Lady Macbeth
Shakespeare is known for his many good works, including Macbeth. Many of his plays have a reoccurring topic. For example, most plays are about life, death, murder, going along with death, magic, mystery, and love. Some of these even intertwine with each other, leading one to cause another. In this case, murder will be the most important topic. {choppy transition} Most would agree that Lady Macbeth is just as guilty as Macbeth for Duncan’s murder, because it’s the truth.
When the witches first told Macbeth of his prophecy, he was happy and wanted to know more. After Macbeth told Lady Macbeth of his encounter with the witches, she knew that he was determined, but feared he was too kind to do the “right” things to take the throne. Speaking to herself, she said, “You spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty” (Mac. 1.5.
38–41). Here, Lady Macbeth prepares herself, because she knows she will have to step up and make some faulty decisions in order for Macbeth to be King. During a conversation about King Duncan, Macbeth told his wife that Duncan was going to stay a night, and leave the next day. Lady Macbeth replied with, “O, never shall sun that morrow see!” (Mac. 1.5.
58). Both of these quotes are shady and show that Macbeth’s Lady was already starting to plan something bad, even before Macbeth had anything in mind about hurting Duncan. Duncan arrived at Macbeth’s castle to dine, not knowing that it would be his last supper. Lady Macbeth told Macbeth of her plan and he debated on whether he should kill King Duncan. He made the decision to not kill Duncan, at first, and Lady Macbeth was furious.
“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” (Mac. 1.7.50). She knew her husband didn’t want to kill Duncan because he had never done any harm to Macbeth, but she continued to push him. Being the cruel woman she was, she eventually got Macbeth to agree to her plan.
“When Duncan is asleep…his two chamberlains will I with wine and wassail so convince that memory..
.what not put upon his spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt of our great quell?” (Mac. 1.7.62-73).
This quote shows that Lady Macbeth was the one to come up with the plan and manipulate her husband, and was also just as guilty as Macbeth will be. Macbeth finally took action and headed to Duncan’s chamber to kill him. Lady Macbeth was pleased, but then shortly after heard a slight scream, and worried that the chamberlains have awoken. “Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done ‘t” (Mac. 2.
2.16-17). Lady Macbeth said she would have killed the King right then and there if he had awoken. With no emotion she blurted it out, like it was nothing. Eventually, Lady Macbeth wasn’t able to control her emotions, and she killed herself. “Life’s but a walking shadow… a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” (Mac.
5.5.27-30). This quote was said by Macbeth after finding out the queen was dead. In the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth was able to stay calm, while Macbeth was the one to have delusions and start to go mad. Later though, the guilt was eating away at Macbeth’s Lady and she couldn’t handle itany longer, and snapped.
Thus proving, she was as guilty because of what she and Macbeth had done, that she wasn’t able to continue to live normally without feeling extremely guilty and afraid. Both the King and Queen were guilty of Duncan’s murder, but Macbeth’s Lady was just as guilty, if not more in some people’s opinion. She started out just fine, being the one to keep Macbeth in place, and make sure he wouldn’t go too mad. But slowly, she started to show more and more signs of her guiltiness, eating her from inside out. In the end, it was too much for Lady Macbeth to take, and took her own life.
Macbeth on the other hand, didn’t take his life, but did end up getting murdered by Macduff. Macbeth was able to control himself, while Lady Macbeth was not.
