What explains the shift in Lady Macbeth's character from acts 1 and 2 to act 5?

Shakespeare is a master at creating characters who are so real, so alive, that they seem to jump right out of the book or off the stage. Lady Macbeth is one of these. In fact, readers over the centuries have identified Lady Macbeth's true nature in many different ways according to their own perspectives and how they interpret the evidence (her words and actions in the play). You will have to do the same.

That said, though, we can get a feel for Lady Macbeth by paying close attention to how she speaks and how she behaves. Let's begin with the play's first couple acts. In act 1, Lady Macbeth reveals her ambition and ruthlessness. The witches have told her that Macbeth shall be king, and she immediately begins plotting to make that happen. She has none of the misgivings that Macbeth himself has about killing Duncan and taking the kingship. If she has a conscience at all (and we're not sure at this point), she silences it. She is ready to take a knife in her own hands and do the deed. Lady Macbeth also shows herself to be deceitful, for she greets Duncan with a subservient kindness when we know that there is a murderous intent lurking beneath the surface. By the end of the act, Lady Macbeth has her plan in place, and she prods her husband into following through.

In act 2, we watch as the Macbeths carry out their deadly plot. Lady Macbeth drugs Duncan's guards, while Macbeth kills the king. Macbeth is already feeling guilty, thinking that the blood on his hands is a "sorry sight" indeed and fearing about why he could not say “Amen” to a muttered prayer. Lady Macbeth is not at all worried, and she tells her husband not to think so much about what they are doing, or they will go mad. Here is the first little hint that not all is well with Lady Macbeth. She recognizes that there is a risk to her sanity here, but she pushes it back, out of the way, and scolds Macbeth for being weak. She then goes and places the daggers next to the king to implicate the guards.

By act 5, however, we see another side of Lady Macbeth. She does indeed have a conscience, and it is tormenting her. Her offhand prediction that the deed would drive her and Macbeth mad has come true. Lady Macbeth cannot get the blood off her hands. It is not there physically, of course, but it represents the guilt that afflicts her. Her conscience has taken over her mind, and Lady Macbeth does not know how to respond. She lacks the ability to deal with the guilt, and she cannot find any means of expiating it. So in the end, she kills herself.

Now that we've looked at the evidence, think about how you would interpret Lady Macbeth's true nature. Perhaps you think that this character is irredeemable, first due to her ambition and callousness and then due to her lack of ability to handle her guilt. Perhaps you think that Lady Macbeth's guilt shows that she isn't a totally corrupt character. You might even judge Lady Macbeth to be altogether pathetic and miserable, both in her viciousness and in her madness. Whatever you decide, be sure to support your decision with evidence.

What is the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth after Act 2?

The close relationship that existed between Macbeth and his wife before they committed the murder of their sovereign appears to have been badly damaged as a result of that unspeakable and irreparable deed. In Act III, Scene 2, Lady Macbeth describes what is happening to them.

How now, my lord! Why do you keep alone,
Of sorriest fancies your companions making,
Using those thoughts which should indeed have died
With them they think on? Things without all remedy
Should be without regard. What's done is done.

Macbeth is keeping away from everybody including his wife. He is doing so, as his wife tells him and the audience, because he bitterly regrets killing Duncan. He is torn by feelings of guilt, remorse, shame, and fear for the loss of his soul. He doesn't want to see his wife because she would only remind him of what they both did. And she apparently has not gone looking for him because she knows he will have to go through a period of mourning in seclusion. She herself is not especially remorseful, but she has discovered that there is not the satisfaction that she expected in fulfulling her wish to become queen. 

Lady Macbeth will appear with her husband in Scene 4 of Act III, during which they are mostly hostile to each other. After that she will disappear until the last act of the play. She is all alone in her sleepwalking scene in Act V, Scene 1. When Seaton tells him the queen is dead, Macbeth simply says:

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.    V.5

In Act 3, how does the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change?

Before murdering Duncan and taking the throne of Scotland, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth had a close relationship where they always shared their plans with each other. Macbeth was always quick to confide in his wife and seek her advice. It was not a perfectly equitable relationship, however. Lady Macbeth knew how to manipulate her husband by exploiting his weaknesses and insecurities. However, by act 3, their relationship has begun to deteriorate significantly.

In act 3, scene 1, Macbeth considers the prophecy of the Witches that Banquo will father a line of kings. He grows envious and suspicious of his old friend:

To be thus is nothing,

But to be safely thus. Our fears in Banquo

Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature

Reigns that which would be feared. (3.1.50-53)

How now, my lord! Why do you keep alone, Of sorriest fancies your companions making (3.2.11)

In Act 3, how does the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change?

The two are unhappy for different reasons.  Lady Macbeth thought that Duncan's murder would be the means to secure all that the couple wanted.  She had no idea how much the guilt of such a deed would affect her husband and ultimately her.  She thought a "little water [would] cleanse us of this deed" and that would be the end of it.  Yet we see in Act 3 that Lady Macbeth is anything but happy.  In fact she wishes that she were Duncan:  "Tis safer to be what we destroy/ Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy."   She has all but lost her husband.  They are no longer close.  And, I think she wanted Duncan killed so that Macbeth could fulfill his ambition to be king.  She wanted to help her husband achieve his ambition.  But instead of making him happy, being king has made Macbeth miserable and therefore Lady Macbeth as well.

Lady Macbeth is unhappy because she feels alienated from her husband; Macbeth is miserable because of his guilt.  After killing Duncan, he is immediately and deeply remorseful. He wishes he could take back the deed.  But in Act 2 he sees no way out of this path that he has taken.  He thinks that since he has lost his soul in killing Duncan, that more killing is necessary to ensure that he has not lost his soul in vain.  So he decides to have Banquo and his son killed, since according to the witches, Banquo's sons will be kings.

But even the murder of Banquo does not make Macbeth feel "safe."  He realizes that there are many, including the powerful Macduff, who do not like him and are plotting against him, and he cannot turn back now:

I am in blood

Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,

Returning were as tedious as go o'er.

Murdering seems to be Macbeth's solution to problems, yet the murders prey on his conscience so much that by Act 5, he feels that his life is nothing "but a walking shadow."

How do Lady Macbeth and Macbeth change in Act 3 compared to previous acts?

