Macbeth Group
Question:
vvjackie08
Student
High School - 12th Grade
Answers:
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pmiranda2857 Teacher
High School - 11th GradePosted by pmiranda2857 on Monday April 14, 2008 at 4:08 PMLady Macbeth is a ruthless, ambitious woman, who acts on the information her husband gives her about the witches prophecy without hesitation or thought of consequence in the beginning of the play.
Lady Macbeth is a manipulative wife who believes that her husband is not man enough to commit the murder. She thinks that he is too soft. In fact, she believes that masculine men behave aggressively and act violently. She wishes that she were a man, so that she could act on the prophecy and kill the king.
Lady Macbeth, one of Shakespeare's most evil female characters, is depicted as a harsh, cruel and power hungry woman with no conscience. The only evidence that is given that Lady Macbeth possesses any gentle sensibility is when she tells her husband that she could not murder King Duncan in his bed, because he looked like her father sleeping. At first this is the only vulnerability that is expressed about the character.
Later in the play, she does get consumed with conscience and ends up suffering from terrible paralyzing guilt.
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terafrayne Teacher
High School - 10th GradePosted by terafrayne on Friday May 2, 2008 at 8:16 AMLady Macbeth is figuratively two people. The woman before the murder of King Duncan, and the woman after the murder of King Duncan. I am more intrigued by the qualities she exhibits after the murder of King Duncan. Essentially, she is wracked with guilt. The qualities that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth exhibit after the murder of Duncan provides a poignant commentary on human behavior that follows grave actions. Committing the murder enables Macbeth to throw off feelings of guilt if he can continue to indulge his lust for blood and power. Lady Macbeth, who had no inhibitions or hesitation in the beginning, is now overwhelmed with feelings of shame and guilt. She sleepwalks, she imagines herself attempting to wash blood from her hands, and her marriage is ruined because she has isolated herself. These are some of the elements that lead up to her suicide. Lady Macbeth stands with Opelia and other women in Shakespeare's works who lose their mind.