What role does Lady Macbeth play in guiding the action of the play Macbeth? Or, discuss the character of Lady Macbeth. Or, how far Lady Macbeth is responsible for Macbeth’s calamity.
Introduction:
Lady Macbeth is the leading character in William Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) Tragedy Macbeth. As the wife of the play’s tragic protagonist Macbeth, Lady Macbeth forces her husband to commit regicide again, after which she becomes Queen of Scotland. She died off stage in the final act, an apparent suicide.
The range of her character:
Lady Macbeth has a strong presence in the play, especially in the first two acts. After the assassination of King Duncan, her role in the conspiracy diminished. She becomes an unelected spectator of Macbeth’s conspiracy and a nervous hostess at a banquet influenced by her husband’s hallucinations. Her sleepwalking scene in the fifth act is a turning point in the drama and her line “Out, damned spot!” has become a phrase familiar to many speakers of the English language.
More Notes: Macbeth
Creator of suspense:
At first, the suspense of the plot is created by the three witches. But as a fourth witch, Lady Macbeth plays an inevitable role in creating more suspense in the plot. The challenges that Shakespeare presents to his characters generate different reactions from different people. Lady Macbeth’s challenge is that she discovers that her husband is confronted by three witches and is tempted to do something about their prophecy that he will be king. She knows that the king must die for something like this to happen. When she receives a message that King Duncan is planning to spend the night at Glamis Castle with them, it seems to them that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In this situation, she feels pressure.
Changer of storyline:
Lady Macbeth is as ambitious as Macbeth but she knows that for all his bravery in war, all his soldiership, and diplomatic qualities, Macbeth is basically too soft to take advantage of the opportunity- “too full of the milk of human kindness” that is why she decides to assassinate King Duncan. This decision of Lady Macbeth brings about a change in the plot of the play.
Token of the external devil:
Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband with remarkable effectiveness, overriding all his objections; when he hesitates to murder, she repeatedly questions his manhood until he feels that he must commit murder to prove himself. Lady Macbeth’s remarkable strength of will persists through the murder of the king-it is she who steadies her husband’s nerves immediately after the crime has been perpetrated.
To represent the marital dilemma:
Macbeth kills Duncan in his sleep and from that moment their married life begins to break down. They each fall into their own guilt and rarely talk to each other. As king. Macbeth fears his political enemies and begins a reign of terror while Lady Macbeth is in bed, unable to sleep, having nightmares. Through sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth symbolizes that she has sunk into moral, physical, and spiritual collapse. When Macbeth is on his last legs trying to prevent the rebels, he gets the message that His wife is dead. At this point, he says that he does not have time to think about it and utters in frustration, “She should have died hereafter.” Their partnership in this murderous enterprise has destroyed their marriage.
Conclusion:
Lady Macbeth plays a vital role in the downfall of Macbeth. she is responsible for Macbeth’s calamity and also the tragic end of her own life. Through her character, Shakespeare shows conventional sexism at the time when women were discouraged from taking power. Overall, Lady Macbeth plays the role of the fourth witch in the play.