The biggest change we see in these characters in this third act is in their relation to each other. In the previous two acts, when the murder of Duncan was conceived and carried out, Lady Macbeth seemed much the stronger, more determined and more vocal of the two. In a series of bold and even fearsome speeches, she egged her husband on to murder when he appeared vacillating and unwilling to kill his king. Now, in this third act, although still involved in the action, she has notably much less dialogue than previously, and she seems to have far less command over her husband. He, meanwhile, appears to be hardening in his resolve to pursue his bloody course of despatching anyone whom he thinks might still threaten his position, notably Banquo. However, although she helped him so much in the murder of Duncan, he does not confide to her his arrangements to have Banquo killed. She is left to simply ask: 'What's to be done?' and he replies, 'Be innocent of the knowledge,dearest chuck,/Till thou applaud the deed' (III.ii.45-46). In other words, he is telling her that she needn't know anything about the murder of Banquo until after it has happened.

The individual changes in these two characters naturally affect their relationship with one another. As already stated, Macbeth appears to be hardening by this stage in the play. While he agonized so much in the previous two acts over the initial killing of his king, he now does not appear to hesitate to kill further. Concomitant with this, however, is a certain sense of increasing despair on his part which leads him to behave ever more recklessly. This is most apparent, perhaps, when he observes that

...I am in blood

Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more,

Returning were as tedious as go o'er.(III. iv. 136-138)

Macbeth here is saying that he's gone so far already in his wicked deeds, that there is no turning back now; to try and retract from his chosen path of murder makes no more sense than in continuing along that path. The use of the word 'tedious' here is notable. It points to a sense of increasing weariness and despondency in Macbeth. In the previous acts, although he abhorred the murder of his king, he still seemed persuaded that ultimately it was a necessary, if tragic means to a worthy cause: the fulfillment of his personal ambition to become king. However, although he still speaks of 'mine own  good' (III.ii.135) he now seems to be losing his overall sense of purpose.

It is the change in Lady Macbeth in this act that is really of note, however. In her first appearance in this act, she appears to have undergone a quite astonishing change of demeanour from the previous acts:

Naught's had, all's spent,

When our desire is got without content.

Tis safer to be that which we destroy,

Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy. (III. ii. 4-7)

In this short but extremely revealing speech, she reflects that she and her husband have really gained nothing from the murder of Duncan, because they have no peace of mind. In fact she even declares it would be better to be dead, destroyed like Duncan, than to have to live with 'doubtful joy'. Obviously, this speech has a moralistic point: no good can come of murdering someone. But it is scarcely short of startling to hear Lady Macbeth uttering these words, after what we have seen of her in the previous acts. And of course, she will eventually be consumed by her guilt to the point of committing suicide. Macbeth, for his part, seems increasingly to lose all interest in her, as he becomes ever more preoccupied with preserving his own position. However, in Act III, although relations between them have shifted (as discussed above), they still appear to be a fairly loving couple.  

Why does Lady Macbeth's behavior change after Act 3?

Up until Act 5, Lady Macbeth is firm in her belief that she and Macbeth are taking the correct steps towards achieving power. She frequently calms Macbeth's anxieties and pushes his ambition further, as highlighted in the following lines of Lady Macbeth's:

That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold. (II.ii.1)

These deeds must not be thought / After these ways; so, it will make us mad. (II.ii.45-46)

The sleeping and the dead / Are but pictures. 'Tis the eye of childhood / That fears a painted devil. (II.ii.69-71)

Come on, gentle my lord, / Sleek over your rugged looks. Be bright and jovial / Among your guests tonight. (III.ii.30-32)

In many ways, Lady Macbeth may be more ambitious than Macbeth, who shows anxiety and regret over his actions early on in the play. Lady Macbeth is confident in their choices until after Act 3. Beginning in Act 5 - she does not appear in Act 4 - Lady Macbeth is immediately wracked with guilt. A doctor and gentlewoman discuss her symptoms ("I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her; unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon't, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast sleep," V.i.4-9). Lady Macbeth then sleepwalks onto the stage, confessing her crimes and attempting to scrub imaginary blood from her hands. 

There are a handful of justifiable reasons why Lady Macbeth has a sudden change of behavior in Act 5. The most obvious reason is that her guilt catches up with her. Blood is a symbol throughout Macbeth, often provoking fear and anxiety, and Lady Macbeth is preoccupied with imaginary blood in Act 5. Additionally, many of her earlier lines foreshadow her mental collapse. As highlighted above, she continuously tells Macbeth there is nothing to fear and that only children are afraid of the devil. Ultimately, Lady Macbeth is proven wrong and she emotionally unravels by the end of the play, resulting in her death. 

In Macbeth, what changes are seen in Lady Macbeth in act 3, scene 2?

By act 3, scene 2, Lady Macbeth has started to come to the conclusion that the grass isn't always greener on the other side. She and Macbeth thought that it would be so great to be king and queen, but they are not nearly as happy as they expected to be once they attain these positions of power. Before Macbeth enters the room, his wife says to herself,

Naught's had, all's spent
Where our desire is got without content.
'Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy. (3.2.6-9)

She means that she and Macbeth have done all they can to get where they are, and now that they have what they wanted, they find that they are not happy. It would be easier to be among the dead, like the king they murdered, than to find that they can only feel apprehensive and nervous as a result of the destruction they've caused.

However, Lady Macbeth presents a somewhat different face to her husband. Despite her obvious misgivings about their present situation, she presents herself as calm and unruffled to her husband. She tells him, "Things without all remedy / Should be without regard. What's done is done" (3.2.13-14). When he presents his own concerns—which are quite similar to the ones she expressed in private—she tries to soothe him. She encourages him to "leave" the trains of thought that bother him so much (3.2.40). The scene helps to show us how the Macbeths' relationship is changing. Lady Macbeth says very little in this scene, especially compared to act 1, scene 7, in which she actually speaks more often and with lines of longer duration than Macbeth. Whereas she seemed to be in control of their actions then, by act 3, scene 2, she seems to have lost that control. She isn't honest with Macbeth about her own fears and concerns, and he keeps his plans from her for the first time in the play. They were such a team prior to Duncan's murder, but this scene shows how their partnership is beginning to disintegrate.

How does the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change by Act 3, Scene 2?

