Term Papers on Lady Macbeth

Term Paper Title	Lady Macbeth
# of Words	1272
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	5.09

Lady Macbeth

     In the theatre community, the role of Lady Macbeth in William Shakespear's
Macbeth has always been one which is highly sought after by stage actresses. Perhaps
this is because of the dominance she wields over her husband which was quite
uncommon for a woman of Shakespear's time. Maybe it is because of the challenge
which the progression from a strong ambitious wife to a suicidal and miserable one
poses. Or, even yet, it might be because of the prestige that comes with playing a role
which is arguably the best role, created by the best playwright of all time. Whatever the
reason for this is, one thing is for sure: Lady Macbeth's ambition and need for control is
essential to the plot,  the theme, and the mood of this play.

     In the first act of Macbeth, the reader is introduced to Lady Macbeth as she reads
a letter from her husband, which discusses the idea that he is to be king of all of
Scotland. Immediately we see her ambitiousness begin to show through. The first thought
that comes to her mind are thoughts about what she can do to help her husband to
become king. Instead of waiting for the Macbeth's destiny as told to him by the witches to
be fulfilled, she decides to speed the process along with a plot to murder the present king,
Duncan.  She is so blinded by thoughts that she may be the wife of the queen of Scotland
that she never really takes the time to look for alternative methods to go about
accomplishing this. It seems to her that the only way to make this prophecy reality, is to
plot to murder the present king. One of the first things she says to her husband when he
arrives home is, "O, never/Shall sun that morrow see!" (283) referring to murdering
Duncan. She immediately tries to persuade her husband to carry out this deed while the
king is a guest in their home. Her spontaneity in making this decision reveals another of
her traits, impatience.  Lady Macbeth's ambition is so strong that she is willing to commit
herself to the first plan of action that passes through her head, even if it means murdering
the highest ranking man in the land.  She is so overtaken with the idea of her husband
being king, that she neglects to ponder what consequences her actions may have on her
and her husband. Macbeth's wife is not  bothered by the idea of killing a completely
innocent man, much less letting two guards take the blame for it. Her intense ambition
and vision of what might be forces her to put whatever values, morals, and good
judgement she may have in the back of her mind.

     To form the future the way she wants it, Lady Macbeth uses everything she can to
achieve this. One of these tools is her strength as a dominant person. The first time she
mentions the plot to her husband, the reader can sense the control she has over him. She
tells him what he is going to do, how it is to be done, and all of the other details essential
to the horrible plan. She never gives him an opportunity to back down, and when he tries,
she is clever enough to know just what to say to regain her control of him. She insults her
husband's manhood and makes him feel that if he doesn't carry out her plot of murder, he
is a coward with taunts such as : " Art thou afraid/To be the same in thine own act and
valor/As thou art in desire?" (286)  The dominance, ambition, and persistence of this one
woman, is enough to make even the bravest, most heroic warrior in all of Scotland fall to
his knees, and go along with her. Had Lady Macbeth not been such a dominant person,
Macbeth would probably never carried out the plot that leads to the downfall of him and
his wife in the first place.

     As the play progresses, the reader i...

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