MacBeth The Transformation of
MacBeth-The Transformation ofDue to the ruthless and murderous actions taken in order to fulfill her yearning for power, Lady MacBeth, of Shakespeare�s tragedy, MacBeth, suffers from emotional turmoil. At the play begins, she is a motivated, power-hungry woman with no boundaries, but as the play moves on, Lady MacBeth begins to fall further and further into a guilt-filled world, ending in her own suicide.
After receiving the letter from her husband about the predictions of the three witches, Lady MacBeth dedicates herself to helping MacBeth become king. The witches had told MacBeth that he would soon become the Thane of Cawdor, and eventually the King of Scotland. When she learns that Duncan would be spending the night at their castle, she immediately decides to kill him. She mentions that her husband was not ruthless by nature, and that even if he wanted something so badly, he would not cheat to get it. She sees this as a character flaw. However, Lady MacBeth does not have that problem. In fact, her goal is to get MacBeth to feel as she does. She does so by questioning his manhood in saying:
Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valor Which thou esteem'st the ornament of life, And live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting "I dare not" wait upon "I would," Like the poor cat i' th' adage? (I, vii, 40-46).
"She feels in an instant that everything is at stake, and ignoring the point, overwhelms him with indignant and contemptuous personal reproach." (Bradley, 81.) She seems to welcome the darkness into her when she says, "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts / Unsex me here, and fill me, from crown to toe / Top-full of direst cruelty." (I, v, 44). Lady MacBeth takes control of the situation involving Duncan by pushing her husband into wanting to commit the murder. The plan is derived to kill the king in his sleep and blame it on his servants. Although MacBeth does not condone this activity outright, he does not condemn it either. And, so it is settled, MacBeth is to kill Duncan. Excited by the part she takes in the plot, Lady MacBeth waits anxiously as her husband kills the king. Lady MacBeth cannot commit the murder herself because of a slight resemblance Duncan has to her father. This trace of emotion was important because it shows a humane side to the seemingly cold-hearted Lady MacBeth.
As more and more obstacles come in the way of complete control of Scotland, more and more murders take place. As time goes on, MacBeth no longer has resistance towards...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.