In the earlier scenes of the play, Lady Macbeth and her husband work together as they plan and execute King Duncan's assassination. They are upfront with each other and do not conceal any information. Macbeth reveals his love and loyalty to Lady Macbeth by informing her of the witches' favorable prophecy and trusts that she will help him attain the throne. In act 1, scene 7, Lady Macbeth takes on a leading role in their marriage as she chastises Macbeth for second-guessing their plan to assassinate King Duncan. Lady Macbeth also advises her husband to hide his true emotions and participates in the assassination by placing the daggers back into the king's chamber.

Following the assassination, Macbeth becomes king and the dynamics of his marriage begin to change. In act 3, scene 2, Macbeth has developed into a bloodthirsty tyrant, who is obsessed with vanquishing his enemies in order to cement his legacy. Macbeth fears that Banquo's descendants will inherit the throne and is focused on killing him and Fleance. Instead of colluding, plotting, and consulting his wife regarding the double murder, Macbeth keeps his bloody plans to himself. When Lady Macbeth questions his plans, Macbeth remains aloof and tells her,

Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,

Till thou applaud the deed. (Shakespeare, 3.2.47-48)

Unlike the earlier acts, where Lady Macbeth acted as a resolute, determined leader, Macbeth has now assumed the leading role. He also does not reveal his plan to Lady Macbeth, which indicates that he is gradually becoming more distant and independent. As the play progresses, Macbeth continues to distance himself from his mentally unstable wife as he becomes more bloodthirsty and cruel.

Is there a noticeable change in Macbeth's character in Act 3, Scene 2?

There is a large change in Macbeth's character in Act III, scene ii of Shakespeare's play Macbeth.

Prior to this scene/act, Macbeth was not as forceful in gaining and keeping the crown. Instead, Macbeth was pushed by Lady Macbeth. At one point, Macbeth even tries to push off murdering Duncan (as seen in the following passage).

We will proceed no further in this business:
He hath honour’d me of late; and I have bought
Golden opinions from all sorts of people,
Which would be worn now in their newest gloss,
Not cast aside so soon. (Act I, Scene vii)

Here, Macbeth is not very sure that he wants to murder Duncan (just yet). He has recently gained the title Thane of Cawdor and wishes to see how it "fits" before trying on a new set of clothes (as king).

Later, in Act III, Scene ii, Macbeth is plotting the murder of Banquo. When LAdy Macbeth asks what he is planning, Macbeth replies for Lady Macbeth to "be innocent of the knowledge,
dearest chuck." He has finally taken control over their marriage and the throne.

Basically, in Act III, Macbeth's ambition surpasses his identification of what is right and he becomes a blood-thirsty murderer (in order to keep the crown).

How does Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's relationship shift in Macbeth, Act 3, Scene 4?

Act 3, scene 4, of Macbeth is famous because it is Banquo's "ghost scene." Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plan a banquet in honor of Macbeth's kingship. Although Macbeth asks his best friend Banquo to join them at the beginning of act 3, and Banquo promises to "not fail the feast," Macbeth secretly hires murderers to rid himself of Banquo and his son Fleance in an attempt to stall the prophecies made about Banquo's descendants. As the feast begins, the ghost of Banquo appears but is only seen by Macbeth. This scene has many implications on the play as a whole, but it is especially telling of the Macbeths' marriage.

Throughout the play, the Macbeths are fascinating to study both individually and as a couple. Although Lady Macbeth certainly appears to be the more bloodthirsty and courageous of the two in act 1, Macbeth soon supersedes her. There has already been tension between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth earlier in act 3. In scene 2, Lady Macbeth certainly seems aware that Macbeth has planned something regarding Banquo, but he asks her "to be innocent of the knowledge" (act 3, scene 2). So, when Banquo's ghost appears and Macbeth begins yelling at a person who is invisible to the other characters, Lady Macbeth is forced into a position of covering for her husband, even though she has little idea of what he is saying. At one point she says, "My lord is often thus / And hath been from his youth" before going on to challenge his manhood, much like she did in act 1 when attempting to convince him to kill Duncan (act 3, scene 4, 56-57). With each exit and reappearance of the ghost, Macbeth gets more irritated, as does Lady Macbeth. She is put in the position of acting as if his actions are a normal occurrence to their many guests.

This scene can be seen to represent the last time that we see Macbeth struggling with feelings of remorse, but also the first time Macbeth acted alone in the planning of the murder. Lady Macbeth's role fades as the play progresses, and this scene provides a last display of strength from her and the last appearance from her when she is awake and aware. From this point, Macbeth's character continues to become more bloodthirsty as he also plans and executes the murder of Macduff's family in the next act. Thus, this scene reveals that the Macbeths' relationship has become more fractured and has, in many ways, resulted in a reversal of roles.

How and why does the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change?

In the beginning, Macbeth depended upon Lady Macbeth for his motivation. Macbeth had changed his mind about murdering King Duncan:

We will proceed no further in this business.
He has recently honored me,

When Macbeth had changed his mind about the murdering of King Duncan, Lady Macbeth influenced him to follow through with the murder:

Are you afraid
To be the same man in reality
As the one you wish to be?

Macbeth agreed to follow through with the murder, claiming that Lady Macbeth had convinced him to proceed with the terrible event:

I’m convinced, and I commit
Every part of my body to this terrible event.

After the murder, Macbeth began to take charge. He no longer depended upon Lady Macbeth for courage. He began planning Banquo's murder without sharing his plans with Lady Macbeth. Although she knew he was planning something, she did not know exactly what Macbeth was planning. Macbeth talks in riddles of his fear of Banquo:

We have crushed the snake, but we haven’t killed it;
She'll recover, and be herself, while our poor evil-doing
Remains in danger of her poisonous bite.

Here, Macbeth is referring to Banquo. Since Banquo heard the witches' prophecies to Macbeth, Banquo is a threat. Here, Macbeth is contemplating the murder of Banquo. He does not seem to need Lady Macbeth's influence. Macbeth is taking charge of the situation without the influence of his dear wife.

Macbeth is in torment for what he has done. He and Lady Macbeth seem to be growing apart. Macbeth begins making decisions without her consent or approval. He has Macduff's wife and children killed of his own will. Lady Macbeth begins going down her own road toward insanity. She cannot wash the bloodstains from her hands:

Out, damned spot! Out, I say! One; two; why, then it is
time to do it. Hell is murky! For shame, my lord, for shame! A soldier,
and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call
our power to account? Yet who would have thought the old man to
have had so much blood in him?

