William Shakespeare's Macbeth is among the few of Shakespeare's plays where a female character plays a catalytic role. The female characters in this play are Lady Macbeth, Lady Macduff, the Three Witches, and Hecate. Lady Macbeth and her husband, Macbeth are the chief protagonists of the play. The plot of Macbeth begins when the three witches address Macbeth on his return from the battlefield. The witches hail Macbeth with his present designation, the Thane of Glamis, and make a prophecy that he would become the Thane of Cawdor and ultimately the King. News arrives almost immediately that the King has appointed Macbeth as the Thane of Cawdor.
[...] A secondary depiction of the nature of women's role in the play, which upholds the conventional viewpoint regarding Lady Macbeth's nature comes in Act I Scene when the three witches cast spells on a poor sailor because his wife cursed one of the witches and refused to give her some chestnuts. This indicates that scheming women cloud reality and men suffer for women's schemes, manipulations and evil actions. The reference to the witches being “female, but have beards,” reinforces the gender ambiguity in the play. [...]
[...] He still did not agree to murder the king to achieve his ends, but fell to the dominating influence of Lady Macbeth when she repeatedly questions his masculinity until he believed that he should commit the crime in order to live up to the assumed expectation of his wife. Lady Macbeth speaks to her husband the following words: Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and velour as thou art in desire?" (I:vii:39-41) "And, to be more than what you were, you would be so much more the man." (I;vii;50-51) “What beast was't then, that made you break this enterprise to me? [...]
[...] The play concludes with women removed from any position of power and Macduff, the last man standing is a man not woman born (IV.ix.94). A related analysis concludes that though women remain aggressive and authoritative, they have the power only to create petty mischief. Lady Macbeth's wish to shed her sexual identity, evident from her quote “unsex me here” (I.v.39-42) betrays the fact that traditional male qualities alone result in the realization of any real power. Macbeth himself remarks that her wife was a inside a woman” seems to connect masculinity to ambition and violence. [...]
[...] In this world the good suffer while evil flourishes.” The scene of her murder creates pathos in the audience and marks a deciding point on the fate of Macbeth. The murder also shakes Lady Macbeth and she slips into delusions after this murder. Conclusion The analysis of William Shakespeare's Macbeth makes it evident that irrespective of Lady Macbeth's state of mind or intentions, she was the chief instigator behind the murder of Duncan. The murder is however contrary to the sense of fair play and loyalty and the guilt torments Lady Macbeth until it devours her life. [...]
[...] She does not have a place in the main plot, but her role is nevertheless important as a contrast to Lady Macbeth, and she represents all the good people slaughtered by Macbeth. The nature of Lady Macbeth's role Conventional approach The conventional viewpoint holds Lady Macbeth as an evil woman and considers Macbeth's succumbing to the evil influence of Lady Macbeth and the Three Witches as the tragedy in the play. Lady Macbeth, driven by her desire to become the queen, succeeded in manipulating her husband to murder King Duncan. Macbeth was a brave, courageous, and loyal man, and never contemplated kingship until the witches put the idea into his head. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
