Lynn Fischer
English 1B
December 2014 Lady Macbeth

In this essay I am going to discuss the role of Lady Macbeth. First I will be giving a quick summary of Macbeth, discuss the main themes and issues, analyze the text, analyze the character of Lady Macbeth, write about the strengths and weaknesses of Lady Macbeth, I am going to debate if Lady Macbeth is evil or good, talk about the reason why Shakespeare created the character Lady Macbeth.
William Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606. Macbeth is about a brave man who has prophecies from the witches, which deliver his fate. The witches predict that he will become the king “all hail, Macbeth, thou shalt be king hereafter“(act 1, scene 3). Macbeth decides to make it happen. He then kills King Duncan and then his friend Banquo since the witches told him that his children were going to become kings. Lady Macbeth makes sure these prophecies come true. They both become evil. Lady Macbeth goes crazy and commits suicide. At the end of the play king Duncan’s son brings an army from England to dethrone him. In the battle they win and `Macbeth is killed. The tragedy ends.
The theme of power is one of the stronger themes in the play. Macbeth and lady Macbeth are seeking for power all the time. There is the theme of power when they kill the king to gain power and there is also power between relationships. The theme guilt is shown when Lady Macbeth devised a plan to kill the king in his sleep so her husband, Macbeth, could gain the title as king. But after he murder she felt very guilty. The theme ambition is one of the stronger themes because Macbeth is ambitious to fulfill the predictions of the witches and become king. Macbeth is also ambitious to prevent McDuffie killing him.
Lady Macbeth is Macbeth’s wife and towards the end of the play she is a queen. In the play she acts out a major character. She is a major character because of what she does and how she does it to achieve it. Lady Macbeth believes in herself and her power so she goes into action to convince her husband to do bad things. Lady Macbeth is an interesting character because she is used as a driving force. She makes sure that the witches’ prophecies come true. She challenges Macbeth and makes him kill the king which makes her feel guilty afterwards. At the time of Shakespeare women were not equal to men and had no power and importance. Lady Macbeth’s role is quiet unusual for a women because at that time women desperately struggled because men belittled them.
Lady Macbeth has many strengths and weaknesses. Strength’s of Lady Macbeth are that she is a catalyst, idealistic and finally a quick thinker. Lady Macbeth is a catalyst who wants to help realise the ambitions of those she loves. “Hie thee hither, that I may pour my spirits in this ear and chastise with the valour of my tongue all that impedes there from the golden round” (act 1, scene 5). This means that she will do everything to help him get to a better state. This is a strength because with the help of her pushing Macbeth to get to his ambition she will succeed. Success would gain importance in Lady Macbeth’s role.

Moreover lady Macbeth is idealistic because she is a person who cherishes, pursues high and noble principles, purposes and goals. It’s a strength because she stands up for what she believes in. In the past women couldn’t make their own decisions and couldn’t show their beliefs. This characteristic strengthens her role.
Weaknesses of Lady Macbeth is being obsessive, Not morally upright and finally Over-confident. You can see that Lady Macbeth is obsessive because she is obsessed with the idea of the murder that she asks for spirits to "unsex" her and fill her up with the "direst cruelty." This is a weakness because it is a compulsive preoccupation with a fixed idea and an unwanted feeling or emotion which is often accompanied by symptoms of anxiety. This is a bad effect on her role because she would destroy anything in her way in the cause of her