Characteristics of Lady Macbeth Essay Example

The main feeling Lady Macbeth evokes in the reader is that she is in control. She is in control of Macbeth and she is in control of the plan to kill King Duncan. “…the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements”. The word ‘my’ really emphasizes that it is her house she is in control of the house. It also gives you some feeling of the power that Lady Macbeth possesses and what little influence Macbeth has on Lady Macbeth.

She is very ambitious to become queen, to the point where she convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan. “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be what thou art promised”. Lady Macbeth acknowledges the titles of Macbeth that he has and INSISTS with the phrase “shalt be” that he will become king as promised or prophesized by the witches. She is ambitious to become queen and wants Macbeth to kill King Duncan but fears that Macbeth is “too full o’ th’ milk of human kindness”. She feels that he is too kind by nature to perform a deed so evil. She feels that she has the evil inside of her to kill King Duncan but while he lay asleep he looked too much like her father, so she needed Macbeth to kill him for her.

Lady Macbeth also shows that she is ruthless. She will do anything to get what she wants. This is obvious from the fact that she and Macbeth committed regicide, which made them both lose their minds. Macbeth first then eventually her. Later, her ruthlessness becomes more apparent. She tells Macbeth that his good traits are bad. She says that he is too noble to kill the king. She questioned his manhood when he refused to kill the King. She eventually convinced him to kill the king costing Macbeth’s and her own sanity. The killing of King Duncan lead to a string of events including killing Banquo, which can all be traced back to one person: Lady