Lady Macbeth Research Paper

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Macbeth, a tragedy written by Shakespeare, follows the successes and eventual downfall of Macbeth, Thane of Glamis and of Cawdor. Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, struggle with the effects of secrecy as Macbeth makes poor decisions to ensure his power in Scotland. Lady Macbeth must conceal the secrets that she and Macbeth are keeping, and in doing so, her personality changes drastically. From being cold-hearted and eager to kill, Lady Macbeth quickly changes into a distraught, fearful person who is burdened by her husband’s faults. When Macbeth first begins, Lady Macbeth is not a character who readers are likely to sympathize with or like at all. She is cold-hearted and willing to help her husband do whatever is necessary to achieve and maintain the position “King of Scotland”. She is even the person to suggest and convince Macbeth to kill Duncan, who is not only a close relative and friend of Macbeth, but the King of Scotland. Even after Duncan has been killed, Lady Macbeth’s personality…show more content…
By act five, secrecy has changed her personality entirely. In the first scene of the act, Shakespeare shows how Lady Macbeth has been overcome with trying to keep Macbeth’s secrets and still appear unaffected and as cold-hearted as ever to the people in her life. She starts sleepwalking, and it is clear to her doctor that she is keeping something very significant from everyone. By saying things like, “What's done cannot be undone,”(V.i.59) and, “Out damned spot! Out, I say! One; two: Why, then it is time to do’t,”(V.i.30-31). This is especially ironic because in the beginning in the play, she tells Macbeth the blood on his hands is no big deal, but at this point, the blood on her hands is causing her so much distress. In saying these things while she is sleepwalking in front of the doctor, not only is Lady Macbeth clearly, yet accidentally, incriminating herself, she is showing her major personality

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