Shakespeare first introduces Lady Macbeth in Act 1 Scene 5, in which she is shown reading a letter from her husband – a letter which tells of the witches and their mysterious prophecies. Lady Macbeth is immediately filled with ambition for her husband and she is desperate to give him the “golden round” (crown) of Scotland. In order to achieve her aims, Lady Macbeth knows that she must act unconventionally, and so she appeals to the spirits to “fill” her with “direst cruelty” and to “unsex me here”. This request to become less feminine and more masculine suggests her desire to rid herself of the weakness and compassion associated with women, and instead to become powerful and remorseless.
There are many possible reasons for Lady Macbeth’s ruthless ambition and for her appeal to the spirits. It is possible that she herself is deeply ambitious and desires to be queen. However, Shakespeare continually draws our attention to the fact that whilst she wants Duncan to be murdered, this is so that Macbeth can be king. The motif of their childlessness is found throughout the play (elsewhere Macbeth laments his “fruitless crown”), and one explanation is that Lady Macbeth feels that she needs to compensate for being unable to have children – and that she does so by giving her husband his greatest desire.
Whatever the reason for her actions, Macbeth arrives shortly after his “dearest partner in greatness” reads the letter, and Lady Macbeth pushes him towards murder. In the following scene, Duncan arrives at the castle and is welcomed by Lady Macbeth. This scene is full of dramatic irony as Duncan lavishes praise on “our honoured hostess”, whilst she maintains a façade of honesty and loyalty. Shakespeare is clearly emphasising Lady Macbeth’s deceptive nature, whilst also highlighting how leaders should not be overly trusting and credulous.
As the time for the murder approaches, Macbeth equivocates, unsure as to whether to go through with the deed. Shakespeare therefore presents Lady Macbeth as the driving force behind the murder, as she tells her wavering husband to “screw your courage to the sticking-place / And we’ll not fail”. Her consistent use of imperative verbs in the first section of the paly indicates that she is in command, whilst the inclusive pronoun (“we”) indicates that her ambition is for both of them. Shakespeare contrasts this with Macbeth’s use of singular pronouns after the murder, when he starts to isolate himself from his wife.
Whilst in Act 1 Scene 5, it seems that Lady Macbeth is planning to commit the murder herself (“my keen knife”), when it comes down to it Duncan looks “too much like my father” and she leaves the deed to Macbeth. When the couple meet after the murder, Shakespeare juxtaposes their reactions, highlighting Macbeth’s immediate remorse and horror whilst his wife is cool and determined. Whereas Macbeth sees the blood on his hands as a symbol of unspeakable regicide, Lady Macbeth insists that “a little water clears us of this deed”. However, there is a hint of her guilt here: Shakespeare includes the euphemism “deed” to indicate that Lady Macbeth is unable to use the word “murder”, implying that she is putting on a façade of courage and is herself unable to come to terms with what they have done. Lady Macbeth stays focussed for long enough to return the daggers to the chamberlains and to cover them with blood, and to get her husband to bed before the body is discovered.
After this, Shakespeare diminishes Lady Macbeth’s role in the play as she appears less frequently and the seed of guilt which was sown in Act 2 Scene 2 grows. At the start of Act 3, Macbeth confesses to her that his mind is full of “scorpions”, and she acknowledges that “tis safter to be that which we destroy, / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy”. “That which we destroy” is Duncan, and “dwell in doubtful joy” means that they are living in uncertain happiness which could be lost at any time. Yet this is the last moment of intimacy between the couple, as Macbeth refuses to tell her about his plans to have Banquo murdered (he silences her questions with the patronising “be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck”).
Act 3 Scene 4 is the last time we see the couple together. This is the banquet scene in which Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost, and Lady Macbeth fails to calm her husband’s reaction. When we see Lady Macbeth next, it is at the start of Act 5 and she has descended into madness, sleepwalking and walking, and continually trying to wash blood from her hands. Whereas in Act 2 Scene 2, she insisted that “a little water” would clean Duncan’s blood away, she is now obsessed with the “smell” of the “damned spot” that marks her skin – a metaphorical representation of her deep-seated and inescapable guilt. In an echo of Macbeth’s earlier line about “Neptune’s Ocean”, she believes that “all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand”. It is notable that Shakespeare has shifted from blank verse to prose (from 10 syllables per line to an irregular rhythm), indicating Lady Macbeth’s loss of control.
Lady Macbeth’s death is elided (not included) on stage, but it is reported a few scenes later when Macbeth’s servant mentions it to the new king. Macbeth’s response is cold: “she should have died hereafter”. The powerful, determined, unconventional woman who gave everything for her husband is dismissed as an afterthought as he turns his mind to the coming battle. Whereas she is Macbeth’s “dearest partner in greatness” in Act 1, now Lady Macbeth is reduced to a nameless “she” who is quickly forgotten.
Amy Smith Literature 