Abstract
This essay discusses how the characterizations of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are enhanced by contrast in the scenes that precede and follow the murder of Duncan in Act 11. Macbeth undergoes a frightening change in his fortune -- a change for which he himself bears at least a partial responsibility. Lady Macbeth is directly involved in this transition.

Tags:macbeth, lady, macbeth

Abstract
The paper discusses Lady Macbeth as a dominant, confident and strong-willed woman who manipulates her husband with no regret. The paper shows how her character drives the play, and points out that her demise at the end of the play is cathartic to the play and to the audience.

From the Paper
"Shakespeare reveals the importance of Lady Macbeth's character early in the play. We know what kind of person she is by her reaction to his letter. Her position in the play makes her character much stronger than his and it is their love that allows her to have such control over him. He does not suspect that she would convince him to do something wrong or evil. She is all too aware of his nature and admits that she fears that it might be "too full o' the milk of human kindness" (I.iv.18). She knows that her husband is ambitious but he does not have "The illness should attend it" (I.iv.21). Here we see that lady Macbeth is very aware of her husband's personality. She knows that he is prone to do the right thing and might just need a little push from him in order to attain the throne. In fact, we might wonder if Macbeth would ever have thought of murder on his own."

Tags:Macbeth, manipulation, ambition, dominance, murder

Abstract
In this aticle, the writer points out that in 'The Tragedy of Macbeth', even a modern-day audience is struck by the manipulative efforts of Lady Macbeth, whose scheming appears to drive her husband to commit horrible acts, including murder. The writer discusses that Lady Macbeth's apparent guilt by the end of the play makes some people question how much responsibility Lady Macbeth has for her husband's actions, because she shows more remorse than he does. Rather than suggesting that she is not responsible for her husband's actions, Lady Macbeth's guilty conscience actually helps demonstrate that she was as responsible for Duncan's murder as her husband. The writer concludes that although Lady Macbeth is not physically responsible for Duncan's murder, her actions make it clear that she is morally responsible for his murder, and would even be considered a co-conspirator under today's modern criminal law.

From the Paper
"Of course, if Lady Macbeth had kept her plotting secret, never involving her husband in her plans, then Duncan would not have died. Lady Macbeth did not have the resources to commit the murder herself. It is unclear whether this is due to her lack of physical strength, or to the fact that she knew she would feel remorseful about the act, and maybe felt that indirect involvement would insulate her from her feelings of guilt. Whatever her motivation, it is clear that Lady Macbeth does not feel that she can kill Duncan on her own. Therefore, she begins to coach her husband, persuading him that he must kill Duncan in order to take his place as the king. As soon as Macbeth returns home and tells Lady Macbeth that Duncan is coming, she begins plotting Duncan's death. Macbeth tells his wife that Duncan is coming to spend a night, and then leaving in the morning."

Tags:conscience, power, husband, remorse

Abstract
The paper demonstrates how in Lady Macbeth, as depicted in the play "Macbeth", Shakespeare created one of the most ambitious women in all of English literature who also exhibits almost superhuman strength. The paper discusses how the character of Lady Macbeth was based upon the actual Queen Gruoch of Scotland, and explains that Lady Macbeth's basic role in the play is to end her husband's moral dilemma relating to the assassination of King Duncan, the current ruler. The paper also notes that in the character of Cordelia in "King Lear", the image projected of women appears to be the direct opposite of Lady Macbeth; however, Cordelia displays similar strength in terms of her integrity and ethical convictions.

Tags:women, shakespeare, feminism

Abstract
A paper which focuses on the psychological aspects of dreams and psychoanalysis in order to make sense of Lady Macbeth's actions. The author of this paper examines how Lady Macbeth turns from a single-minded, ambitious, unforgiving murderer to a guilty, sleepwalking, absent-minded mess. The author delves into instances from the text that suggest what Lady Macbeth was going through at the time and shows how, psychologically, Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalysis would be suited best to find the reasoning behind Lady Macbeth's metamorphosis.

From the Paper
"In order to make any headway into this subject, an overview of Freud's psychoanalytical theory is needed. Psychoanalysis is a theory that derives on the idea that the unconscious mind is driven by the sexual urges and primal instinct of man (Quigley 2). One of the most significant points in this theory is the idea that our inborn desires are governed by three separate entities designated as the Id, the Ego, and the Superego (Quigley 3). The Id is the part of the unconscious mind that contains the sexual, instinctive urges of man (Quigley 3). The Superego is the unconscious purveyor of the internalized rules of society; better known as the cautious part of the mind (Quigley 3). The Ego, on the other hand, is the medium between the Id and the Superego; the Ego takes the primal urge under advisement, brings the Superego into the equation, and comes to an eventual compromise between the two (Quigley 3)."

