Lady Macbeth's Evolution and Themes

This page delves deeper into Lady Macbeth's character development and the key themes associated with her role in the play. It explores how her actions and words contribute to the overall narrative and thematic structure of Macbeth.

Character Development

Lady Macbeth's character undergoes significant changes throughout the play:

• Initially portrayed as more ruthless than Macbeth
• Becomes the driving force in their relationship, fueling Macbeth's ambition
• Later experiences guilt and mental decline, leading to her tragic end

Highlight: The dismissal of Macbeth's visions by Lady Macbeth is ironic, as her own visions eventually lead to her suicide, showcasing the psychological toll of their actions.

Key Themes

Gender Roles and Expectations

Lady Macbeth's character is central to the play's exploration of gender roles:

• She challenges the societal expectations of women in her time
• Calls upon supernatural forces to "unsex" herself, rejecting traditional femininity
• Uses her femininity strategically, such as pretending to faint to deflect suspicion

Quote: "I have given suck, and know how tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this."

This graphic imagery of infanticide associated with witches demonstrates Lady Macbeth's willingness to sacrifice her femininity and maternal instincts for power.

Appearance vs. Reality

The theme of deception and the contrast between appearance and reality is prominent in Lady Macbeth's actions:

• She advises Macbeth to "look like th'innocent flower, but be the serpent under't"
• Her ability to switch between ruthless ambition and a facade of innocence highlights this theme

Example: Lady Macbeth's use of her femininity to appear weak and innocent after Duncan's murder illustrates the play's focus on deception and appearances.

The Supernatural

Lady Macbeth's invocation of supernatural forces plays a crucial role in the play:

• She calls upon spirits to remove her femininity and fill her with cruelty
• This use of the supernatural would have been particularly shocking to Shakespeare's contemporary audience

Vocabulary: Regicide - The act of killing a king, which Lady Macbeth believes only a man can commit, highlighting her complex relationship with gender and power.

Language and Structure

Shakespeare's use of language in Lady Macbeth's speeches is significant:

• She speaks in prose when reading Macbeth's letter and during her sleepwalking scene
• The lack of blank verse in these instances reflects her mental disorientation

Definition: Blank verse - Unrhymed iambic pentameter, the standard form of verse in Shakespeare's plays. Its absence in key Lady Macbeth scenes emphasizes her mental state.

This page provides a deeper analysis of Lady Macbeth's character across the play, examining her evolution, the themes she embodies, and Shakespeare's linguistic choices in portraying her complex personality.