Lady Macbeth Character profile

why is LM an important character

• influences Macbeth's ambition and moral descent.

• her ambition allows her to commit horrible crimes to get what she wants. She represents the theme of unchecked ambition and challenges traditional gender roles.

How does she change over the play

starts as a dominant and confident figure → Macbeth murders Duncan, and Lady Macbeth is slowly driven to madness by her guilt. This results in a drift in hers and his relationship, and eventual unravelling of her sanity, leading to her tragic end.

describe her ambition

• Equally ambitious as Macbeth, driving his ambition. → theme of good vs evil

• Plots Duncan's murder upon receiving the letter, disregarding morals.

• Manipulates Macbeth's ambition and fear of cowardice, equating masculinity with violence.

• Seeks to 'unsex' herself, believing no ordinary woman would plan murder.

link LM to apperance vs reality

• When Duncan’s body was discovered, LM pretended to faint. Here is drawing attention away from M’s speech. She is taking advantage of how women were viewed at the time, using the stereotype of weak women to hide the reality of her cruel cold-hearted nature

how does LM contrast Lady Macduff

• lady Macduff is shown as a caring mother, whereas LM is willing to kill her baby if she had sworn to do so. Shakespeare uses LM to show that the tradition of women being kinder and weaker isn’t always true

How does LM think women are weak

• their maternal instincts

• calls to spirits to “take my milk for gall” to lose said femininity

how are we shown that she isn’t as cold-hearted as she appears

She couldn’t kill dun can due to the resemblance to her father

How does LM fit into the theme of ambition

Lady Macbeth is a driving force behind Macbeth's rise to power, displaying unrelenting ambition and challenging traditional gender roles. Her desire for power leads to her hamartia, highlighting the destructive nature of unchecked ambition.

How do the roles change in terms of guilt and describe it

At first, Macbeth struggles with a guilty conscience, but at the end Lady Macbeth is driven mad by guilt → starts sleepwalking (her mind is disturbed it affects her ability to sleep peacefully), she is constantly washing her hands in an attempt to rid herself from guilt. in the end, the guilt and isolation lead to her tragic demise, showcasing the psychological toll of their ambition.

How are we shown her state of mind at the beginning vs the end

• start: speaking confidently in verse

• end: speech is made up of rambling and repetition → loss of self control

How does their marriage change from the beginning of the play vs the ending

• loving and passionate (“my dearest partner of greatness”)

• as the play progresses, we see that LM dominates M → manipulates him into murder

• M reveals less and less of his plans to LM, making her anxious and alone → cannot cope without husband