How does Lady Macbeth Manipulate Macbeth?

Introduction to Shakespeare’s Macbeth

Shakespeare is one of the finest British writers of all time, creating iconic works such as Macbeth. Shakespeare’s works are still celebrated and admired even after almost 400 years prior to his passing. Many of his works are based on a good main character and a bad minor character, but in this story, we see the protagonist in an evil state sinking into madness. The story is twisted as we see the different points of view of each character, seeing inside the head of Macbeth and all that takes place in a part of his lifetime.

Macbeth explores the moral and psychological effects of evil in the life of one man.

Macbeth is one of the greatest Shakespeare tragedies. Three witches decide to confront the great Scottish general Macbeth on his victorious return from a war between Scotland and Norway. They predict to Macbeth that he will become Thane of Cawdos and “king hereafter.” His wife, Lady Macbeth, urges him to take on the opportunity and commit a horror crime. Covering up their crimes, they meet with paranoia killing friends and themselves.

The Thirst for Power: How Lady Macbeth Manipulates Macbeth

All Macbeth and Lady Macbeth desire is power, leading them to insanity. Macbeth is given a prophecy by three witches that he will be king, and they tell Banquo, a friend of Macbeth, that his son one day will become king too. One of the first sights of this is when Macbeth is thinking of murder, “My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical … shakes so my single state of man that function.” Another example is Lady Macbeth’s ambition to become queen. Strives to manipulate Macbeth into murdering the king so the throne could be theirs. They wanted the kingdom so desperately that they were willing to kill for it. They not only murder the king but also Banquo’s family fearing that one day their kingdom would be stolen. Here we experience how a couple goes demented because of too much power. The play implies that once one chooses to use violence to advance one’s quest for power, it is difficult to stop. They are possessed by the feeling of power, somehow making them feel invincible. Shakespeare manifests to us that power does not always mean good. Power can be good if it is limited, but it can drive one to do unnatural things that may seem right.

Lady Macbeth: A Powerful Feminine Influence

The time period in which Shakespeare wrote Macbeth was a time period when women had to be submissive towards men and never express opinions their. Shakespeare, on the other hand, used female characters with mighty roles going against the expectations from that time. Women are in control of the plot due to the power Shakespeare provides them. Ideal examples are Lady Macbeth and the Witches; they hold in their hands the power, manipulating characters in different ways, somehow driving them into insanity. They decide the power a man possesses. Lady Macbeth is set aside from all other women in the 1600s, starting with the fact that she knows how to read, setting her as one of Shakespeare’s most powerful and famous female characters. Macbeth sends the letter to Lady Macbeth describing his past events with the witches; Lady Macbeth questions her husband’s authority, which most women fear. She says he lacks the “wickedness” needed for the role; here, she triggers her gender role for the rest of the novel, continuously questioning manhood to obtain what she desires. She knows that she must encourage Macbeth to commit the murder, wishing at one point that she were a man to do it herself.

“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. Make thick my blood, stop up the access and passage to remorse, that no compunctious visitings of nature shake my fell purpose, nor keep the peace between the effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts, and take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers, wherever in your sightless substances you wait on nature’s mischief” (Shakespeare). In this speech, there is no doubt that Lady Macbeth is capable of doing anything to seize the kingdom. This gives the audience that behind Macbeth is the real strength, her ambition leading her husband forward.

There is a clear representation between gender and power through Lady Macbeth. Shakespeare employs her to undercut Macbeth’s concept that “undaunted mettle should compose … Nothing but males” (Shakespeare). The play implies that women are as brutal and ambitious as men, yet society constrains them from pursuing their ambitions. The Fall of Man. Macbeth discloses components that reflect the greatest impact of all on Christianity. We see a reflection of Adam and Eve on Macbeth and Lady Macbeth; it is the weakness of Macbeth and the persuasion of his partner that leads him to believe the assumption that he can play god.

Women in literature are commonly weighed down because of social expectations describing them as weak and powerless. Macbeth manifests the opposite of what society expected, giving a peak of feminism; throughout the play, we can see how women take on an amazing role and create an impact. Without the women’s empowerment in Macbeth, he would not have made the same decisions he acted on. “Yet do I fear thy nature, it is too full o’ the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way” (Shakespeare). This is said by Lady Macbeth after reading the prophecy; she feels excitement about the news but fears her husband is too kind to take over the king. Lady Macbeth’s character is given intelligence, aspiration, and courage, which were attributes typically only portrayed in male characters. The three witches hold in their hands the future of Macbeth, also manipulating him to act on what they say.

The Witches’ Impact and Modern Implications

A part of the play that is often left unexplored by scholars and readers alike is the impact of the witches. Two very important theories penetrate my mind; whenever I read this amazing play, I can’t stop asking myself if the witches predict everything that’s going to happen or if they incite everything that’s going to happen by planting evil ideas in the minds of the characters. After reading the first three prophecies, I realized that this was the reason why Macbeth killed the king, only because the witches planted the idea of being king in his mind. Yet, after the second prophecy, I realized that the witches do know the future, but their goal is to create evil. They tell Macbeth prophecies that seem impossible to happen, yet they know they will happen. They do all this just to create confusion and torture Macbeth. I would say that the witches can see the future, yet only if they somehow influence it. In the case of Macbeth, they planted evil thoughts in his head, then Lady Macbeth and his witches for power made this prophecy true.

I admire the way Shakespeare displayed women even with the requisites in the era. He gave women the power to control what they desired without doubting or underestimating themselves. Shakespeare shows us his feminist side in this play giving all women in this play greater power than men.

Society had a huge impact on the play. Even though it is not clearly stated, I saw a sense of how peer pressure affected Macbeth’s life. Macbeth is not a character who is born to strive for power. Instead, he is forced to want power. The first thought of accessing the throne is implied by the witches, and success in the action is promised; he is presented as a man whose instinct would have discouraged him from such a thing if not strongly tempted to act. In the society he is in, it is absolute to honor one’s word. Shakespeare here addresses an immense problem that occurred back then and now, social fit. People do absurd actions to fit in with the people they most desire to be with; people go to extremes to be liked, and people go mad, wanting to become someone they are not. Macbeth feels like a coward for not obeying his wife at first and is afraid that if he does not obey, he will be seen as less of a man. This, of course, is fear of not fitting in with the social requisites a man had to have.

Another detail I noticed is that at the beginning of the play, we get a hint of how it will end. When the three witches first give out their prophecies to Macbeth and Banquo, they do say that Banquo’s son will be king, which indicates that Macbeth will die and Banquo or a family member will be the murderer. When I read a play, I like to be kept at mystery all throughout, so this was a disappointment for me. Even though the end was not completely assured at the start, I still felt a sense of how it would finish giving me less interest in the play.

Shakespeare came out of his norm, integrating plenty of everyday themes into Macbeth that can still be recognized and applied to life today. Shakespeare allows its readers to experience the consequences of guilt and avarice, which contribute to its eminence and simplicity. The characters are what make this play wholesome, the story may lack some imagination or depth, yet the wittiness of Lady Macbeth, the transition of Macbeth from an average guy into an evil king, and the witches make this one of the greatest pieces in British literature.

References:

1. Graham, Sarah. “Power and Ambition in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.” The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2015.
2. Smith, Emma. “Ambition and Conscience in Macbeth.” The British Library, 28 Mar. 2017.
3. Shakespeare, William. Macbeth.
4. Secco, Joanne. “Shakespeare’s Women: Lady Macbeth.” Folger Shakespeare Library, 23 Apr. 2019.

Did you like this example?

276

12