Analysis

Lady Macbeth

Laura De Jesus

Thesis: In the beginning Lady Macbeth was strong, persuading woman who would do anything to get what she wanted, but that all changes in the end when her guilty conscious gets the best of her.

In Act 1 Scene 5 in the play of Macbeth, Macbeth has just arrived home from war; he had an encounter with weird sisters the witches. They said to him that  he would be the new Thane of Cawdor, and King. When he told Lady Macbeth, this is when she hatches her plan to kill the King. Lady Macbeth says to her husband, “ Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under it” (Act 1 scene 5 lines 64-65). What she is saying is that, be the innocent person, but be the evil underneath it. Lady Macbeth is thinking to herself, while talking to her husband that her plan might just work in time. She is hoping that her persuading ways would get her what she feels she needs.                                            

After Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had their “talk”, he begins to think to himself, whether he should do the requested deed or not. A few moments into thinking Lady Macbeth enters and says “Art thou afeard to be the same thine own act and valor as thou art in desire?” (Act 1, scene 7, lines 39-41). Lady Macbeth is trying to say are you afraid to be the same man you once were, or the man you wish to be? She believes that Macbeth thinks he will act different after the deed is done. Putting her strong foot forward, she is not letting her plan go away to fast. She needs to think of more ways to persuade him.

Act 2 scene 2, Lady Macbeth hears weird noises and begins to grow suspicion of what is going on. With confusion she starts to think what could it be, she left the daggers in plain sight so there should be no problem. Macbeth enters, Lady Macbeth “Alack, I am afraid they have awaked and tis’ not done, th’ attempt and not the deed”. (Line 8-10). What she means is that she is nervous with all the noise going on if he did the deed or not. She can’t deal with the anxiety.

With two bloody daggers Macbeth has announced that he has killed the king. He also states that they may not be all dead. She takes matters into her own hands and finish what he started. “My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white”, (Act 2 Scene 2, lines 67-68) Lady Macbeth says with a panic in her voice She feels like she just did the worse thing possible. The worse thoughts are flowing through her head. The fact that she helped with the murder is eating up at her. She thought that’s what she always wanted but maybe she was wrong.Lady Macbeth is preparing for the gathering, dealing with the fact that she just murdered

In Act 3 scene 4, the dinner is in action, every one is there but Banquo, no one knows where or what happened to him. When he was ready to get his seat he table, he realized he had seen Banquos ghost sitting in his chair. An outrage begins, Lady Macbeth confronts him and says “This is the very painting of your fear, this is the air drawn dagger which you said led to Duncan.”(lines 62-64) She means, that he needs to get it together there are guest that are present, so behave your self and act like a man. She maybe thinks that he will show that they did something wrong or had a part to play and blow their cover.

The suitors, Macbeth, the house has become worried that Lady Macbeth is going completely insane, they don’t know what she is capable of. The doctor is called in, is asked to help. The Gentlewoman says to the doctor, It is an accustomed action with her to seem thus washing her hands. I have known her to continue for an quarter of an hour”. (Lines 27-30) The gentle woman is completely clueless about what to do with Lady Macbeth, so she calls in reinforcements. Lady Macbeth is getting to the point where her guiltiness, is taking over life.

In Act 5 scene 1, Lady Macbeth is going around the house sleep walking, and spilling the facts. The doctor and gentlewoman have just found out that Macbeth is the one to blame for the death of the King, and she helped. Washing her hands Lady Macbeth says,” Here's the smell of blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”. (Lines 50-52). She believes that the blood from the daggers will forever be on her hands, never get off. Her thoughts are making her go crazy, no one can help. The changes that are going through her body are horrible.

In this stage of the play, the doctor is trying everything in his power to help her, nothing has worked. “This disease is beyond my practice. Yet, I have known those, which have walked in their sleep who died holily in their beds”, Doctor says. (Act 5 scene 1 lines 58-60). He believes that she will never be the same, she may just be at her last few breaths/days. Lady Macbeth can no longer take this, from being strong she went completely weak.

In Act 5 scene 8, Macbeth has heard that Lady Macbeth has passed away. He doesn’t pay much attention, he is worried about the fight he has headed. Little does he know that Malcolm and Macduff have planned to kill him. After Macduff has killed Macbeth, Malcolm has become the king and announces “Of this dead butcher and his friend like queen, who as tis thought, by self and violent hands took her life”. He is telling everyone that Lady Macbeth has committed suicide. Lady Macbeth was once a persuading and strong woman who let her conscious get the best of her.

 Basically Lady Macbeth is a woman who was thought to be of strong courage and bravery, but in the end wasn’t. The quotes above, the story relate to us today in many ways. Shakespeare is telling us that no matter how much  you want something you shouldn’t harm others. Killing gets you no where in life, and could also lead to your own death or a horrible life ahead of you.