The doctor cannot help Lady Macbeth. She is lost in her own guilt. While she struggles with sanity, Macbeth has gone on his own way, killing whoever gets in the way of his plan. He no longer needs Lady Macbeth for strength. He is stronger than ever it seems. Lady Macbeth has taken a turn for the worse. She is no longer capable of encouragement or influence. Truly, Macbeth has lost Lady Macbeth. She has crossed over into insanity. She is no longer capable of helping Macbeth. The two of them have grown apart.

How and why does the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change?

Macbeth, the brutal warrior of Act I who is referred to a "Bellona's [the goddess of war]bridegroom" defeats Macdonaldwald and is awarded the title of Thane of Cawdor by the king for his bravery.  Yet, knowing her husband, Lady Macbeth fears his nature:

It is too full o' th'milk of human kindness/To catch the nearest way.  Thou wouldst be great,/Art not without ambition, but without/The illness should attend it. (I,v,16-18)

So, in order for Macbeth to attain what Lady Macbeth can except for his trepidation, she continues,

And that which rather thou dost fear to doThan wishest should be undone.  Hie thee hither,/That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,/And chastise with the valor of my tongue/All that impedes thee from the golden round/Which fate and metaphsical aid doth seem/To have thee crowned withal. (I,v,24-29)

 Thus, Lady Macbeth becomes the driving force for Macbeth's ambition to be king.  She "unsexes" herself and goads him into killing Duncan when he visits their castle. 

However, as the play progresses, it is Macbeth who surpresses conscience to desire, killing recklessly, while Lady Macbeth finds her conscience and, guilt-ridden, commits suicide.

How and why does the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth change?

At the beginning of the play MacBeth is a soldier who listens to the advice and suggestions of Lady MacBeth, his figurative "general." At first MacBeth is indecisive and cannot see the larger battefield that is their lives. He meets with the weird sisters and is baffled by their prophecies. It is Lady MacBeth who urges MacBeth to "screw his courage to the sticking place" and literally make the prophecies come true. When her husband leaves the murdered Duncan, she returns the daggers to the scene of the crime and smears the guards with blood. Lady MacBeth is at her bloodiest and most cruel. She has prayed to the dark powers to take her milk for gall and fill her up with the "direst cruelty."

Later in the play, (after the psychological festering of their guilt) each of the characters become what the other is not. MacBeth becomes hollow and without feeling and Lady MacBeth becomes disturbed, weak, and ends up killing herself. How does MacBeth react to this? He offers one of the most nihilistic speeches in Shakespeare--his "tomorrow and tomorrow and tommorrow" speech. MacBeth has changed from the passionate soldier into an unfeeling empty shell of a man.

What quotes describe Macbeth's character throughout the play?

At the beginning of the play (Act 1, Scene 2) we learn that Macbeth is fiercely loyal and a brave, dauntless, fighter. He will give everything to save his beloved Scotland from the insurrection headed by the Norwegian king, the traitorous Macdonwald, and the thane of Cawdor. An injured soldier gives King Duncan the following report:

For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—
Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valour's minion carved out his passage
Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,
And fix'd his head upon our battlements.

This fearless, loyal image is, however, soon replaced by the image of an overly ambitious, gullible character who is more than readily impressed by the forces of darkness. When he and Banquo meet the witches, the witches greet Macbeth with the title "thane of Cawdor" and tell him that he will be "king hereafter." Macbeth is clearly overwhelmed by what they say and is later enraptured when their first prediction is confirmed as true. Macbeth states in an aside:

Glamis, and thane of Cawdor!
The greatest is behind.

This quote indicates Macbeth's ambition. He states that gaining the title of Cawdor means that he has overcome the greatest hurdle in his desire to be king. More titles mean greater power, and it will be easier for him to lay claim to the throne should the occasion arise. His desire is further confirmed when he later says, again in an aside:

Two truths are told,
As happy prologues to the swelling act
Of the imperial theme.

Macbeth is in awe about the witches' predictions and believes that the confirmation of their first prediction must mean that the others will naturally follow. This shows us how gullible he is. His ambition controls his ability to reason. Even Banquo notices that he is enraptured and comments "Look, how our partner's rapt."

Lady Macbeth later makes it clear that Macbeth is not a ruthless man. She states, in Act 1, Scene 5, that he is:

too full o' the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way

This means that Macbeth is kindhearted and gentle and does not have the inner malice, in spite of his ambition, to perform regicide. He is an honorable man and will not deliberately mislead others, as Lady Macbeth says:

what thou wouldst highly,
That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,

Macbeth's lack of malice is informed by his desire to withdraw from committing a foul act such as killing a king. He finds reasons not to proceed. This further proves his loyalty, respect for authority, and values, as expressed in the following soliloquy from Act 1, scene 7, shows:

He's here in double trust;
First, as I am his kinsman and his subject,
Strong both against the deed; then, as his host,
Who should against his murderer shut the door,
Not bear the knife myself.

Lady Macbeth's sentiments are confirmed later when we learn how overwhelmed Macbeth is by the enormity of the deed he is about to commit. He lacks the callousness to commit murder and is so stressed out and pressured that he starts hallucinating. He is definitely not a coldhearted assassin and is surely not cool, calm, and collected, as the following extract proves:

...art thou but
A dagger of the mind, a false creation,
Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?

He imagines seeing a bloody dagger float in front of him. We also discover that he is deeply superstitious, for he sees signs and portents in everything. For example, he believes that his inability to say "amen" after he killed Duncan is significant. He believes that he has heard voices telling him that he has "murdered sleep" and that he "shall sleep no more."

Once the deed is committed we learn of Macbeth's deep remorse. This ties in with his nature as a gentle person. Macbeth is totally overwhelmed by what he has done and believes that his guilt will never fade.

Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas in incarnadine,

He is assured by his wife, though, that it is not an issue he should be too concerned about.

As the play progresses, Macbeth loses all of his goodness and integrity. He quickly devolves into a ruthless, murderous tyrant. His further degradation becomes apparent soon after Duncan's murder. First, he is deceitful when he lies about why he killed Duncan's guards and claims that his vengeance was out of love for Duncan:

...who could refrain,
That had a heart to love, and in that heart
Courage to make 's love known?

