Thursday 2 April 2009

In Macbeth, how does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth?

Christopher Jerde

Ladyinitially seems like a malevolent, power-hungry monster. She goes against the
feminine ideal with her lethal ambition, claiming she would murder her own child had she
promised to do. Whenfalters in his resolve to kill , she demands that the evil spirits
"unsex" her so she can be even more resolute and lacking in compassion during the
murder plot.

In public,tries to appear more traditionally feminine, acting as
a gracious host for her guests, appearing submissive before Duncan, and swooning when Duncan's
corpse is discovered. This makes her seem all the more duplicitous and evil. For the first half
of the play, Shakespeare makes the audience believe she is a one-dimensional force of malice.
Then he subverts expectations by showing the cracks in Lady Macbeth's ruthless
persona.

Just as Macbeth feels guilt over murdering the king, so too does
Lady Macbeth. While she is more ruthless, she does still have a conscience, claiming it was hard
to help kill...

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