Macbeth', by William Shakespeare. With particular reference to Act 1 Scene 5, Act 1 Scene 7, and Act 5 Scene 1, explain how Lady Macbeth changes through the play.
Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth' is one of his most well-known tragedies, and it was first played in 1611, while it was written in 1603. Despite the fact that the kingdom was led by a woman, this was during the Elizabethan period, which was largely a male-dominated society. Lady Macbeth is one of the play's most essential characters as she endures substantial changes within the play. For starters, Lady Macbeth is merciless, and she would go to any extent to ensure that her husband triumphs as king. She has a callous demeanor and mocks her husband for debating whether or not to assassinate the god on earth. To begin, Lady Macbeth's frame of mind runs counter to the chain of being since she manipulates her husband to kill the ruler, instead of adoring and listening to her spouse which was not anticipated from women of the Jacobean era. Women were spoken to and represented, as objects within the time period depicted In the show, and their spouses had custody of them. In contrast, Lady Macbeth becomes progressively agitated as a result of her guilt over Duncan's death. She goes on sleepwalks and has visions of her hands being covered in blood. She eventually succumbs to her remorse and dies, conceivably by suicide, as a result of her sorrow. Lady Macbeth is used to depict what it was like for women who were dissatisfied with the limitations imposed on them by their gender. She is presented as a woman who is out of the ordinary in her demeanor, as she is shown to be quite domineering and not particularly maternal.'Come you spirits...unsex me here, 'She says as an illustration of this. This further emphasizes her unique persona. Which, in retrospect, provides us with insight into her sentiments and ideas at the moment.
Furthermore, Lady Macbeth is first encountered in Act 1 Scene 5, in which she is 'alone, reading a letter,' as stipulated in the stage instructions. This immediately establishes Lady Macbeth as a well-educated woman. Interestingly, Lady Macbeth's first words spoken in the play were originally Macbeth, emphasizing the play's masculine superiority from the onset. In addition to this, in theatrical terms, Lady Macbeth perceives the letter as a soliloquy. Macbeth's letter is also used as a device to inform the audience of what has already occurred and to provide additional background information. However, the fact that Lady Macbeth reads this letter as a soliloquy indicates and reveals Lady Macbeth's loneliness, which also relates to the issue of female constraints, as sitting alone with nothing to do would be difficult for her without the comfort of her husband. Moreover, within the letter, Macbeth tells her about the meeting of three witches who had called him 'Thane of Cawdor' and 'King of Scotland'. After reading this lady Macbeth is enchanted by this letter and already starts plotting and planning. This automatically indicates the start of her obsession to acquire power. Moreover, she automatically knows that King Duncan's death is a must in order for her to acquire this power. As soon as Macbeth returns back home lady Macbeth orders him 'to murder the King' but while doing this, she utilizes her manipulative ability by testing his manhood as she exclaims that she has a fear that his nature is 'too full of the milk of human kindness'.Lady Macbeth's apprehension can be shown in this statement, as she fears that her husband is too polite and won't be able to murder the king.
Additionally, since the play is set during the reign of James I, who is said to have had a fascination with witchcraft, witchcraft is a central element in the play. Unsurprisingly, the fifth scene of Act One is dominated by references to witches and spirits. For example, Lady Macbeth regards Macbeth's new position of Thane of Cawdor to be 'metaphysical' which means 'super natural'. Shakespeare also uses 'the raven' which is a symbol of death and evil, as well as a bad omen. As the scene progresses Shakespeare emphasizes the play's supernatural backdrop by making it appear that Lady Macbeth is conversing with spirits as she states 'Come your spirits that tend on mortal thoughts', which infers that Lady Macbeth is inviting the witches to invite murderous and evil thoughts so that Macbeth can kill Duncan and become king. Another example of the witchcraft setting is when Lady Macbeth uses manipulation to help her achieve her goals; nevertheless, one of the most well-known characteristics of witches is cleverness, which is demonstrated by Lady Macbeth's numerous manipulations and deceptions. Macbeth is described by Lady Macbeth as 'living like a coward.' This synopsis employs both manipulation and emotion since she has questioned Macbeth's masculinity, prompting Macbeth to do what she wants in order to establish his point and degree of masculinity. Another example of Lady Macbeth questioning Macbeth's masculinity is when she exerts control over him by using the phrase 'are thou afeared,' which is an automatic insult to Macbeth and his manhood. We can also notice that she is once again incredibly not maternal and contradicts the era's mindset by being self-sufficient. Furthermore, intelligence was thought to be a male-only trait, and women who possessed it were thought to be witches.
