Siqueiros 1 Suhai Siqueiros Ms.

Gordon English IV, Block A 20 March 2014 Looking at the Madness of Lady Macbeth In The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth spurs her husband toward his own damnation, but the result leads her to killing herself because she has fallen into of sanity. The play is about Macbeth, a heroic warrior who is told by three witches that he will be king one day. His wife Lady Macbeth manipulates him to kill King Duncan. From that point begins the downfall of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has a huge impact on Macbeths decision. At first she is indifferent to the murder of King Duncan. She shows no remorse but, when Macbeth starts taking initiative and begins to murder more people, Lady Macbeth is slowly breaking, thus showing how weak she is. She starts to sleep walk, she has insomnia, and the guilt eats her alive. Lady Macbeth exists merely to be a focus for abuse because she loses her sanity, she does not understand the cause and effect of her actions on her husband, and she is dependent and nave. The Renaissance period began in 1485-1625 and it is also known as The Rebirth of Civilization (Gordon). The general attitude towards women in Renaissance times was that they were inferior to men. Generally, women were taught that they should be meek and obedient to their fathers and husbands. In the day-to-day reality of things, women had a lot of responsibility. Most worked and did not stay at home, contrary to some modern beliefs. Women had many domestic responsibilities, including caring for children, preparing food, and tending livestock (Aaron Nimocks). Although Lady Macbeth is indeed a woman, she had aspirations to be more

Siqueiros 2 like a man in the sense of self-empowerment and respect make me less like a woman and more like a man (Macbeth, Act 1). Lady Macbeth was not your average renaissance woman. She did the exact opposite of an ideal woman of her time period. She tried to over-power Macbeth, when it was not her place. Another way she tries to overstep Macbeth is when she starts attacking his manhood:
Was the hope drunk where in you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since?

And wakes it now, to look so green and pale at what it did so freely? From this time such I account thy love. Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that which thou esteemst the ornament of life, and live a coward in thine own esteem, Letting I dare not wait upon I would." (Macbeth, Act 1). She is basically calling him a coward and implying that he needed alcohol to act like a man. Women of her era were meant to be supportive, kind, loving and passive but she was not the ideal companion. Lady Macbeth attempted to be the dominant one in their relationship by manipulating Macbeth into performing her wishes. She was defiant against the ascribed role of the women of her era. All she wanted was power, status and authority. Attributes that were reserved for males in that era which virtually ran all aspects of society. Point proven by her lust for power and position exhibited by living vicariously through her husband (Shakespeare). Initially Macbeth was against her plotting to murder for the sake of gaining status and a higher level in the kingdoms hierarchy. However, through her insistence and maniputlation, Macbeth finally gave into her wishes with an abstracted sense of justification regarding her immoral wishes.

Siqueiros 3 Lady Macbeths psychological state is in the process of deteriorating. In Act V, scene I, The gentlewoman discusses Lady Macbeths strange behavior to the doctor then witness it: Since his majesty went into the field, I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her night-gown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon't, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast sleep. Lady Macbeth is weak enough to suffer the pangs of conscience, from another point of view it is only in sleepsleep which a murder murderedthat such profound moral realities can be faced directly (Harold Bloom). While sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth is reading the letter that she received from her husband in Act 1 disusing the witches prophecies. She also experiences imaginary blood on her hands. The blood symbolizes self-guilt related to the murders. Out, damned spot! out, I say! . . . Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him (Act V, scene I). The traditional example of obsessive compulsive disorders is Lady Macbeth, who obsessed about her guilt and repeatedly washed her hands and intoned, "Out, out damned spot" (Valente, Sharon M.). Lady Macbeth does not understand or was willing to comprehend the negative cause and effect of her insane actions on herself or her husband. It affects Macbeth on a psychological level. Before the murder he is very apprehensive. Even after the murder he feels no sense of accomplishment. Lady Macbeth has no idea how this would affect her husband in the future. The first crime is complete early in the second act, but the sinfulness of that one crime alone