Once he is ensconced on the throne he becomes corrupted by the power his position yields. He becomes paranoid and feels insecure. As a result, he plots Banquo's assassination and states, in Act 3, Scene 1:

To be thus is nothing;
But to be safely thus.—Our fears in Banquo
Stick deep;

His guilt at killing his friend overwhelms him, though, and he imagines seeing Banquo's ghost. This, however, does not stop him from committing further bloodshed, and he sends out assassins to kill whomever is against him. He becomes more bloodthirsty and has Macduff's entire family and his servants assassinated.

By Act 4, we know that Macbeth has become so malevolent that even the witches recognize his malice. When they hear him arrive they comment, "Something wicked this way comes." At this point, they also make him believe that he is invincible. The witches predict, firstly, that "none of woman born" will be able to harm him and then that only when Birnam wood comes to Dunsinane shall he be vanquished. He cries out:

Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee?

and

Who can impress the forest, bid the tree
Unfix his earth-bound root? Sweet bodements! good!

In the end, though, Macbeth is honest enough to admit his foolishness when he realizes how the witches misled him through paradox and equivocation. He states, in Act 5, Scene 5:

I pull in resolution, and begin
To doubt the equivocation of the fiend
That lies like truth:

When he confronts Macduff in a fight to the death, he finally accepts just how much he has been deceived:

Accursed be that tongue that tells me so,
For it hath cow'd my better part of man!
And be these juggling fiends no more believed,
That palter with us in a double sense;

He curses the witches for their lies, for he has just heard that Macduff's birth was not natural but that he was removed from his mother's womb by Caesarean section. He refuses to fight anymore but also refuses to surrender. In a final act of courage and honor, he challenges Macduff to a battle:

Yet I will try the last. Before my body
I throw my warlike shield. Lay on, Macduff . . .

Macduff kills him and then presents his head to all and sundry.

What quotes describe Macbeth's character throughout the play?

Most of the information a reader learns about Macbeth during the course of Shakespeare's Macbeth is revealed, rather than directly spoken.  So when you ask for quotes that actually describe Macbeth's character, rather than reveal it, you're eliminating most of the play.  In other words, most of the characterization in the play is shown, rather than told.  That said, I'll mention one line for you.

In Act 4.1, after the witches have prepared a nasty brew, presumably for Macbeth to drink so he will see visions, just before Macbeth enters the scene, the Second Witch says:

Something wicked this way comes.  (Act 4.1.45)

That accurately states Macbeth's character.  He is wicked. 

I'll mention one other line briefly.  Referring to Macduff failing to attend Macbeth's feast, Lennox says:

...he failed

His presence at the tyrant's feast,... (Act 3.6.21-22)

He refers to Macbeth as a tyrant.  That is also direct characterization.

What quotes describe Macbeth's character throughout the play?

What quotes describe Macbeth's character throughout the play?

One of the most famous of all quotations about heroism in Macbeth (and the heroism of Macbeth) comes in Act 1, scene 2, when a sergeant describes how bravely Macbeth behaved in battle -- particularly in hand-to-hand combat with an opponent named Macdonwald:

Sergeant. Doubtful it stood;

As two spent swimmers, that do cling together

And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald—

Worthy to be a rebel, for to that

The multiplying villanies of nature

Do swarm upon him—from the western isles

Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;

And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,

Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak:

For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—

Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,

Which smoked with bloody execution,

Like valour's minion carved out his passage

Till he faced the slave;

Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,

Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,

And fix'd his head upon our battlements.

What quotes describe Macbeth's character throughout the play?

In regards to identifying Macbeth's tragic flaw, I would suggest the following from Act 1, Scene 7:

I have no spur / To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself / And fails on th' other--

This shows that Macbeth, himself, knows that his tragic flaw is "vaulting ambition," and that is what draws him to kill Duncan in order to become king himself.

[To a lesser degree, probably the most quoted albeit not the most important quote is by the witches from Act 4, Scene 1:  "Double, double, toil and trouble; / Fire burn and cauldron bubble, ... Something wicked this way comes."  Probably the most famous witches brew ever, and a good example of appearance vs. reality.  Interesting their description of something wicked as Macbeth approaches, ... after they have planted the germ of evil.]

What quotes describe Macbeth's character throughout the play?

My of my favorite quotes from Macbeth is, "Come, you spirits/ That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,". (I.V.41-42) This quote epitomizes the importance of being male in the text. Like many texts, the role of the man is central to many critical analyses.

Other than the traditional way of looking at this though, one could use it in pairing with the prophecy that Macbeth will be brought down by a man not born of woman.  Hypothetically, if Lady Macbeth is able to "unsex" herself with the help of the spirits, she would then be a man not born to woman. This could then be used to add to Lady Macbeth's part in the undoing of Macbeth.

What quotes describe Macbeth's character throughout the play?

This would be a really great discussion post rather than Q & A.

I love the quote "Out damn spot. Out" Macbeth says this in Act II after he kills Duncan. Lady Macbeth then uses it when she is sleepwalking in Act V. Both of these lines shows the blood on the hands as a symbol of guilt. It also illustrates that Macbeth has gone from being the most guilt-ridden character, coaxed by Lady Macbeth to kill to a character who makes all the decisions, plans and unilateraly murders. Lady Macbeth begins as the power-hungry one in the pair and becomes the docile, guilt-ridden Queen in the end of the novel who dies mysteriously.

How does Lady Macbeth's character change over time?

Lady Macbeth is ruthless and power-hungry, but by the end of the play, her guilty conscience has ruined her mind and made her feel that her life is not worth living.  

She told her husband, immediately after Duncan's murder, that they should not dwell on what they had done or else it would "make [them] mad"; clearly she did not take her own advice because she has essentially gone mad, imagining that she cannot wash Duncan's blood off her hands.  Further, she had said then that "a little water clears us of this deed," and it was Macbeth who feared that there was so much blood on his hands that it would turn the ocean red.  By the end, however, it is Lady Macbeth who feels that not even "all the perfumes of Arabia" could get the scent of blood off her hands.  

Moreover, Macbeth was initially afraid that he would never be able to sleep peacefully because he murdered Duncan while he was sleeping.  However, it seems that it is Lady Macbeth whose sleep is fitful as a result of her guilt.  She seems to feel guilty for creating a monster: she only wanted Macbeth to kill Duncan; then Macbeth arranged for the murder of Banquo and attempted murder of Fleance without consulting her, and now she cries, "The Thane of Fife had a wife.  Where is she now?"  Her husband ordered the murder of this poor woman and her children all because he was angry at her husband.  This doesn't seem to sit well with Lady Macbeth.  Finally, we never see the Macbeths together after the banquet scene and the only other time she appears on stage is during the sleepwalking scene, and this seems to confirm the distance that has grown between she and her husband and their priorities.  Her eventual suicide confirms how guilt-ridden she is.