Lady Macbeth a protagonist of the story has both feminine and male tendencies, as indicated by her portrayal as both a loving and devoted wife and a dominant wife, which was unique in the play's historical period. Lady Macbeth's devotion is emphasized when she waits for Macbeth to return home and inform her of his new status as Thane of Cawdor, remarking, 'thou would have great Glamis,' implying that she would be ecstatic if he advanced to this new position. She continues to undermine him, however, since she believes he will require her assistance.
Lady Macbeth portrays Macbeth as someone being 'too full of the milk of human kindness' from the beginning of the play; from this metaphor, we can see an emphasis of the illustration Lady Macbeth has in regard for Macbeth, as she truly believes he lacks the capability to murder the king and is seen to be feminine, unlike herself. Furthermore, the verb 'milk' traditionally has a female symbolism since it makes reference to the breast milk which only a female has and that a mother would willingly offer for her kid. As a result, Macbeth is too compassionate, and he will undoubtedly request Lady Macbeth's intervention. This is rather unsettling as it wasn't accustomed for a wife to be speaking of her husband in such a manner, and it's evident that it's not very maternal. As her initial and last ideas contradict each other, we can derive one of the play's key embodiments. For example, we are led to believe that Lady Macbeth is sincerely delighted for Macbeth and has high hopes for him and his new position in the hierarchy, but as the play proceeds, this happiness and hope swiftly change to envy. Another essential background in the play is the maternal theme; we see the feelings of babies in Lady Macbeth's eyes when she says, 'How tender 'it's to love the babe that milks me'.We can deduce from this comment that, despite her unorthodox characteristics, she still possesses loving and caring characteristics. However, in contrast to her kind and caring side, she would 'dash the baby's brains out,' which is a highly unusual notion to have and further demonstrates the lengths to which she would go to attain her goals.
Furthermore, Shakespeare has developed an elaborate character in Lady Macbeth by making her appear male in both her actions and her vocabulary. This is demonstrated as she rejects her femininity once more, as evidenced by her exclamation 'make thick my blood.' We can deduce from this that she is referring to her menstruation and wishing for it to end as it serves as a continual reminder that she is a woman. Another metaphor for her menstruation is 'that no compunction visitings of nature,' which also implies that she wants menstruation to stop as a way of rejecting femininity. Also linking back to the extended metaphor of 'milk' it is used again in Act 1 Scene 7 when she begs 'Take my milk for gall, you murdering minister.' An alliteration is used to make the sentence flow, in addition, 'gall' had connotations with causing rage or malice, which further adds to the complex of Lady Macbeth's character. This also pertains to the spirits' context, as it appears that Lady Macbeth is conversing with spirits once more, this time begging for their assistance in converting her female characteristics to masculine characteristics. Lady Macbeth also declares that she will 'chastise with the valor of my tongue,' referring back to the theme of spirits. This term refers to Lady Macbeth's refusal to speak to Macbeth about the circumstances in which he finds himself. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to add a dramatic element to the play since the audience discovers afterward that she is uncontrollable. Furthermore, the term 'chastise' implies that she should be disciplined if she does say something. Her 'valor,' on the other hand, was the deciding factor that she should break this promise she made to herself.
