FREE ESSAY ON LADY MACBETH

LADY MACBETH

The play Macbeth is well known for its abundant use of imagery. Imagery is used for
numerous reasons such as to convey certain visions to the audience and to give life to
the play. One major use of imagery can be seen with the character of Lady Macbeth. Her
characterization is strongly dependent on imagery and progresses dramatically with the
advancement of the play.
At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is introduced as a dominant, controlling,
heartless wife with an obsessive ambition to achieve kingship for her husband. After she
learns of her husband's plan to murder Duncan, she realizes that her husband is not man
enough to commit the murder. She believes he "...is too full o' th' milk of human
kindness..."(I.v.15), and he would be great except he is "...not without ambition, but
without/ The illness should attend it..."(I.v.17-18). Lady Macbeth is clearly presented
as the dominant person in the relationship; which, is a reversal of the stereotypical
roles of the time. She is presented as one of the strongest characters featuring in the
beginning of play. 
In Lady Macbeth's famous "unsex me" speech, we are presented with many images of her
wanting to be de-womanized, guiltless, and fearless, like a man. She declares "unsex me
here, /And fill me, from the crown to the toe, top-full/Of direst cruelty!"(I.v.39-41).
She no longer wants her womanly emotions and desires for her compassion to be replaced
with cruelty. She reinforces her statement by saying "Come to my woman's breasts, /And
take my milk for gall..."(I.v.45-46). This statement insinuates that she wants the milk
in her breasts to be replaced with bile. She wants absolutely no connections with womanly
compassion; she wants to be as manly as possible. She also presents this in her lines
saying "I have given suck, and know/ How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: / I
would, while it was smiling in my face, / Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums,
/ And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you/ Have done to this." (I.vii.54-59).
Lady Macbeth is saying that she would rather slaughter her nursing child than to back out
of a responsibility she said she would go through with.
As the play progresses Lady Macbeth's deterioration can clearly be sensed. The first sign
is when Lady Macbeth goes to murder Duncan, but is unable to because he "...resembled/ My
father as he slept..."(II.ii.12-13). This is the first sign of her weakness that we are
capable of detecting. After the murder is complete, Lady Macbeth becomes less active in
Macbeth's plan for domination. He begins to plan the murders without even consulting her,
and she becomes more passive towards him. She no longer goads him to do tasks; he does
them on his own. Soon she comments that "Nought's had, all's spent/ Where our desire is
got without content: / 'Tis safer to be that which we destroy/ Than by destruction dwell
in doubtful joy"(III.ii.4-7). We now see Lady Macbeth is regretting her decision to scam
Macbeth into murdering Duncan. She is not able to enjoy their new success because she is
unable to be sure they were really successful. This guilt and regret she is feeling is
exactly what she was trying to prevent. 
Towards the end, we notice that Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking, and she is afflicted with
hallucinations of guilt as a result of all the murders. She walks around the castle with
a candle and rubs her hands as if she were washing them. For a moment she stops and says,
"...What, will these hands ne'er be clean..." (V.i.38). She continues on by saying
"Here's the smell of blood still. All the per-/fumes of Arabia will not sweeten this
little hand..." (V.i.43-44). She is obsessing over trying to become wholesome again. She
feels that she must cleanse herself of these sins. The darkness has stripped her of her
mask of strength, and she is now engulfed in agony and sorrow. She has become helpless.
The thought of the evil, which she once sought after and accepted, is now an image of
terror in her mind. 
The doctor says to the gentlewoman "...Look after her; / Remove from her the means of all
annoyance, / And still keep eyes upon her." (V.i.66-68). The doctor is warning that Lady
Macbeth must be observed carefully because she may commit suicide. Lady Macbeth continues
to live in her disoriented state, and eventually she takes her on life. One of the
strongest characters of the beginning of the play brings about her own destruction that
leads to her death.
In summary, Lady Macbeth's character gradually disintegrates through a false portrayal of
unyielding strength, an unsteady control of her husband, and shifting involvement with
supernatural powers. Lady Macbeth's deterioration is not only a result of her unwise
decisions and actions; many factors played a role in this tragedy of this character's
morale. She regarded supernatural forces with such respect and confidence, she tried to
get in touch with her own only to become overpowered by their evilness. Her desire for an
intimidating personality resulted in the destruction of her morals and in the end, the
brutal realization of her true weaknesses. The couple's ambitions, although obsessive,
are a characteristic of human nature. Her gift of harsh control over Macbeth resulted in
a perilous journey for a common goal and the demise of not only herself but also her
husband. Possibly as a result of these many factors, Lady Macbeth ends her life and
Macbeth is forced to ponder his own existence as well. 
Bibliography
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