How does Lady Macbeth's character change over time?

Macduff serves as a character foil to Macbeth because their contrast conveys with greater clarity Macduff's strengths -- humility, loyalty, and goodness -- and Macbeth's flaws -- excessive ambition, disloyalty, and ruthlessness.  Macduff is not overly ambitious, and he does not seek to increase his power.  When Macbeth is crowned, Macduff doesn't go to the coronation; nor does he attend Macbeth's dinner party later on in the play.  If Macduff were more interested in advancing himself, he could neglect his scruples, as Macbeth has done, and make a bid for greater power.

Further, Macduff is loyal to Duncan, and his loyalty never seems to waver.  When he discovers Duncan's body, he says, "Confusion now hath made his masterpiece. / Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope / The Lord's anointed temple and stole thence / The life o' th' building" (2.3.76-79).  He doesn't see Duncan's death and Malcolm's flight as an opportunity for himself; instead, he sincerely grieves the death of a good and kind king.

Finally, when Macduff travels to England to see Malcolm, he leaves his wife and children behind, and it doesn't seem to occur to him that Macbeth would direct any violence toward them.  He has honor, something Macbeth lacks.  Macduff initially intends only to unseat Macbeth, but once he learns that Macbeth has murdered his innocent family and servants, he vows to kill the king.  However, it takes a great deal for him to reach this conclusion and it takes relatively little to convince Macbeth to murder.

What quotes show personality changes in Macbeth and Lady Macbeth throughout the play?

Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth demonstrate a change in their character as the plot develops.

At the very beginning of the play, Macbeth is depicted as a heroic and trustworthy character, who stands by King Duncan. Yet, we quickly learn about his surreptitious ambition to dethrone Duncan and gain power:

Stars, hide your fires;
Let not light see my black and deep desires...

When he commits the murder, we see him as a vulnerable character, who is victimized by his guilty conscience:

 Methought I heard a voice cry 'Sleep no more!
 Macbeth does murder sleep', the innocent sleep,
 Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care...

Although he gains power, he loses his peace of mind and clear conscience. However, when he begins committing more evil deeds, his guilt-ridden conscience becomes deadened. He no longer fears anything; he has become a cold-blooded murderer:

 I have almost forgot the taste of fears;
 The time has been, my senses would have cool'd
 To hear a night-shriek; and my fell of hair
 Would at a dismal treatise rouse and stir
 As life were in't: I have supp'd full with horrors;
 Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts
 Cannot once start me.

Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a manipulative, cruel and dominant character. She encourages her husband to murder Duncan and tells him that he should pluck up his courage and act like a man. She even wishes she could summon the spirits which would make her cruel and heartless:

 Come, you spirits
 That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
 And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
 Of direst cruelty! make thick my blood;
 Stop up the access and passage to remorse...

However, in the last act of the play, she becomes a mere shadow of her former self. She is depicted as a weak, vulnerable woman who is on the verge of madness:

 Out, damned spot! out, I say!--One: two: why,
 then, 'tis time to do't.--Hell is murky!--Fie, my
 lord, fie! a soldier, and afeard?

She is victimized by her guilty conscience, and this leads to her imminent downfall.

How does the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth deteriorate in Macbeth?

I think you have a good start there.  A thesis statement should be direct and clear, and to the point.  You have the beginning of a good thesis statement because you have made an argument about Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.  You just need to go one step further and explain.

I would add to this thesis statement with an explanation of why their relationship deteriorates. Here is an example:

In Macbeth, the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth deteriorates as the play progresses because after she pushes him to kill Duncan, he becomes more and more violent.

Consider the conversations between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth.  He writes her a letter, but when he meets her face to face all she can talk about and think about is how he is going to become king.  She does not listen to him when he seems to talk himself out of killing Duncan because the king has done nothing to deserve it.  Macbeth tells her they will “proceed no further in this business” because the promotion is enough.

Was the hope drunk

Wherein you dress'd yourself? Hath it slept since?(40)

And wakes it now, to look so green and pale

At what it did so freely? (Act 1, Scene 7, p. 23)

When Macbeth asks her what should happen if they fail, certainly a reasonable question, she scoffs at him again.

We fail?

But screw your courage to the sticking-place,

And we'll not fail. (Act 1, Scene 7, p. 24)

She is basically telling him as long as he is brave he will not fail.  She is completely dismissing his justifiable concerns.  With him pushing her on, he can do nothing put go through with the plan.

Unfortunately, Lady Macbeth has unleashed a force she cannot control.  She does not want him to kill Banquo or Macduff’s family, and in fact does not know he is going to do this.  She goes mad with guilt, and kills herself.  Macbeth’s reaction?  “She should have died hereafter”  (Act 5, Scene 5, p. 84). 

Macbeth goes on to make a beautiful, if not dismal, speech about how life is meaningless, but he does not properly grieve for her.  The two have been separated, and the gulf between their emotional states is too wide.

How does Shakespeare develop the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth throughout the play?

When the reader is first introduced to Lady Macbeth, it is through the letter in which Macbeth shares the witches’ prophecies with his wife.

This have I thought good to deliver thee,
my dearest partner of greatness, that thou mightst not lose
the dues of rejoicing, by being ignorant of what greatness is
promised thee. (2.5.9–12)

It is significant to see Macbeth, in a male dominated society, address his wife as his “dearest partner of greatness.” In this way, Shakespeare lays the foundation for a relationship between equals—a partnership where they share the ambition to be elevated to royal status.

After reading the letter, Lady Macbeth reveals her knowledge of her husband’s weaknesses and her confidence in being able direct him along the path that will ensure he is crowned king. Her speech reveals that she understands her husband’s deepest qualities and is confident in her ability to influence him.

Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great;
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it. (2.5.14—18)

A few lines later, she says,

Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear,
And chastise with the valor of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round,
Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
To have thee crown'd withal. (2.5.22-27)

By including these lines, Shakespeare clearly indicates that Lady Macbeth and her husband must have a close relationship in which she knows his weaknesses and is able to influence him.

