Although she might seem like a one-sided and uninfluential character in the relatively short portion of Macbeth that she appears in, Lady Macbeth is one of the most captivating and influential characters within the play. Macbeth, written by William Shakespeare in the early 17th Century, mainly consists of the plot by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to murder the King of Scotland in order to take power for themselves. Lady Macbeth plays a key role as the instigator of this plot and intervenes in key events several times in order to maintain the plot’s success. Lady Macbeth’s status as a woman combined with her significant ambition provides enormous complexity to her character and makes her extremely interesting. The substantial change in character
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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. Lady Macbeth’s complex mix of femininity and brutality and her struggle to follow her dreams as a woman make her an extremely interesting character to view from a modern
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. Lady Macbeth’s complex mix of femininity and brutality and her struggle to follow her dreams as a woman make her an extremely interesting character to view from a modern