Role Of Lady Macbeth

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Lady Macbeth’s Role in Macbeth “Controllers, abusers, and manipulative people do not question themselves. They do not ask themselves if the problem is them, they always say the problem is someone else” (Darlene Ouimet). In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth demonstrates what happens when someone has great power over others. Lady Macbeth establishes how her yearning for supremacy has caused her to think of such ruthless actions to commit. Lady Macbeth’s character is motivated by ambition and with this added with her cleverness, gives her the control over the actions and thoughts of her husband, Macbeth. Lady Macbeth demonstrates these attributes in several occasions, such as when she came up with the plan to kill King Duncan,…show more content…
After hearing the Weird Sisters’ prophecies about her husband’s future, she orders him to kill King Duncan in order for the prophecy to come true by saying “Look like the time bear welcome in your eye, your hand, your tongue: look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” (1.5.63-5). Lady Macbeth’s evil intentions influence Macbeth’s thoughts and actions as he cares for her and due to Lady Macbeth’s dominance in their relationship. Lady Macbeth shows her intelligence as she uses a simile to express her thoughts to Macbeth. To “look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t” means to hide one’s true feelings towards a certain thing. It means to create an exterior that others may find pleasing, and keep what a person truly feels on the inside, this is an example of being deceiving and manipulative. Lady Macbeth being able to come up with this shows her intelligence, as she is able to use her words to manipulate others. With her words, she was able to have Macbeth promise to commit the murder of King Duncan without much argument. This shows how Macbeth trusts Lady Macbeth and the influence that she has on him and his choices in life, as he does not question her opinion and just does what he is…show more content…
After Macbeth kills King Duncan, he goes back to his and Lady Macbeth’s room where he was told what to do next, “Get on your nightgown, lest occasion call us, and show us to be watchers. Be not lost so poorly in your thoughts” (2.2.70-2). Lady Macbeth is not fazed by the bloody murder that has just occurred nearby. Lady Macbeth’s ruthless personality shines through in her ability to order Macbeth around despite the murder that Macbeth has just committed, the same murder that she helped plan. There is no evidence of guilt or regret in her character, which strengthens her merciless and brutal personality. Lady Macbeth also shows her intelligence once again as she thinks ahead and tells Macbeth to “get on your nightgown” in case that someone may call for them and finding them in normal clothes may be suspicious. She does not panic and is quick in her actions, she also does not let anything get in her way. With this, she is able to get Macbeth to follow her and do what he is told without questioning her. He just does what she tells him, which shows how he is not capable of thinking for himself, and shows the great power that Lady Macbeth has over

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