Macbeth Group

Question:

mamboqueene
mamboqueene
Student
High School - 11th Grade

In Macbeth, how does Lady Macbeth persuade her husband to kill Duncan, other than by questioning his manhood and his love for her?

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Posted by mamboqueene on Tuesday April 21, 2009 at 2:13 PM and tagged with lady macbeth, macbeth, persuasion.

Answers:

  1. mshurn
    mshurn Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    Lady Macbeth uses several other psychological weapons on Macbeth to persuade him to follow through in Duncan's murder. She shames him by asking if he is afraid to act on his desires. She tries to make him feel guilty, asking why he would even raise with her the possibility of gaining the throne if he did not plan to act on it, implying that he had been unfair to her to raise her own hopes. She tries to reason logically with him, pointing out that he wanted to kill the king, but now when the time and place were right for such a deed, he suddenly didn't want to. She emphasizes the disgraceful thing he is doing by backing out when she says that she would rather kill her own nursing infant than do what he is doing now. Finally, she assures him that they will not fail because she has a perfect plan. Macbeth bows to her persuasion: "I am settled . . . ."

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/act-i-summary-analysis
    http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/lady-macbeth-character-anal...
    http://www.enotes.com/macbeth/macbeth-character-analysis

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    Posted by mshurn on Wednesday April 29, 2009 at 12:22 AM