Recently, students completed essays on Lady Macbeth. As part of the feedback process as well as looking at the criteria and examining our own essays using the following criteria, we looked at the simple and more complex answers to examine how to improve.
Copies of the essays below are downloadable above.
How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth in Macbeth?
(Extract Act 5)
Shakespeare, in the tragic play, Macbeth presents Lady Macbeth as unstable. First, she is power hungry; then, she loses some of her power over Macbeth; finally, she goes mad with guilt.
Early in the play, Lady Macbeth learns that the witches have predicted Macbeth will be King. Immediately she is excited about this and says ‘unsex me here’ implying with the metaphor that she wants to become a man herself in order to kill King Duncan and have the power. Also, she asks her husband Macbeth to ‘look like the innocent flower but be the serpent underneath’ suggesting she thinks he is too kind to kill King Duncan and needs to be persuaded to be deceitful because she thinks he is a bit weaker. Killing a King is treason, so both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth should not be thinking about this.
After the death of King Duncan, Macbeth starts to shut Lady Macbeth out meaning she is losing power and control over his actions. Although Macbeth listened to her at the start of the play and trusted her, by the middle he tells her to be ‘innocent’ of the knowledge of what he is going to do to Banquo. This makes her seem like she can’t be trusted as Macbeth is not telling her his plans anymore.
By the end of the play, Lady Macbeth has gone mad and in the extract she is behaving very strangely. She calls out ‘Out damned spot, out I say’ which shows that she thinks she has something on her hands, even though there is nothing there. It is clear that it is her guilty conscience for being part of the death of King Duncan. She also says ‘The Thane of Fife had a wife, Where is she now?’ indicating that she has lost herself and doesn’t recognise what she has become. She is mad with guilt and knows that she was wrong to support the treason.
Lady Macbeth was once strong and powerful, then starts to be ignored, until finally she is mad and crazy in her behaviour. Perhaps, Shakespeare is commenting on what will happen to you if you kill a King and go against the Divine Rights of Kings as you will go mad by doing this.
Higher Essay
Shakespeare, in the tragic play, Macbeth presents Lady Macbeth as unstable. First, in Act 1 she appears to desire power above all else; then, she loses her power over Macbeth as he descends in madness in Act 2 and 3; finally, she goes mad with guilt before dying in Act 5.
Early in the play, in Act 1 Lady Macbeth learns that the witches have predicted Macbeth will be King when he sends a letter to inform her. Immediately she is excited about this and uses the metaphor ‘unsex me here’ implying that she wants to become a man in order to kill King Duncan and have the power. Also, she uses the deceptive simile towards her husband Macbeth ‘look like the innocent flower but be the serpent underneath’ suggesting she thinks he is too kind to kill King Duncan and needs to be persuaded to be deceitful because she thinks he is weak and unlikely to be able to follow through with his treasonous intent. Shakespeare could be flattering King James as he is showing that Lady Macbeth and Macbeth later in the play will be avenged for the death of King Duncan. Killing a King is treason, so both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth should not be considering this course of action. King James was famously paranoid and worried about being usurped and Shakespeare feeds into his suspicions through the presentation of women and Witches in the play. Further evidence that Lady Macbeth will do anything for power is her desire to cover up the murder. She uses the imperatives: ‘Infirm of purpose. Give me those daggers’ ‘A little water clears us of this deed’ with the ironic reflection that she can clean her hands and Macbeth’s easily, but she is unaware that it is her conscience that is in jeopardy.
After the death of King Duncan, Macbeth starts to shut Lady Macbeth out meaning she is losing power and control over his actions. Although Macbeth listened to her at the start of the play and trusted her, by Act 3 he tells her to be ‘innocent’ of the knowledge of what he is going to do to Banquo. This makes her seem like she can’t be trusted as Macbeth is not telling her his plans anymore. Lady Macbeth asks Macbeth ‘What’s to be done?’ with the question warranting a response as she is clearly worried about what the next course of action is. However, Macbeth replies with ‘Be innocent of the knowledge,’ which mirrors her earlier comment to him about ‘innocent flowers’. She is now completely innocent of any knowledge as Macbeth won’t tell her, meaning that she is in the dark and uncertain about what he is planning. This loss of power may make her fear the worst as she is unable to manipulate and control Macbeth now, as without knowledge she lacks power. At this point in the play, Lady Macbeth has no choice but to follow patriarchal rule as she cannot go against her husband’s wishes and desires.
By the end of the play in Act 5, Lady Macbeth has gone mad and in the extract she is behaving very strangely. She calls repeatedly ‘Out damned spot, out I say’ which shows that she thinks she has something on her hands, even though there is nothing there and it seems clear that it is her guilty conscience for being part of the death of King Duncan. Here she is a pitiful figure, who lacks any power or control and has clearly lost her mind. This mirrors Macbeth’s state of mind earlier in the play and although she was the strong, determined, power hungry one at the start, now she is the complete opposite and is riddled with guilt. The reference to ‘Hell is murky’ shows that she is aware that she is going somewhere where the rules are confused and not clear cut. It is almost as if she is admitting to herself that she belongs in hell for her actions on earth. Shakespeare could be highlighting the common belief that if you are not an honest and Christian, god fearing and god loving person then you will go to hell. She also uses rhyme and asks herself questions ‘The Thane of Fife had a wife, Where is she now?’ indicating that she has lost herself and doesn’t recognise what she has become. She is mad with guilt and knows that she was wrong to support the treason, despite it being what she initially thought she wanted.
Lady Macbeth was once strong and powerful, then starts to be ignored, until finally she is mad and crazy in her behaviour. Perhaps, Shakespeare is commenting on what will happen to you if you kill a King and go against the Divine Rights of Kings as you will go mad by doing this.
susansenglish 