The relationship between the Macbeths is further developed when Macbeth arrives at his castle and is welcomed by his wife. The audience can see Lady Macbeth immediately take the initiative to plan Duncan’s death. Although Macbeth is hesitant, he does not outright reject his wife’s ideas. Even after Macbeth’s soliloquy in which he seems to decide against killing Duncan, he is easily swayed by his wife’s admonition and follows through with her plan.

It is significant to note that it is Lady Macbeth who outlines the murder plot and who ensures that Macbeth follows the plan. When he returns from killing Duncan and is in a state of shock, it is Lady Macbeth who returns the daggers to the sleeping guards and ensures they are framed for the murder. She takes control of the situation. However, by ensuring both Macbeth and his wife play an active role in the murder plot, Shakespeare initially strengthens their relationship in terms of the guilt and secret they share.

Viewers may expect their relationship to grow, as they are bound by their secret guilt. However, Shakespeare shows how the guilt they share drives them apart. Macbeth assumes a more independent role and does not inform his wife of his plans to have Banquo assassinated.

The first recognizable change in their relationship can be seen where Lady Macbeth asks the servant for access to her husband. When she speaks to him, she asks him why he isolates himself. It is clear from this that she is concerned about his well-being and is now no longer included in his plans for ruling the kingdom.

How now, my lord! Why do you keep alone,
Of sorriest fancies your companions making,
Using those thoughts which should indeed have died
With them they think on? (3.2.10–13)

Macbeth instructs her to pay close attention and show favor to Banquo. However, he does not tell her what he has planned for Banquo and does not consult her advice. Shakespeare shows the beginnings of cracks in their relationship. The main reason for these cracks is surely their guilt.

Macbeth hints to her that he has plans in hand which include “A deed of dreadful note” (3.2.48). However, he does not detail what it will be.

LADY MACBETH:

What's to be done?

MACBETH:

Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck,
Till thou applaud the deed. (3.2.49–51)

This shows significant change from the “dearest partner of greatness” of act 2. Shakespeare further underscores the change occurring by suggesting that the Macbeths switch roles. Compare Lady Macbeth’s speech from 2.5.51–55 and Macbeth’s speech from 3.2.51–55

Come, thick night,

And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark
To cry, “Hold, hold!”

Come, seeling night,
Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day,
And with thy bloody and invisible hand
Cancel and tear to pieces that great bond
Which keeps me pale!

The guilt which the Macbeths share seems to be the death knell for their relationship, and from act 4 on, Shakespeare shows little interaction between the two. Lady Macbeth is left alone to dwell on her guilt. Surely the most pitiable sight is of this strong female character who resorts to sleep walking and wringing her hands. In contrast, Macbeth seems to direct all his energy in eliminating all enemies and attempting to control his paranoia and mistrust of all around him.

The disconnection in their relationship is shown to be complete when Shakespeare has Lady Macbeth die offstage. In response to this, Macbeth utters the following lines which critics seem to disagree about:

She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word. (5.5.19–20)

Do these lines suggest that Macbeth has become so callous that he cares nothing for her death? Or is he so utterly miserable and hopeless that he wishes she would have only died after the battle so that he would be able to mourn her properly? Either way, Shakespeare clearly shows that their relationship, once so close, has now disintegrated.

How does the relationship of the Macbeths evolve from the start of the play to their deaths?

Since the question lacks what specific aspects of the relationship need to be charted (and how they would be charted), the answer will follow and illustrate the relationship between Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth (William Shakespeare's Macbeth). 

In the first scene where readers see Lady Macbeth, she fails to show much love for her husband. In fact, Lady Macbeth does not think very much of her husband at all.

Yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness(15)
To catch the nearest way.

Here, Lady Macbeth suggests to readers that her husband is less than a man, being too similar to a child/infant. She goes on, during her soliloquy, to state that she should be the one who should insure the throne passes to her husband. She, clearly, does not respect her husband. 

Macbeth, on the other hand, refuses to challenge his wife. He seems to understand that she is far more powerful than he, and he does not wish to question her. In fact, when she openly discusses her plan to murder Duncan, Macbeth simply states that they "will speak further" at another time, pushing the discussion to the side. He simply does not wish to be confrontational with her. 

As the play progresses, Macbeth's ability to stand up to his wife increases. At one point, after deciding to murder Banquo, Macbeth tells his wife to "be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck" (3.2.46). He has finally become a man and knows what must be done. He does not need his wife to look out for him any longer. Macbeth knows what must be done, and he takes a stand on his own. 

Once Lady Macbeth becomes apparently ill, Macbeth does begin to worry about her. He recognizes that her death will cause him great sadness, and her death does impact him. That said, Lady Macbeth's feelings for her husband are somewhat masked. Outside of her coming to his rescue at his celebration dinner (where she makes excuses for his questionable behavior), one can support the idea that she is only helping him because she wants the throne as much as he does. Her actions do not necessarily state anything about how she really feels about her husband. 

Upon Macbeth's death, nothing is said of his wife. Readers cannot assume that he misses her, that her life or death meant anything to him. In fact, one can more readily state that Macbeth's wife only helped him to get what he desired (the throne). After that, he no longer needed her (nor she him in reality). 

Which quotes from Macbeth show his changing attitude towards Duncan from kindness to harshness?

A couple places to look would be to trace his attitude towards the people closest to him throughout the play.  How does he talk to Banquo in Act 1 compared to his actions in Act 3?  How does Macbeth talk to the witches (who represent an evil, perhaps demonic force) in Act 1 compared to how he talks to them in Act 4?  And perhaps most significant is how his relationship with Lady Macbeth changes from Act 1 to Act 5.  In Act 1 the thought of the two of them ruling together makes him ecstatic; however his attitude has changed drastically by time her hears of her death in Act 5.

Using his relationship with Duncan as an example of his attitude changing throughout the play is not a good approach simply because Macbeth's attitude toward Duncan changes so early in the play, and even the duplicity he employs in his conversations with Duncan is relatively brief in light of the entire play.  Moreover, it is the effects of that particular dynamic that affect his actions and mindset for the rest of the play. 

Which quotes from Macbeth show his changing attitude towards Duncan from kindness to harshness?

Shakespeare is quite deliberate in establishing that Macbeth is not simply a murderer.  Rather, it takes time to develop.  Behaviors of transgression are developed over a period of time, and noting this development is a major part of the characterization trajectory Shakespeare establishes.  

