Lady Macbeth's Dual Nature
Lady Macbeth's character is built on deception and manipulation, but not in the way you might think. She's actually playing two completely different roles depending on her audience, and understanding this is key to analysing her properly.
When she's alone or with Macbeth, she becomes the dominant force in their relationship. Her famous scene calling upon spirits to "unsex" her shows her trying to strip away feminine weakness and gain supernatural power. She manipulates Macbeth by attacking his masculinity and pushing him towards murder.
But here's the clever bit - when other people are around, she plays into the stereotypical weak woman role that society expects. This isn't character development; it's strategic performance. She faints dramatically to divert attention from Macbeth's suspicious behaviour, fitting perfectly into what a "typical" woman would do.
Key insight: Lady Macbeth doesn't change - she reveals different sides of herself depending on who's watching, suggesting her weakness was always lurking beneath the surface.