Lady Macbeth Power Analysis

In play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most dominant and frightening female characters, known for her ambitious nature. As Macbeth’s wife, her role is significant in his rise and fall from royalty. During Shakespearean times, women were regarded as weak insignificant beings that were there to give birth and look beautiful. They were not thought to be as intelligent or equal to men. Though in Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is the highest influence in Macbeth’s life. Her role was so large; in fact, that she uses her position to gain power, stay strong enough to support her unstable Lord, and fails miserably while their

We see her as a suppressed female clawing to power through men. The most notable scene where Shakespeare conveys this is Act 1 Scene 5. He has Lady Macbeth say, “unsex me here”, demanding elimination of all womanly attributes. She also says, “take my milk for gall”. This demonstrates she does not want to be a nurturing, mother figure. Lady Macbeth thinks her femininity is useless and that she could accomplish more as a male. In the Elizabethan/Jacobean era, women were often subjugated – made to submit to and follow men, regarded as weak and in need of protection. Given no control, women were forced to stay home and bear children. Lady Macbeth yearns liberation from these stereotypes and ideal standards of her time. Her authority cravings lead her to tell Macbeth, “Leave all the rest to me” – seeking dominance. Her husband is essential to succeed so she can be interpreted as somewhat manipulating him into committing larger crimes – namely

Over time, there’s been obsession over whom is the most dominant man in all of Scotland and whom can be the best king of Cawdor. There’s sacrifices made and many deaths. It’s a tragic book with people whom carry a lot of pride in what they believe in. William Shakespeare from the play, Macbeth, in 1606, expresses how there’s a lot of integrity and hatred that everyone will have to go through in order to grow into a better a better person and role model for others. Masculinity shows pride. When you’re male, you would instantly have more power and control then if you were female. Some people, like Lady Macbeth, wish to be a gender they’re not in order to have the dominance they want so they’re treated with respect. You can appear to be someone you’re not. Lady Macbeth is the wife of Macbeth who is a powerful commander in the Scottish Army. Lady Macbeth wishes to have the masculinity a man has so that she could overthrow Macbeth and take his place. She won’t be able to succeed that goal if she is a woman. Because of that, Lady Macbeth decides to “work with” Macbeth to kill the king of Cawdor, who is Duncan. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth will kill Duncan after the battle in the defeat of the Scottish traitor. Lady Macbeth's need for masculinity will lead her to having the success of becoming the King of Scotland. She will overthrow Duncan and take his place as king. Lady macbeth is the tragedy in this play, and will do anything it takes to overthrow the King. Lady Macbeth is willing

Shakespeare characterizes Lady Macbeth as a woman full of masculine traits such as courage and ambition. She is the perfect and needed counterpart in order to push Macbeth to murder Duncan and take over the kingdom. The first trait that is shown to the reader is courage. When Lady Macbeth is planning how to convince Macbeth into murder, she describes herself as a courageous woman: "That I may pour my spirits in thine ear, / And chastise with the valor of my tongue/ All that impedes thee from the golden round" (Macbeth I. v. 26-28). In this passage, it is clear how she is full of valor and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. In fact, in Shakespearian times, being courageous was a characteristic reserved only for men since women were thought to be fearful and helpless. Even Macbeth himself recognizes this trait in his wife: "Bring forth men-children only/ For thy undaunted mettle should compose/ Nothing but males." (Macbeth I. vii. 72-74). Macbeth can see how his wife nature is too bold for that of a woman, so he thinks that she should only be the mother of men for her essence is in itself a good example of what a good man should be. This example is an undeniable proof that Lady Macbeth is a masculine woman. Another male characteristic that is given to Lady Macbeth is ambition. She is an ambitious woman and she fears that her husband will not be as motivated as she is to get the crown:

Immediately when we meet Lady Macbeth through a dialogue between her husband, Macbeth, we realize that there is a vagueness in gender roles. Macbeth, who was introduced as a violent and valiant man, is hesitant about carrying out a terrible deed, which happens to be murdering the king of Scotland. Whereas women are supposed to be innocent and amicable, Lady Macbeth is shown as a stronger and much more power

This scene plays a lot with the theme of gender and how certain traits seem out of place with the characters. Macbeth is war hero and seemingly tough and ambitious but his weakness is that he is far too kind as Lady Macbeth says, he say “too full of the milk of human kindness”. This comes across as a feminine trait in contrast to his ambition. Lady Macbeth is a very complicated character and possesses many Masculine qualities. In her soliloquy she asks spirits to “unsex her” because she wants to kill King Duncan. She asks to be made cruel, strong and free of remorse. Her ambition is her defining feature, which is a typically masculine quality, yet she is more ambitious than Macbeth himself. Neither Lady Macbeth nor Macbeth fit the gender roles that society has placed on them, and from this scene the audience gets the idea that the plot and characters of Macbeth are not as simple as they

When Lady Macbeth learns of her husbands accomplishments of becoming Thane of Cawdor and from the prophecies, eventually king, she does not think of fate doing its job, she immediately thinks of murder. However Lady Macbeth does not believe in her husband’s conscience, Macbeth is “too full o’the milk of human kindness”. “pour my spirits in thine ear,/ And chastise with the valour of my tongue”. Lady Macbeth realizes that the nature of Macbeth is too kind to murder Duncan and decides that she must persuade her husband. This implies that Lady Macbeth is very ambitious for Macbeth and if that means persuading him to murder then that’s what she will do. Lady Macbeth challenges Macbeth when he decides not to kill Duncan through questioning his manhood. Lady Macbeth has “vaulting ambition for Macbeth to become king, “When you durst do it, then you were a man”. Lady Macbeth states that when Macbeth spoke about about murder he was a man, however as events unfold and Macbeth in incapable to do the deed, Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth “…to be more than what you were, you would/ Be so much more the man”. Lady Macbeth is implying that Macbeth would be much more a man if he would kill Duncan for his own benefit and through questioning the manhood of Macbeth. Trough this scene Shakespeare reveals that the role of gender is important during this