Tags:imagery, King, Duncan, sanity, hand, washing

Abstract
This paper explains that Lady Macbeth is essential to William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" because, by using manipulations and love, she pushes Macbeth to commit his crimes. Next, the author analyzes the play to reveal Lady Macbeth's plan to reach the throne. The paper concludes that, even though there is no doubt that Macbeth is the villain in this play, Lady Macbeth is just as responsible for the murders because of her influence over her husband.

From the Paper
"This is a clear example of how she will do whatever she needs to do to reach the throne even if it means belittling her husband. She knows that he wants to be perceived as a strong man rather than a weakling that is afraid of anything. Later in the play she tells him, "But screw your courage to the sticking-place/And we'll not fail" (I.vii.64-5). Here she attempts to convince him that the two of them are in this together, even though he will be the one responsible for the actual killing. This allows us to see how she is convincing him to act because he will be doing it for the two of them and they will enjoy the fruits of the kingdom together."

Tags:stronger, evil, letter, throne, murder

Abstract
This paper examines how Lady Macbeth and the witches play a vital role in pushing Macbeth to choose the evil path to the crown in William Shakespeare's "Macbeth". It looks at how Lady Macbeth plays the masculine role during the opening scenes of the play and forces her ambitious ways upon Macbeth and how, throughout the play, her famous speeches and soliloquies show the extent of her influence on Macbeth. It also explores how the witches use Macbeth's character flaw to their advantage and entice Macbeth to act on his ambition of obtaining the crown.

From the Paper
"Lady Macbeth is part of the instigation behind the unleashing of Macbeth's evil side. Lady Macbeth's words to her husband as well as her many influential soliloquies show her longing for power and therefore she urges Macbeth to murder Duncan. Macbeth and his wife have a very strong relationship in which they greatly influence one another's actions. In the first two acts it becomes apparent that Lady Macbeth's words mean a great deal to her husband, which gives the impression that she is the dominant figure in the relationship. In Act 1, Scene 5 we find out that as soon as she receives her husband's letter she instantly begins to plot and scheme. We immediately become aware of the fact that she wants Macbeth to become king, so she can become the Queen of Scotland."

Tags:evil, duncan, murder

Abstract
The paper analyzes William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" and attempts to show how the character of Macbeth would have never been able to become the murderous man he became if it were not for Lady Macbeth's prodding. The paper describes how Lady Macbeth provided strength and urgency when necessary, and directed his actions through careful and calculated manipulation.

From the Paper
"William Shakespeare's play, Macbeth, illustrates how we all need somebody to help us along the way to becoming who we are. Macbeth was no doubt a successful man but he would never have become the man he did without Lady Macbeth. Whether or not he ever knew it, Macbeth needed Lady Macbeth to accomplish the things he did. She supported him and his ideas, provided strength and urgency when necessary, and essentially made him the man he became through careful and calculated manipulation. Lady Macbeth was the spine Macbeth needed in times of weakness and his love proved to be a blind spot where his wife was concerned."

Tags:manipulation, power

Abstract
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."

Tags:Duncan, murder, manipulation

Abstract
This paper, exploring Lady Macbeth's words and actions, proves that she was a woman driven by ambition and power, thus rejecting the notion that she suffered from hysteria.The author points out that only when she did not completely consider the consequences, did she begin to fall apart. The paper concludes that ambition is not a neurosis, but as Shakespeare teaches, it can be deadly; Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are unable to cope with what they did.

From the Paper
"Our first bit of proof that Lady Macbeth is not hysterical but in her right mind occurs in her effectiveness in manipulating her husband. She doubts his manhood when he does not appear to be eager to commit murder. For instance, she tells him:
From this time,
Such I account try love. Art thou afeard
To be the same in thine own act and valor
As thou art in desire? (I.vii.38-41)
This statement reveals how tricky she can be. Her incredible commitment to carry through with the murder of the king is amazing beyond belief and her trickery is proof that she operating under her own conscious."

Tags:ambition, hysteria, consequences, neurosis, manipulation