Some of the first impressions of Macbeth are ones where the brutal act of murder could not even be comprehended.  When first confronted with such a reality, Macbeth is startled: "My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical,/ Shakes so my single state of man that function /Is smother'd in surmise."  In this quote, the very idea of taking Duncan's life, usurping power, is anathema to him.  Macbeth could not even consider it as a mere thought.

Part of the reason for this lies in how Macbeth sees Duncan on a personal level.  Macbeth's "function" is "smothered" because of loyalty towards Duncan:

Why do I yield to that suggestion 
Whose horrid image doth unfix my hair, 
And make my seated heart knock at my ribs, 
Against the use of nature?

This natural condition of loyalty and honoring the tradition of power is a significant part of Macbeth's character.  Shakespeare uses this to show how Macbeth respects order and tradition.  The structure of the world is intact when Macbeth shows deference to Duncan.   Macbeth's characterization is rooted in the natural order he acknowledges himself to be a part of. Macbeth acknowledges this order first as a "kinsman" and "subject" as well as "host." These conditions should lead him to "shut the door" as opposed to stabbing him with the dagger.  These inclusions show how Macbeth views Duncan, reflecting the development in his character to embrace murder.   

I am settled, and bend up 
Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. 
Away, and mock the time with fairest show: 
False face must hide what the false heart doth know.

This changing attitude towards murder and power is a critical element in Macbeth's characterization.  Shakespeare uses this to show how relatively decent human beings can embrace depravity in a commonplace setting. Macbeth is not evil personified. He is a regular human being, an everyman of sorts.  Combined with the right elements, Shakespeare uses this change to show what can potentially lie in subterranean form amongst human beings. In Macbeth's change, Shakespeare shows how individuals can move from creatures that respect the natural order and structure to those who defile and subvert it.  These changes are reflected in Macbeth's dialogue, which at first shows reverence and gives way to destruction.

What is a good thesis statement for an essay on Macbeth regarding how and why one character (I'm doing Macbeth) changes throughout the play?

One could devise many different thesis statements regarding the protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragic play Macbeth.

Macbeth does change over the course of the play. His ability to discern right from wrong is heavily outweighed by his growing ambition. Therefore, one could construct an essay based upon any of the following suggestions for themes regarding Macbeth's change in character.

1. While Macbeth, at first, wished to allow "chance" to crown him, his growing ambition fueled his desire for power.

2. Macbeth's desire to fill the robes which hung loose about him forced him to find ones which he found to be a better fit. Given that he could not rest until his robes fit, Macbeth was forced to change.

How does the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth evolve throughout Macbeth?

In Acts I and II of Macbeth, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are integrated (share the same views) in their desire for power.  Their marriage seems to be a practical means to a political end.  Neither have married, it seems, for love or children.  Rather, they seem intent are being collaborative power brokers, using the semblance of marriage for show.

Lady Macbeth knows that women have no independent power in Medieval Scotland; instead, women must live vicariously through their husbands.  Therefore, she resorts to motivating Macbeth by any means necessary: she de-genders herself privately and calls out his manhood publicly.  Then, she devises the plan to murder the king.  Taken together, she becomes a persuasive accomplice, a validation of Macbeth's own secret desire, a Freudian id who sways him from away from the guilt of superego.  Lady Macbeth, however, cannot cross-over into the violent world of men; she cannot stab Duncan herself, which shows that she needs Macbeth more than he needs her.

In Act III, after Macbeth has become King, the relationship changes from integrated to more segregated.  There is a division of labor in the marriage.  Her front-end work done, Lady Macbeth dissolves into the background and into mental illness.  Macbeth does not consult her in the murder of Banquo; rather, he wants to surprise her with his own plan and execution.  Macbeth goes on more killing sprees ("blood will have blood"), while Lady Macbeth cannot reconcile her guilt over the murder of Duncan, perhaps because he looks too much like her father.

While Macbeth continues to let his id run amok in Acts IV and V, Lady Macbeth becomes a sleepwalking superego, confessing her sins to her chamber-maid nightly.  In the end, the blood and guilt are too much, and she uses suicide as the ultimate cleansing agent.  Macbeth, though, is determined to fight to the death.  Herein lies a major gender difference.  Having been deceived by the riddles and plans of women, Macbeth resorts to what men do best: combat.  His unremorseless soliloquy and show of violent defiance are but his final assertions of unadulterated manhood: he is no longer married to woman, God, or country; instead, he is a free agent thane hell-bent on nihilism.

Please help with an introductory paragraph which includes a thesis about changing character in Macbeth.

In Macbeth, it is Macbeth himself who points out in Act I, scene iii, line 141, that "Nothing is but what is not." He is highlighting his own confusion and the fact that, having been told by the witches that he will, first of all, be Thane of Cawdor and, secondly, king, before even Duncan's men have a chance to share the news of his new title as Thane of Cawdor, the only possible reality for him at that moment is what is not real. He therefore becomes obsessed with the need to be king and soon forgets that perhaps he can become king "without my stir" (143), meaning without any scheming and dishonesty. When this is considered with the likelihood that "Fair is foul and foul is fair," from Act I.i.10, the audience must prepare itself for many changes. 

Presumably, this essay will cover changes in various characters and the extent to which those changes contribute to the plot and development of the story. The introductory paragraph needs to attract the reader's attention and make him or her sufficiently interested to read on and actually become involved, in this instance, with the characters. The thesis statement, which will appear in the introductory paragraph, basically states the writer's purpose and so must be general enough to outline the essay. Finally, the introductory paragraph must make the transition to the first body paragraph smoothly by including a "hook" which ensures that the essay flows. A possibility to consider is:

William Shakespeare's Macbeth is full of intrigue and deceit. It is the characters who drive the plot forward as they manipulate and shape circumstances to fit their own agendas: (Thesis). The witches will transform from spell-making sisters, strange and cunning, into the source of Macbeth's confusion. They will become for him the driving force behind his own transformation from noble and decorated soldier to murderous villain. Add to this Lady Macbeth's contribution to Macbeth's obsession and her own altered identity as she changes from a woman unnerved by her own "direst cruelty" (I.v.40) into a delusional and guilt-ridden person, obsessed only with the "damned spot" (V.i.33) which plagues her conscience. It is the changes in these characters which bring about the devastating end to the play: (hook).

You can then proceed, in the body paragraphs, to elaborate on the characters, their specific changes and their influences on the outcome of Macbeth.