The Evil of Lady Macbeth

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes Lady Macbeth and discusses how we see her evil throughout the play. The paper shows how she manipulates her husband and how she decides to murder Duncan and then plans the murder. The paper discusses how she is not willing to commit murder herself so that she does not need to take any responsibility and also examines how she responds to the murder. The paper highlights how she is more evil than her husband; while Macbeth completes an evil action, Lady Macbeth shows that she is evil in her actions and in her character. The paper discusses how this evil stems from her lack of regard for other people and her focus on what she wants at the expense of others.

From the Paper:

"The first way that Lady Macbeth's evil is seen is in the way that she is willing to manipulate her husband. This occurs in Act 1, Scene 7, where she convinces Macbeth to commit the murder. At the start of the scene, Macbeth is applying reason to the situation and talking himself out of committing the murder. When Lady Macbeth enters he states his decision not to continue saying "We will proceed no further in this business" (I, vii). His reasons include that Duncan has been good to him. At this point, Macbeth seems like a good and reasonable man. Lady Macbeth then replies. Rather than acknowledge Macbeth's goodness, she chides him and calls him a coward."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Shakespeare, W. Macbeth. New York: Penguin, 1994.

More papers on The Evil of Lady Macbeth:

• Analytical Essay # 148175 : "Lady Macbeth: Woman with a Mission"
• Analytical Essay # 54190 : "Lady Macbeth and the Witches"
• Analytical Essay # 65803 : "Evil in the Plays of William Shakespeare"

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