the decision to kill Duncan and devised a plan in less than a day. It is clear that Lady Macbeth is more ambitious than Macbeth for she has no fear in doing what needs to be done. She initially believed that Macbeth was too weak and kind-hearted to take part in such a bloody task; however, her continuous ambition is what keeps Macbeth on the bloody path. Towards the end of the play, Macbeth redeems himself and gains more ambition that leads him to kill Macduff 's family, but he