Explore the character of Lady Macbeth and her purpose in ‘Macbeth’.
Example paragraph:
The character of Lady Macbeth (Lady) is used as a tool for Macbeth’s demise.
Their relationship is instrumental in the downfall of Macbeth, with Lady holding
dominance over her husband. This relationship acts as subversive to the
social constructs of the time period, given the assumed natural roles for
women and men. Within the context of Shakespeare’s text, ‘Macbeth’, women
were considered to be less important than men and certainly not in charge of
their male counterpart. Shakespeare utilises the sexual innuendos in Lady’s
manipulation of Macbeth as part of this subversion. Her questioning of his
manhood in “and live a coward in thine own esteem,/ letting ‘I dare not’ wait
upon ‘I would’,/ like the poor cat i’the adage?” (1.7.43-45) furthers her
dominance over Macbeth in her dismissiveness of his masculinity. By calling
him a coward and a cat, alluding to his inability to follow through and act upon
his ambitions, Lady is both manipulative of her husband, contrasting the
strength of her character with the perceived weakness of Macbeth, as well as
humorous. This humour subsequently emphasises her character to the
audience, solidifying her as the dominant personality. As such, the intensity of
Lady’s character and its hold over Macbeth is effectively communicated
through her manipulation of him.