Kim 1 The Portrayal of Lady Macbeth
1 Kim 2 Table of Contents
Portrayal of Lady Macbeth .................................................................................................... 3
Portrayal of Macbeth ............................................................................................................. 4
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 6
2 Kim 3 Outline
I. Introduction
II. Body Paragraphs
A. Lady Macbeth
B. Macbeth
III. Conclusion
3 Kim 4 Hyeri Kim
Mr. Heil
Computer Apps: Video
August 25, 2014
The Portrayal of Lady Macbeth
In today’s world, women have become effective and influential figures.
However, in the Shakespearean tragedy, Macbeth, women are portrayed as fragile,
powerless and vulnerable figures. Lady Macbeth, a woman full of ambition and
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avarice, domineers her husband at the beginning of the play. Yet, she fails to control
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Comment [1]: Good word choice. her guilty feelings and demonstrates the impotence of women. Towards the end of the
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play, Lady Macbeth marginalizes, which again illustrates the unimportance of
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women.
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Comment [2]: Good introduction. In the beginning of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a dominant
character. She is introduced as an ambitious woman who controls other people to
achieve what she wants. When Lady Macbeth is informed that Macbeth is to become
the new King of Scotland, her ambition starts to flourish. With excitement, she
delivers a soliloquy, “Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me
here”. (1.5. 38-40) This not only evinces the ambition that Lady Macbeth has, but also
resembles her with the witches, and contrasts her with other women during the
Shakespearean era. In addition, ambition causes Lady Macbeth to be duplicitous.
When she hears that Duncan is coming to her house, she plans on his murder while
warning Macbeth to, “look like the’innocent flower, / but be the serpent under’t.”
(1.6. 63-4) Here, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a dominant character as she instructs
4 Kim 5 Macbeth. Lady Macbeth continues to exhibit her dominance towards Macbeth when
she convinces Macbeth to murder Duncan. When Macbeth refuses to murder Duncan,
Lady Macbeth says, “Was the hope drunk/ Wherein you dressed yourself/ Hath it
slept since?” (1.7 36-7) She accuses Macbeth of his cowardice in order to manipulate
him to kill Duncan. Ambition also causes Lady Macbeth to be ruthless and cruel.
Lady Macbeth claims to Macbeth that she would have killed her own baby if she had
sworn to him in order to persuade Macbeth to murder Duncan: “I would, while [the
baby] was smiling in my face, / Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums/
And dashed the brains out”. (1.7 57-9) This describes lack of domesticity and
feminineness that differs Lady Macbeth from other women. Lady Macbeth
overpowering Macbeth demonstrates how ambition leads people to change.
As the play continues however, Lady Macbeth becomes insignificant as
Macbeth prevails over her. Lady Macbeth foreshadows her fragility when she
mentions, “Had [Duncan] not resembled / My father as he slept, I had [killed him].”
(2.2. 12-3) Lady Macbeth worries about Macbeth failing the murder of Duncan as she
uncovers her own weakness. Gradually, Lady Macbeth reveals more of her
feminineness, which is symbolized as a weakness, and becomes powerless. When
Macbeth invites guests to the castle in Iverness, for example, Lady Macbeth cannot
command on Macbeth. Instead, she can only advise him: “Come on, gentle my lord, /
Sleek o’er your rugged looks. / Be bright and jovial / Among your guests tonight.”
(3.2. 29-31) She also uses words like “my lord” and “your guests” to emphasize her
respect towards Macbeth. Moreover, when Lady Macbeth asks Macbeth about his
plan on Banquo’s murder, Macbeth says, “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest
chuck, / Till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night, / Scarf up the tender eye of
pitiful day” (3.2 47-9) He keeps Lady Macbeth in the dark, concealing his plans to
5 Kim 6 her. In addition, Lady Macbeth does not resemble the witches anymore; indeed,
Macbeth does. This exhibits that ambition has moved to Macbeth from Lady
Macbeth, suggesting that power has also moved to Macbeth from Lady Macbeth.
Subsequently, Lady Macbeth becomes insignificant and is marginalized.
Guilt and conscience overwhelms Lady Macbeth and causes Lady Macbeth to
collapse and commit suicide. She begins to hallucinate while sleepwalking and even
tries to forgive her own sin, which fails occasionally. The Gentlewoman who brings
the Doctor watches Lady Macbeth sleepwalking and says, “[Lady Macbeth] has light
by her continually” (5.1. 14), which expresses the fear that Lady Macbeth has. The
constant light beside her also symbolizes Lady Macbeth regaining her conscience and
feeling guilty for her previous actions. The Gentlewoman also says, “It is an
accustomed action with her to seem thus/ washing her hands.” (5.1. 20-1) This
demonstrates how Lady Macbeth tries to wash-off her sins she committed by
continuously washing her hands. Lady Macbeth also starts to hallucinate blood on her
hand: “Here’s the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes / of Arabia will not
sweeten this little hand.” (5.1 37-8) Lady Macbeth trying to regain her conscience
illustrates the weakening of herself. Words such as “perfumes”, “sweeten”, and “little
hand” also contrasts from words such as “direst cruelty”, “thick night”, and “blood”,
which she has spoken before. The change in her wording deliberately describes the
feminineness and the weakness of Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth tries to relax herself
by saying, “What’s / done cannot be undone” (5.1. 46-7), but fails to release her guilt.
In fact, the Doctor even says, “This disease is beyond my practice” (5.1. 40),
describing that he cannot help Lady Macbeth to overcome her guilt. As her
conscience returns, Lady Macbeth cannot control the guilty feelings she gained from
committing sins. In consequence, she faces a tragic demise.
6 Kim 7 Conclusion:
Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a strong women-character in the early
state of Macbeth. However, towards the end of the play, he demonstrates Lady
Macbeth as a typical woman in the Shakespearean era by depicting her femininity and
weaknesses. At the last, ambition that Lady Macbeth consisted in the beginning is
passed on to Macbeth as she becomes powerless.
References
Georgiadis, M, Tsiakis, P., Longinidis, P., & Sofioglou, M.. (2011). Optimal design
of supply chain networks under uncertain transient demand variations. Omega,
39(3), 254. Retrieved January 13, 2011, from www. proquest. com.
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