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Transformation Of Lady Macbeth

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Transformation Of Lady Macbeth
Over the course of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, the titular Macbeth transforms from a man of nobility and intrepidity to one of ruthlessness and vice. However, being the protagonist of a tragedy, he falls prey to having a fatal flaw which is thoroughly exploited. Lady Macbeth takes advantage of gender-based conventions to influence and manipulate her spouse.
Before Macbeth's downfall arises, Lady Macbeth thinks of Macbeth as being too moral to commit any heinous offenses; moreover, when she first receives his letter describing the witches' prophecy, she claims that "[Macbeth] is too full o' th' milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way" (1.5.4). In stating this, Lady Macbeth is noting her husband's kindness: she is, quite literally, calling …show more content…
Macbeth's weakness, which is easily discovered by her, is his excessive pride, as it makes him an extremely viable target for manipulation. She is the one who truly brings the idea of murdering King Duncan to fruition, but she does not want to do the action herself because he resembles her father. Thus, while trying to convince Macbeth to murder him, she decides to subtly taunt him over his lack of stereotypical manly traits. In doing this, she states that he would be "so much more the man" if he were to murder the King and take the throne for himself. Furthermore, when Macbeth feels guilty for following through by murdering both the King and Banquo, Lady Macbeth calls him "infirm of purpose"(2.2.56) and even tells him that she would feel "shame to wear a heart so white"(2.2.68). Both of …show more content…
Lady Macbeth's influence on Macbeth is a part of what leads to his rise to power, the maintaining of his tyrannical rule, and his sudden downfall, leaving him to his tragic
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