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What Is Lady Macbeth's Madness

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Lady Macbeth is one of the most prominent and complex characters in Macbeth, much more than her husband, the bearer of the play’s title. Her tragic ending might come unexpected to some, but there are indications along the entirety of the play that hint towards it. In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth’s madness, and consequently her suicide, are a product of her isolation, lost purpose and womanhood. After the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth becomes completely isolated from the world around her. Macbeth finds himself occupied with his duties as king and securing his position. While he does struggle with the murder of Duncan at first, he grows accustomed to the blood on his hands as he kills anyone threatening his …show more content…

At the time, women were expected to be nothing but wives and mothers. Lady Macbeth is not a mother so all she is is a wife. She does not have her own name, only that of her husband. When she reads Macbeth’s letter, she speaks to him directly saying, “Thou wouldst be great...wouldst not play false/And yet wouldst wrongly win” (I.v.18-22). She does not mention herself when she talks about his promised greatness. Lady Macbeth never mentions her own future as queen, only his future as king. All she does is serve as Macbeth’s wife and as a host. She is the host when King Duncan comes over. She takes care of everything in the household. When Macbeth begins to shut her out, he slowly strips her of her roles. At the banquet scene, it was Macbeth who plans everything and takes over the role of host, not Lady Macbeth. “As soon as she is forced by Macbeth’s actions to give over her last role, she dissolves in confusion the very society upon whose continuance that role depends. With her husband out of her reach and society in shambles, Lady Macbeth no longer has any reason for being” (Klein 249). Since she has never thought of herself as an individual, only as the roles society has imposed on her, she does not believe she has a purpose anymore. Feeling lost and spineless, she succumbs to the madness that takes over her in her

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