Lady Macbeth can be said to be one of Shakespeare's most famous and frightening female characters. She fulfills her role among the nobility and is well respected, like Macbeth. She is loving, yet very determined that her husband will be king. At the beginning of the play, when she is first seen, she is already plotting the murder of Duncan, showing more strength, ruthlessness, and ambition than Macbeth. She lusts after power and position and then pressures her husband into killing Duncan. Upon receiving the letter with the witches' prophecies from her husband, she begins to think and knowing that Macbeth lacks the courage for something like this, she calls upon the forces of evil to help her do what must be

The women in Macbeth, namely Lady Macbeth, contradict these expectations through their commanding, and ambitious tones. During that second half of act one Lady Macbeth is portrayed as the ruling figure in the house. Instead of being a grateful and fulfilling housewife she instead pushes and commands Macbeth to commit assassination. She berates him when he falters and asked if he would rather, “live like a coward in thine own esteem.” (Shakespeare)

In Shakespearian times the woman had no powerful roles, they did not write or act in plays. The roles were strictly played by men. Only men could have a high positioned job, and could hunt and other masculine things. This was true, however, in Macbeth written by William Shakespeare he portrays that both the men and the women in the play craved and have powerful roles, and desire ambition. Additionally, he shows how the roles of gender are flipped between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, and displays that Lady Macbeth wants control over Macbeth. In the play Lady Macbeth stands in for Macbeth’s manliness throughout the text, and she was the brain of all his decisions. She desired to manipulate his decisions so it would work out in her favor, so she could have a higher position as queen. Although “A Strange Infirmary” authored by Jenijoy La belle asserts that the actions of a women in that time period were not looked at as manly actions, and women were incapable to have such manly cravings due to their physical setbacks characteristics, and in “The Five Tragedies in Macbeth ” written by Miguel Bernad, he states that the roles of gender flip and the characteristics of each gender can be in either characters, and he shows the intense grip of Lady Macbeth’s power over her husband. With these sources you can see, manly qualities and strive for power is not something that is held only within a physical man. Sex does not play a role for hunger for ambition. However, in these times women

In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, gender plays a pivotal role in the development of the overall plot and as the play advances, certain characters, including Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience a reversal in traditional gender behaviors. Additionally, we see gender confusion among other characters that enhances conflict in the play. Originally, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are portrayed in ways that enforce their respective masculinity and feminism in accordance to the society around them. As Macbeth begins to contemplate his decision regarding the killing of Duncan, his marriage becomes the primary driving force behind his action and thoughts in this matter. Although in some cases, male and female roles in this play remain static, the

It is interesting to note the importance of gender in the personifications of evil in Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is as obsessed with her gender as her evil. When she implores evil to "unsex" her, to take her "woman's breasts for gall" she reveals the sense of powerlessness and weakness she feels. Being a woman makes her dependant on her husband for her social

At the very beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is provoked by the letter she receives by Macbeth and starts plotting the murder of Duncan. She also wishes she were a man such that she could commit the murder all by herself saying so in Act 1 Scene 5, “Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty” (Macbeth 1.5.36-52). She appeals to these spirits to remove all aspects of her femininity and seeks to gain power through the prophecy of the witches. Her fear about the ability of her husband to commit the murder is subdued in her designated gender. Lady Macbeth manages her feminine power through her sensuality and pretended weakness through her fainting streak at the notice of Duncan’s death. Manipulation, usually through sexuality is often depicted as the source of women’s power still Lady Macbeth uses this power of hers to commit murder, a masculine demonstration of power. Lady Macbeth in her soliloquy about the planning of Duncan’s death refers to her husband as an individual who plays honestly and does not engage in wrongdoing.

Although not as evil looking as the witches, Lady Macbeth can also be perceived as one. In the same way that the witches sabotage the order of religion and that of society so does Lady Macbeth. She does this by trying to overwhelm her husband and have more power than he does. She also performs several deeds that imply that she is evil and like that of a witch. This includes her challenging her husband’s manhood through attempting to appear and act more aggressive and masculine than he is. This desire for masculinity is expressed when she says: “Come, you spirits. That tend on moral thought, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the tow top-full Of direst cruelty” (Shakespeare, 1996), casting

Lady Macbeth’s burning ambition to be queen drives her to the point of insanity. She stops at nothing to gain power and uses Macbeth as the enforcer for her plans. This power is clearly illustrated as her husband follows her command to kill the king of Scotland, she constantly taunts Macbeth bringing him even further under her control. She is quite the opposite of how we generally assume feminine characters to act, and even begs the gods to remove her femininity at one point, “...Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here...Come to my woman’s breasts, and take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers...” (Shakespeare 12). As Lady Macbeth expresses her desire to become unsexed, we see the link that clearly exists between masculinity and murder. She believes that since she is a woman she cannot be capable of committing such evil deeds, and her reference to her breasts which is generally linked to the idea of nurture, is called upon in reference to her desire to do quite the opposite. Lady Macbeth presents a very strong character throughout the play, and through her actions a very clear picture of a manipulative wife is painted. Though Macbeth is the one to carry out many of the deviant plans, Lady Macbeth’s role is clearly portrayed as the evil mastermind behind the murders.