Lady Macbeth Essay Example For Students

Lady Macbeth Essay William Shakespeare is without a doubt the most popular playwright in the history of the theatre. Shakespeare wrote over thirty plays, and none more popular than Macbeth. Macbeth, a tragedy in five acts, is based on episodes in the life of a king of Scotland, who lived from 1005-1057. Both Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, have a driving ambition that turns each of them into a spiral of guilt and evil. No character in any of Shakespeares plays undergoes such a radical change as that which transforms Lady Macbeth from a nearly superhuman character in the first act of Macbeth into a sleep-walking zombie at the start of the fifth and final act in the play. When we first meet Lady Macbeth she is in the Inverness reading a letter from Macbeth (I. V). While reading the letter she finds that three witches have told Macbeth that he shall be the Thane of Cawdor but most importantly that he will be king. Upon hearing this news Lady Macbeth immediately begins to scheme and plot. Here are some specific exam questions but remember that you wont know the exact question until you open up the exam paper. You are being asked to respond to the statement discuss to what extent you agree and/or disagree with it. Dont Just bluntly begin by saying l agree 100% with this statement this is predictable and shows an inability to offer a nuanced analysis of the play/statement. You must support all points you make by quotation from and reference to the play. CHARACTERS: Ambition and self-interest are the qualities that destroy Macbeth Shakespeares Macbeth invites us to look into the world of a man driven on by ruthless ambition and tortured by regret Macbeths murder of Duncan has horrible consequences both for Macbeth himself and for Scotland central character The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth undergoes significant change during the course of the play The relationship between Macbeth and his wife is ultimately a destructive one Their partnership in guilt, which at the beginning of the play is a strong bond etween them, gradually drives Macbeth and his wife apart, until they go down to their seperate dooms, isolated and alone We feel little pity for the central characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeares play While there are some redeeming features in the character of Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is portrayed as a ruthless opportunist, whose ambition for her husband supercedes all moral considerations Lady Macbeth is r esponsible for the fall of her husband Lady Macbeth is no monster, she is a loyal though misguided wife, not