Lady Macbeth's unconventional nature is underlined by her tight control over Macbeth, which was deemed punishable at the time the play was written. In the last moments of Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth that when King Duncan arrives, both she and Macbeth should appear lovely and friendly. Although it's logical for her to say this because the monarch is paying them a visit, there's a suggestion of dishonesty in her advice to Macbeth to 'look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't'. This shows her cunning personality, as well as her ability to deceive and manipulate others in her communication. The noun 'serpent' is considered a sign of evil, which adds to the quotation's deception. Furthermore, when Macbeth attempts to speak about the circumstances in which he has been placed, he says, 'We will speak further-.' The hyphen here represents Lady Macbeth interrupting him and showing her supremacy over him by limiting the amount of time he is allowed to speak. Another example of her controlling nature is when she has the final words, 'Leave all the rest to me,' emphasizing that she is in charge of the situation.
Lady Macbeth is depicted as being incredibly intelligent in her speech throughout the play, as she utilizes it to unsettle Macbeth, prompting him to become king later on. Act 1 scene 7 shows her tongue's dexterity when she persuades Macbeth to seize the chance that has been presented to him. She employs sophisticated words to persuade Macbeth, as seen by her description of the crown as the 'ornament of life.' This metaphor serves as a reminder that the throne would be the only goal worth living for. Lady Macbeth offers an interesting biblical reference when she remarks, 'Cat I th' adage.' This remark represents the cat's aversion to getting its feet wet while searching for a fish, this further emphasizes her level of education and the sophistication of her manipulation.
Additionally, Lady Macbeth also rejects Macbeth's attempt to calm her down when he says 'prithee peace. Macbeth utilizes alliteration as a way of calming Lady Macbeth, yet she remains uneasy and continues in the same manner as before. In the last sections of the drama, Lady Macbeth employs pronouns like 'I, you, we, and our,' emphasizing her wish to be together and avoid separation from Macbeth. Macbeth also conveys his feelings to Lady Macbeth, telling her to, 'bring forth only men children, for they undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males.' Shakespeare's use of the noun 'mettle' here is noteworthy because it contains the definitions of both courage and strength, implying that Macbeth perceives Lady Macbeth as a formidable woman with an equally formidable personality who should not be trifled with.
As a result, Lady Macbeth's way to manipulate the plans that Macbeth is making with his newly acquired power within the hierarchy has deteriorated, as evidenced by Lady Macbeth being confined to her bed and constantly going on sleepwalks in which she is constantly trying to wash the blood from her hand. However, the blood she is attempting to wipe away is just imagined, posing a tremendous issue for her, and she eventually chooses to commit herself to suicide, just as Macbeth was reaching the pinnacle of his newfound authority. This emphasizes the fact that women are incapable of dealing with a man's duties and responsibilities. Another woman addressed in the play is Lady Macduff, although her image is vastly different from Lady Macbeth's since Lady Macduff is portrayed as a housewife who cooks, cleans, and looks after the children. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, has no children and is exceedingly self-sufficient. Furthermore, this inconsistency between the two personas exposes their vast disparities and the impact this has had on their husbands. At the end of the play, Macduff defeats Macbeth, who appears to be possessed, which could be the result of the spirits from Duncan's murder, which also resulted in his wife's suicide. This further demonstrates that you cannot slay a god on Earth without experiencing repercussions.
To summarise, Shakespeare has created Lady Macbeth as a very brilliant and complicated character who wilfully entered the super masculine world without realizing the consequences. However, from the perspective of the viewer, it may appear to be misogynistic, as it depicts a woman attempting to imitate a guy, which fails miserably. As a result, this could be an indication of what Shakespeare believes would happen if a woman acted like a man. Furthermore, from the first word she speaks to the last, Shakespeare builds Lady Macbeth's character throughout the tragedy. Shakespeare has created a wise and multifaceted woman who is ready to confront the prejudices that women endure throughout the Elizabethan period.