| Cruel and ruthless | ‘And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull / Of direst cruelty’Influences Macebeth tk murder Duncan si she csn be Queen |
| Cunning | ‘look like th’innocent flower, / But be the serpent under ‘t’Pretends to Duncan to be a lovely host but secretly is planning on killing himShe comes up with the plot to kill Duncan |
| Ambitious | She immediately assumes that they should kill Duncan when she receives the letter from MacbethShe asks evil spirits to ‘unsex’ her and fill her with the ‘direst cruelty’ so that she would be able to plan the murder of DuncanShe uses Macbeth’s weak spots against him, she manipulates Macbeth by using his ambition and fear of being seen as a coward |
| Clever and quick-witted | She’s come up with the plot to kill Duncan and frame the guards for the murderLady Macbeth faints when the murder of Duncan is discovered which draws attention away from the unconvincing speech that Macbeth is makingShe covers up Macbeth’s strange behaviour when he thinks he sees Banquos ghost- she’s the one in control of the situation |
| Used to explore gender and power | Shakespeare made her cruel and heartless to contradict the views of the time of women being kinder and weaker than men, she says she would kill her own baby if she had sworn to do it.Does have a softer side- couldn’t kill Duncan herself as he reminded her of a her father She tried to lose her femininity so she can become stronger like a man ‘Come to my woman’s breasts /And take my milk for gall’ |
| Guilty | She’s driven mad by guilt near the end of the play, she’s starts sleep walking-her mind is so disturbed that it’s affected her ability to sleep (sleepwalking emphasises madness as at the time sleepwalking was thought to be unnatural)She keeps washing her hands in her sleep in the hope that she can wash her guilt away as easily as she had washed away the blood after Duncan’s murder: ‘Out, damned spot!’She kills herself as guilt and isolation have overcome her |
| Relationship with Macbeth | Beginning- loving and passionate, Macbeth calls Lady Macbeth ‘my dearest partner of greatness’Develops- she dominates Macbeth and manipulates him End- she becomes anxious and alone as Macbeth reveals less of his plans to his wife, she can’t cope without her husband |
LADY MACBETH- character profile
November 28, 2019