Siqueiros 4 lingers as a momentous issue until the end of the play (Ken Colston). Macbeth is distant, meaning his true personality was forming. Not knowing what to do, Macbeth, driven by fear, alone plans the murder of Banquo. Macbeth no longer relies on Lady Macbeth to make the decisions for him, thus, their relationship grows apart. Macbeth's distance from his wife, to whom he seemed initially enthralled, became increasingly pronounced the more "stepped in blood" he became (Stevens, Andrea). Her character in the play ultimately contradicts her initial actions of gaining power and control of the kingdom without regard or remorse. Later in the play, she is tormented by guilt; her mind becomes "infected (Macbeth, Act 5). She imagines that she has blood on her hands which cannot be removed and consumed by her own ruthlessness, she descends into madness. Ironically, Lady Macbeth is humanized in her weakness, showing concern for her husband even in the midst of her own depravity. She repeatedly reassures the absent Macbeth that he has nothing to fear. She tells him Wash your hands, put on your nightgown; look not so pale.I tell you yet again, Banquo's buried; he cannot come out on's grave (Macbeth, Act 5). Cause and effect meaning noting a relationship between actions or events such that one or more are the result of the other or others. Lady Macbeth struggled with this concept. She fails to see the everlasting consequences of her actions. She believes that once Macbeth completes the murder of King Duncan, there will be a stronger connection in their relationship. However Macbeth begins to drift away and become the alpha figure making her vulnerable. Another example of how she does not understand cause and effect of her actions is the threat of eternal damnation. In Act 1, scene V, she calls on supernatural/evil spirits to remove all her feminine and soft characteristics. After she calls on the sprits, nature is in sync with humanity, and supernaturally reflects the unnatural behaviors of Lady Macbeth.

Siqueiros 5 Lady Macbeth shows signs of dependency exemplified through the reliance on her husband. Specifically she is unable to kill King Duncan mainly due to the resemblance to her father. I laid their daggers ready; He could not miss 'em. Had he not resembled my father as he slept, I had done't (Macbeth, Act 2). Another example of how weak and dependent Lady Macbeth is, is when she manipulates Macbeth by emotionally blackmailing him. Readers can infer that the Macbeths do not have children and by Lady Macbeth declaring that she would sacrifice a child shows how insane and immoral she is. Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to this (Macbeth, Act1). Another attribute associated with Lady Macbeths weaknesses is illustrated through her sense of naivete. For one instance, she believes that, after the murder of Duncan, washing her hands will purify her from her sins and make it seem like the water would wash away all of the memories, effects and consequences of her actions. Nevertheless, that is not the case since her actions are permanent. Then results in her suicide. To further prove her being nave is when she relies on the witches prophecies to determine her and her husbands life events. This is like utilizing and putting ones faith in a palm reader or psychic to predetermine ones future. One last way Lady Macbeth is nave is her twisted sense of reality. She is in denial. She believes that once Macbeth obtains kinship, everything will go back to normal but in reality she lives in fantasy world where there are no repercussions for breaking basic human morals. On the other hand some may argue that Lady Macbeth is strong because her ambition to be queen, how she uses manipulation in her favor and she rules the relationship. Once she learns about the witches prophecies, she makes it her objective to fulfill these. She sets her sights on becoming queen and ruler of Scotland and achieve those goals with a sense of mad abandoned.

Siqueiros 6 She also uses manipulation in her favor by making Macbeth preform the tasks that she is unwilling to carry out. She is the mastermind behind King Duncans murder and she is the one who encourages Macbeth to do so. By her being able to manipulate her husband means she is the dominant one in the relationship. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is weak compared to Lady Macbeth. Her mindset is similar to mans. Attempting to defend Lady Macbeths actions become nothing more than a weak and futile argument just like the woman she is. Instead of allowing her unhealthy ambition to run wild and dictate her flawed actions, she should accept that she is nothing more than lost, weak human-being. An example of her weakness is that she has a vivid image of what needs to be done but is not capable of personally performing any forbidden acts. Also, she relies on Macbeth to be her life support when he is actually absent from her life. Lady Macbeths character exists merely to be a focus for abuse because she loses her sanity, she does not understand cause and effect of her actions on her husband, and she is dependent and nave. She is responsible for Macbeths downfall and her own demise. She shows her weaknesses throughout the play. Lady Macbeth is nothing more than a femme fatal.

Siqueiros 7 Works Cited Carroll, Joyce Armstrong, Feldman, Kevin, Kinsella, Kate, Stump, Colleen Shea, and Wilson, Edward E. Prentice Hall Literature. Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: The BritishTradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005. Print Bloom, Harold, ed. William Shakespeare's Macbeth. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Questia School. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. Colston, Ken. "Macbeth and the Tragedy of Sin." Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture 13.4 (2010): 60+. Questia School. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. Coursen, H. R. Macbeth: A Guide to the Play. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1997. Questia School. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. Stevens, Andrea. "Macbeth." Shakespeare Bulletin 24.2 (2006): 103+. Questia School. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. ---. "Macbeth." Shakespeare Bulletin 24.2 (2006): 103+. Questia School. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.