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Lady Macbeth Character Analysis Essay

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In contrast to the typical standards of Elizabethan times, Macbeth appears to be submissive and obedient compared to Lady Macbeth’s dominant, manipulative personality. When the couple discusses their plot to kill the king, Macbeth is initially hesitant and attempts to do away with the morbid plan several times. However, when he voices his thoughts to Lady Macbeth, she is quick to use the account of her own love to guilt him into carrying out the murder. Not only does she threaten to cease her love for him (1.7.39), but she also insults his character by saying that he “live a coward in thine own esteem” (1.7.43). Lady Macbeth reveals an ultimate distaste for cowardice and weakened virtue, and she uses this, as well as her irrefutable bond with Macbeth, to …show more content…

Macbeth’s fundamental weakness is his utmost desire to be seen as a courageous, upstanding individual; he prides himself on the strength of his character. Lady Macbeth, knowing this, is able to use it against him to suit her own agenda. She insults his manhood, saying, “When you durst do it, then you were a man” (1.7.49). By doing so, she calculatedly attacks one of his most esteemed qualities and revokes his identity as a “real man.” The effect of this on Macbeth clearly portrays the respect he has for his wife’s opinion and allows the reader to speculate that he bases his self-worth on how he is perceived, especially by Lady Macbeth. The strong bond between the pair is evident, and perhaps it is even on a higher level than an average relationship at the time. Despite their roles as husband and wife, the dynamic between the two dramatically differs from the norm of

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