Macbeth Group

Question:

bradandbrittany
bradandbrittany
Student
High School - 12th Grade

Compare and contrast Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

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Posted by bradandbrittany on Thursday March 22, 2007 at 2:05 PM and tagged with characters, compare, contrast, lady macbeth, macbeth.

Answers:

  1. j-watson
    j-watson Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Brand and Brittany,

    As a starting point in comparing Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, look closely at Macbeth's soliloquy in Act I. vii. Macbeth thinks about the murder and begins to think about justice, morality, the good of Scotland, and the after-life. Macbeth is just about resolved to not murder Duncan when Lady Macbeth interrupts his decision.

    Lady Macbeth recognizes Macbeth's hesitancy, so she plays upon his weaknesses. Macbeth, we learn, is not as self-confident as one may initially believe. He is a good man but impressionable. Lady Macbeth knows exactly what she wants and to get it.

    Because of her gender and station in life, Lady Macbeth must live vicariously through her husband's success.

    I hope this answer helps.

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    Posted by j-watson on Friday March 23, 2007 at 5:03 PM

  2. sampu88
    sampu88 Student
    High School - 12th Grade

    The first thing that strickes the audience about the infamous husband-wife duo is their close-knit and intimate understanding of each other. Lady Macbeth especially recognizes the flaws and qualities in her husband and aims to fulfill his ambitions and dreams by putting her own life at stake. She realises his dream of attaining kingship but she is also aware of his cowardly nature and knows that he would always take the 'holy way' out. He would never exercise his 'evil nature' in order to get something done. This is why she drives away his hesitancy by arousing him sexually and challenging him mentally, both culminating in him becoming a tyrant eventually.  Macbeth, on the other hand, never wore the 'pants' in the relationship that they shared. He was a brave soldier, but that was only externally. On the inside, he was a complete softie, easy to manipulate. He was never convinced about the murders he directed, but he went along with them anyway, giving reference to his loss in sense of purpose.

    But what must also be undestood here, is that Macbeth was never completely secure of his actions. Even after the death of Duncan, was not fully satisified with his actions. His sub conscience continued to torture him. Eventually the relationship between the two crumbles into nothingness and makes both of them numb, lonely and incredibly guilty of their ill-actions.

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    Posted by sampu88 on Monday January 14, 2008 at 2:13 AM

  3. clonehead
    clonehead Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects about the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is how their roles reverse by the end of the play.

    At the start of the play, and through the murder of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth is the one who sees violence as the answer and it is she who comes up with the murder scheme, while her husband is racked with guilt and indecision, seeing and hearing things, his mind starting to snap. She mentally bullies him into taking action and after he kills the king and comes unglued ("Macbeth hath murdered sleep!"), she contemptuously tries to assuage Macbeth's feelings of remorse, telling him to essentially not think about it so much.

    However, once Macbeth assumes power as king and starts to see the success his actions bring, he begins plotting murder (against Banquo's and Macduff's family) without consulting with Lady Macbeth at all, and by the final act of the play Lady Macbeth is the one who is walking in a daze, seeing visions, and racked with guilt.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/macbeth

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    Posted by clonehead on Friday February 22, 2008 at 7:30 AM

  4. randa-j-t
    randa-j-t Student
    High School - 12th Grade

    similarities: both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were motivated by ambition and greed for royalty and greatness, and this was the main cause for commintting the murder (their unchecked ambition and temptations). they both also think that all was pointless (murder) after they experience guilt and after macbeth finds out that he is crowned without honor and that he will never be of the same lineage of the king

    differences: Macbeth was hesitant at first about committing the murder Lady Macbeth however was confident and only scared because ofMacbeth's human kindness that might make him change his mind.

    at first his conscience starts to stop him from his sinful act (the daggers imagination) and later he starts regretting it (the ghosts at the feast) and "sleep no more" .while Lady Macbeth makes a scene infront of the people and tries to hide their murder and convinces him that it will all eventually go away.

    later in the play it is proved that Macbeth is stronger in suppressing his conscience than Lady Macbethm ;she commits suicide while he still remained there determined to fight until the end and believing of his own immortality that the witches have convinced him of " no man born of a woman" shall hurt Macbeth.

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    Posted by randa-j-t on Wednesday November 26, 2008 at 8:17 AM