How Lady Macbeth's Character Changes Throughout The Play

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There is a point in life when a person begins feeling guilty for the immoral actions they have done in the past. In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth’s desire is to become queen, but she has to get through many obstacles to reach her goal, such as killing anyone who gets in her way. Once she becomes queen, she goes through the stages of guilt and begins to question her past actions. Her personality and behavior changes drastically from the overflowing amount of regret that her shoulders have carried. From the beginning of the play to the end, Lady Macbeth changes from a ruthless, power-hungry animal to a paranoid, sinful woman. When the play begins, Lady Macbeth starts off as merciless and cold-hearted towards human life. For example, when Macbeth comes home, Lady Macbeth tells him about her plan to kill…show more content…
For example, when Macbeth refuses to sit down at the banquet hall, Lady Macbeth says, “Why do you make such faces? When all’s done, you look but on a stool” (3.4.80-81). Lady Macbeth thinks that she can force Macbeth to control his fear by humiliating him and saying that he is frightened of a chair. She does not understand how terrified her husband is after killing Banquo, so she just brushes it off of her shoulder like it is no big deal. In addition, when Macbeth tells his wife that he sees Banquo’s ghost, Lady Macbeth replies back with, “What quite unmanned in folly? Fie for shame” (3.4.88,90). Lady Macbeth feels the need to insult Macbeth by saying that he is not a man because he is afraid of something that is not even there. She knows she wields the power of control over Macbeth, and she exercises that strength in order to get Macbeth to settle down. As a result, Lady believes that she can get whatever she desires from Macbeth because her controlling and persuasive nature allows her

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