Lady Macbeth Power Essay

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The Power Of Woman In history’s literature, the power of the man is valued as the higher power. However, in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the power of woman is the dominant power. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth has a distinct grip on Macbeth and wields a strong control over him and his actions. In turn, Lady Macbeth has the power to alter Macbeth’s destiny by affecting his way of thinking and convincing him to commit crimes he otherwise would not have committed. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth uses various powers and words of persuasion to accomplish her goal of influencing Macbeth’s decisions. Lady Macbeth initially persuades Macbeth through guilt and shame. Upon learning of Duncan’s arrival, she quickly implies that this is the night to take his life and “O, never / Shall sun that morrow see!” (1.5.63 – 64). She prods Macbeth to go and take care of Duncan’s arrival and leave the plans to her: ”He that is coming / Must be provided for: and you shall put / This night’s great business into my dispatch;” (1.5.68 – 70) and when Macbeth tries to say they will talk about it…show more content…
Furthermore, Lady Macbeth goes as far as questioning Macbeth’s manliness.” Given the stark split between masculine and feminine behavior in this world, it is not surprising that main persuasive Lady Macbeth’s tactic is to question her husband's manhood” (Klett). She brings up his virility and insinuates that he is not an adequate man if he gives in to his fears.“Lady Macbeth notoriously makes the murder of Duncan the test of Macbeth's virility; if he cannot perform the murder, he is in effect reduced to the helplessness of an infant. She begins by attacking his manhood, making her love for him contingent on the murder that she identifies as equivalent to his male potency” (Adelman). "When you durst do it, then you were a man" (1.7.49). Lady Macbeth uses these tactics to twist Macbeth into doing as she wants, regardless of what he

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