Lady Macbeth: The Driving Force Behind Murder
Lady Macbeth absolutely dominates the early scenes of the play, proving she's the real mastermind behind Duncan's murder. When she tells Macbeth to "look like th' innocent flower, but be the serpent under't", she's basically giving him a masterclass in deception - appear harmless whilst plotting murder.
Her most chilling moment comes when she calls on dark spirits to "unsex me here" and replace her milk with gall. This shows how she believes she needs to abandon her femininity to commit evil acts. In Jacobean times, this would have been absolutely shocking to audiences who expected women to be gentle and submissive.
The "serpent" imagery connects her to biblical evil - just like Satan tempted Eve, Lady Macbeth tempts her husband to commit regicide against God's chosen king. She manipulates Macbeth by questioning his masculinity, calling him "too full o' th' milk of human kindness" as if compassion is a weakness.
Key Point: Lady Macbeth's descent from controlling manipulator to guilt-ridden madwoman shows how evil actions ultimately destroy the person committing them.
