My main hobby is dancing which I have done since I was three. I also have performed many times on st...
My main hobby is dancing which I have done since I was three. I also have performed many times on stage because of this. I am still at school in my last year and hope to do Engineering at Aberdeen University next year.
Member since:27.10.2004
Reviews:25
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Macbeth by William Shakespeare is one of my fav plays by Shakespeare. The characters and language are brilliant and although at times the play s difficult to read it is actually one of Sahkespeare's easiest plays. And much easier compared to King Lear or Julius Cesar etc.
The story is based around the Scottish monarchy when King Duncan was in power. Macbeth then kills Duncan to gain the throne. It is a story based on power and is gripping throughout. However, i think that the main character was really lady macbeth.
Lady Macbeth is often described as the most evil woman in literature. Throughout the play, I found it easyt o dismiss this fiend-like queen. My interpretation and understanding of her character is that there is more to Lady Macbeth than pure wickedness.
In her first scene, Shakespeare uses phrases to conjure up images of spirits. He adds to her evil characterisation with careful word choice used in association with her ‘chastise with the valour of my tongue’. Lady Macbeth also mentions the raven, a bird of ill omen. In Act two Scene two, a shrieking owl, also a bird often-symbolising evil and ill omen, interrupts one of her first soliloquies
It is during Act One, Scene seven, that
it becomes easier to simply classify Lady Macbeth as evil. She is trying to encourage Macbeth to kill Duncan, taunting him and mocking him to do so. She tells him not to ‘live like a coward’ and teases his manhood. The Macbeth's are still portrayed as having a close relationship and by the scene’s end are devising the murder together. I believe that Lady Macbeth’s main ambition is for her husband. In her first appearance, she shows her strength and determination for Macbeth by saying:
‘Glamis though art and Cawdor; and shalt be What art though promised…’
She is aware that the only way to drive him forward is in bullying him and pulling him down. The idea in her mind is of what Macbeth could be - a great king and does not want him to be unfulfilled, bitter and twisted simply because he did not have the nerve to fulfil his ambition. Lady Macbeth’s great attribute is her love and devotion for her husband. Her relationship with him is strong. She knows how his mind works and so encourages his ambition. Throughout the play she is a loving and affectionate wife, a fact often forgotten when studying her character.
One of the most important quotes from this scene, I feel is: ‘… I have given suck and know How tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me’ Not only do her words emphasise that she would give up everything for Macbeth, but unveils that the Macbeths’ had lost a child. Losing a baby would have caused much trauma and distress. She has great grievance. Killing Duncan may be a way of getting revenge on the world. By becoming king and queen, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth would once again share something, filling the space created by their baby’s death. This fact only fuels her ambition.
Lady Macbeth’s portrayal is of a very powerful woman until the end of the play. It could be argued that her character is more powerful than her husband’s. She always encourages Macbeth to ‘consider it not so deeply’ and to keep strong. But how powerful was she? Or did Shakespeare hide her true character, to add more mystery? I think this is a more likely case. Lady Macbeth’s power and strength makes her out to be a viscous woman, however, when ‘Noughts had, all’s spent’ her powers begin to relax and sink. Her distress in her final scene caused me to feel sympathetic, her mask of power gone, and no longer the harsh, wicked woman. One recurring image that Shakespeare uses throughout the play is the image of things happening in darkness and people masking their thoughts. The interest in Lady Macbeth’s character is partly because she never reveals herself fully, always keeping the face of a strong and stable character. Along with ambition, this falseness she puts on, plays a large part in her downfall. Because of it she fails to realise, or simply dismisses, the consequences that may arise from their actions. There are few times where Lady Macbeth shows her power is an act but, when she does, it portrays a more feminine and caring character. On the night of the murder, affectionate memories of her dead father, make her pause in the midst of crime. She is forced to call spirits to ‘unsex me’ before thinking of murder. If one accepts the genuineness of her fainting spell it could be classed as a feminine act.
Act five, Scene one is the last time in the play that Lady Macbeth appears. She has reached breaking point, seen sleepwalking and deeply regretting her crime. I felt this scene was significant as for the first time I trully felt sorry for Lady Macbeth. The contrast between her strong minded and powerful character, and the unstableness and suffering that she goes through now is immense. You almost cannot help feeling sympathy towards her. I believed this was when she revealed her many good qualities and was not just an evil woman. Would a purely malicious person become that affected by their crime?
Lady Macbeth had many weak points, which came across as evilness, but also possessed many strengths. She was strong minded and clever. Her motive for crime was her unselfish love for Macbeth, whom she wanted to be king, his highest ambition. I feel that there is more to Lady Macbeth than a nasty person, and that when studying her character we should concentrate more on her character’s qualities and the reasons behind her actions.
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Nov 15th, 2004
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