Essay on Lady Macbeth A Dynamic Character - 1253 Words

In our society, as a rule, the man is the head of the household. However, in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth appears to be the neck that turns the head. William Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers in history, but he wasn’t recognized until the nineteenth century. He wrote many plays, sonnets, plays, and narrative plays. It was during the sixteenth century that he wrote the tragedy of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth, wife to the protagonist Macbeth, is one of Shakespeare’s most famous and evil female characters. At the start of the play, Lady Macbeth is ruthless, ambitious, cruel, and manipulative; however, by the end of the play she becomes insane and helpless. The transformation of these characteristics makes Lady Macbeth a very dynamic†¦show more content†¦v. 40-54). She is asking the gods to take away her feminine side so she can kill Duncan without remorse, as a man should. With her determined ambition she influences Macbeth to become ambitious hims elf and to be courageous and kill Duncan. Later in the play, with his newfound ambition, he makes plans to kill the Macduff family on his own. â€Å"Lady Macbeth tutors her husband in the arts of deceit† (Kemp 95). She tells him to â€Å"bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue: look like th’ innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t† (Shakespeare I. v. 63-65). She also portrays the perfect hostess. Duncan praises Lady Macbeth for being an â€Å"honour’d hostess† and a â€Å"fair and noble hostess† (Shakespeare I. vi. 10, 24). She drugs the guards who protect Duncan’s bedchamber by bringing them tainted wine. Lady Macbeth, unable to kill Duncan because he resembles his father, has Macbeth to murder him instead. After the deed is done, Lady Macbeth plays to be distraught over the King’s death. Later, following the murders of Duncan and Banquo, Macbeth acknowledges his wife as hostess, and she welcomes the thanes who have gathered after being summoned to acknowledge Macbeth as their new king (Kemp 95). Lady Macbeth is a master at manipulation. She tantalizes him [Macbeth] with his own self-image as a man who dares anything, for whom no limits of any kind exist (Bloom 39). Macbeth is afraid of the consequences ofShow MoreRelatedSymbolism Of Blood In Macbeth766 Words   |  4 PagesShakespeare’s most bloody work, Macbeth portrays its plot perfectly: Macbeth’s bloody rise to power and his tragic downfall. Throughout the play, the symbolism of blood advances this plot. We are introduced to Macbeth as a brave soldier without flaw, but he soon becomes consumed with achieving his â€Å"fated† future. From the moment Macbeth murdered Duncan, the symbolism of blood represents throughout the play his conscience, his dynamic character change, and his and Lady Macbeth’s guilt. 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