Lady Macbeth

In the first two acts of the play, Shakespeare portrays Lady Macbeth as a person without conscience. Upon learning from the messenger that King Duncan will be spending the evening in her castle, in act 1, scene 5, Lady Macbeth immediately says in a monologue that ¡§the raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under [her] battlements.¡¨ At this instant, it is clear that what Lady Macbeth has in mind is murder, for ¡§raven¡¨ symbolizes death. Shortly after, in the same monologue, Lady Macbeth becomes so obsessed with the idea of the murder that she asks for spirits to ¡§unsex¡¨ her and fill her up with the ¡§direst cruelty.¡¨ After Macbeth assassinates King Duncan and his chamberlains and Lady Macbeth ¡§gilds¡¨ the chamberlains with Duncan¡¦s blood, in act two, scene 3, Lady Macbeth seems unaffec

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¡¨ Clearly, Lady Macbeth begins to gain conscience because she has transformed from one who feels guilt-free, to on who feels guilt.

Evidently, Lady Macbeth regrets what she has done as she questions ¡§where is [Lady Macduff] now?¡¨ Moreover, her concern on how her hands ¡§will never be clean¡¨ contradicts with what she states earlier in the play: ¡§only a little water is needed to clear [them] from the deed.

Though Shakespeare illustrates Lady Macbeth to be one with no conscience through out the first two scenes of the play, at the same time, he also illustrates her to be one with conscience. In act two, scene 2, Lady Macbeth worries about Macbeth not being able to find the dagger, and states in a monologue that if ¡§King Duncan had not resembled [her] father¡¨ she would¡¦ve done the murder herself. ted by what she has done when she states to Macbeth that she is ¡§shamed¡¨ to wear her heart so ¡§white¡¨ like his; white representing innocence for Macbeth regrets what he has done . Where is she now? What,

will these hands ne¡¦er be clean? No more o¡¦ that, my lord,

no more o¡¦ that! You mar all with this starting. Consequently, any person who cannot distinguish the difference between right and wrong is without conscience; any person who regrets what one has done is with conscience, if not have fairness. ¡¨ Lady Macbeth¡¦s consciousness of the murder is further portrayed when she asks for heaven not to ¡§peek through¡¨ the dark so that nobody will know of the slaughter of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth¡¦s swift casualness about the murder of King Duncan is furthermore illustrated when she states to Macbeth how ¡§easy¡¨ it is to clear them from the deed by just only using ¡§a little water. Apart from asking for spirits to fill her up with cruelty in act 1,

scene 5, in the same monologue, Lady Macbeth asks for her blood to be thickened so that it will stop her from the access to ¡§remorse. ¡¨ In brief, Lady Macbeth is one without conscience as she cannot distinguish the difference between right versus wrong, but simply ponders about the murder of the majesty: King Duncan. Indeed, Lady Macbeth has ill- will in her as she worries for the murder, but similarly she has ¡§love¡¨ in her ¡V she loves her father. After Macbeth succeeds and becomes King of Scotland, Lady Macbeth sleep walks in act 5, scene 1; she rubs her hands continuously as she confesses her regret of the murders that has been committed:

The Thane of Fife had a wife. For Lady Macbeth knows that the murder of King Duncan is not a good deed, she therefore seeks for ways to prevent herself from remorse and let others know about the crime.

Common topics in this essay:
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Approximate Word count = 584
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

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