Based on what you have read, what are your impressions of Lady Macbeth?
What is her relationship to Macbeth (aside from being his wife)? What can you tell about her characterization? Are there any connections you can make between her and conditions or people in our world?
(Due Monday, Dec. 1)
Lady Macbeth is a strong, ambitious woman who will do whatever it takes to ensure that her husband succeed. She actually wishes away her gender in hopes of being able to commit Duncan's murder herself. She is Macbeth's backbone, though they evenly lean on each other. She attempts to persuade Macbeth into murdering Duncan so he can secure his line to the thrown. Lady Macbeth reminds me of my grandma because my grandma is always willing to do whatever it takes to help those she loves succeed (even if she has to get her hands a little dirty). Lady Macbeth is too caught up in helping her husband that she does not realize the harm she may cause many people--this is a problem in society today. Many people are able to justify doing something wrong if it benefits themselves or their loved ones, however doing anything wrong, no matter who it benefits, needs to be punished justly.
ReplyDelete-Katelyn King
Lady Macbeth acts as a foil to Macbeth. On his own he is loyal, but ambitious. Lady Macbeth turns that ambition into ruthlessness and greed. Lady Macbeth is bold. She claims to have no problem killing Duncan in cold blood while simultaneously playing hostess to him. She is also confident in herself. She did not fear that her plan would not work, she feared Macbeth would not have the guts to carry out the plan. She is the real leader of her home, not Macbeth. Macbeth had decided not to murder Duncan, but meekly changes his mind when Lady Macbeth insists that he be a man and kill the king. My question is this...if Lady Macbeth was so fearless then why didn't she kill Duncan herself?
ReplyDeleteErin says....
ReplyDeleteIn Macbeth's letter to his lady he refers to her as "dearest partner of greatness" which shows he views her more as an equal rather than as a possession (as was accustom in 11th century Scotland). Because of this companionship Lady Macbeth is able to easily influence and manipulate Macbeth according to her will. She resents being a woman, or rather the limitations associated with the female gender as a whole. Women were not expected to do anything of significance besides give birth and raise strong boys. Lady Macbeth's inability to act on her own accord causes her to live through her husband. She strictly contradicts the caring and gentle mother figure associated with the women of the time when she says "And dash'd the brains out[of a baby] had I so sworn as you Have done to this." She says this to persuade Macbeth to go through with the assassination and exhibit the theme "fair is foul and foul is fair". Exteriorly, Lady Macbeth is nothing more than a doting wife and hostess however the audience is aware her darker intent.
Lady Macbeth is a strong woman with loud opinions which, for this time period, was not always the norm. She is treated as Macbeth’s equal in their relationship and at times is even more assertive than he is. She hold a lot of influence over Macbeth and was able to persuade the good hearted Macbeth to execute the plan to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth reminds me of Mellie, the president’s wife, in the TV show Scandal. Like Mellie, Lady Macbeth wants her husband to obtain power and the motives behind this are debatable. Do they want their husbands to be successful? Do they want power for themselves? Do they like the spotlight?
ReplyDeleteI really like and respect Lady Macbeth. She is a strong and ambitious woman, in a time that views its women as submissive possessions of men. She is willing to do whatever it takes to put her husband in power, and even though I do not agree with the extreme lengths she is willing to take, it only demonstrates how strong she really is. Macbeth and his lady are equal. The two discuss important, sensitive matters at an equal level and Macbeth respects what she has to say. Today a lot of television shows portray some women as power-hungry and ambitious. One example Mellie from popular TV show “Scandal”. Mellie does whatever it takes to protect her husband, the President, and keep him in power.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth seems very controlling over Macbeth. She feels as if she has to control the situation because she knows Macbeth does not have the strength to go through with killing Duncan. Throughout the scene that she is introduces, the reader can see that she is somewhat equal to him. They speak to each other as if they are on common ground which is very uncommon for the time in which the play is set. Lady Macbeth is also supportive of Macbeth so much that she will do anything for him to succeed. She is characterized through her actions and words in a way that the audience obtains the interpretation that she is strong, ambitious, and somewhat manipulative. We see this when she tells Macbeth to deceive Duncan at the dinner party. Lady Macbeth states: “look like the innocent flower, But be the serpent under't”. One could say that her ambition and manipulative ways can be found in many women today. One of these women would be Professor Annalise Keating in 'How To Get Away With Murder”. The reason she is such a great comparison to Lady Macbeth is because she is a strong woman who is very straight forward and knows what she wants. She manipulates her class into murdering her husband without seeming involved so that she is not to blame.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth is an advisor for Macbeth and acts as his base support. She pushes him as a mentor when he needs pushing. She is a strong a woman who is not afraid to do what is necessary. She really exists for Macbeth and has not shown any separate desire than to further his career. She reminds me of Claire Underwood from House of Cards who is a powerful NGO executive director who pushes her political powerhouse husband Francis Underwood, sometimes to do some dirty deeds in order to advance his career. She is his partner in crime, yet she is not the face of their campaign. She is the one who works behind the scenes to ensure he is on the right path and she is just as important in their operation as he is, even though she is given less credit.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth sees herself as equal to Macbeth and is possibly even dominant over him. She has a way of manipulating Macbeth into allowing her more power and control in their relationship. I do not believe that Lady Macbeth is ashamed to be a woman, however her desire for control drives her to denounce her womanhood. Lady Macbeth reminds me of President Snow from the Hunger Games. Like Snow, Lady Macbeth is aware of what she wants, and plans to deceive people to obtain it. Although they are of opposite genders, Snow and Lady Macbeth share this obsession for ultimate power. The difference between the two is that, because of her gender, Lady Macbeth hides behind her husband and Snow only hides behind his fake sympathy for others.
ReplyDeleteThe impression I got from Lady Macbeth is that she is a very strong, controlling character. It is clear that she has a craving for power and success, and it seems to me that she likes using Macbeth to achieve that, because she believes that her femininity holds her back. She is very ruthless and ambitious. She is a very strong, manipulative, and often times frightening. Her relationship with Macbeth is one where she is equal with him in a sense, and he treats her as such. However, I believe that she often times succeeds in capturing a higher control over him, because he often concedes to her plans. Cora Mills from Once Upon A Time can be similar to Lady Macbeth in many ways. For one, Cora is very controlling with her family. She is convinced that everything she does for her family is for the best, no matter how cruel. Lady Macbeth is very similar to this, because she always controls Macbeth and pushes him around- even to the point to where she convinced him that killing the King was a good thing that must be done.
ReplyDeleteColin Ray
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth is the source of Macbeth's strength and ruthlessness. She is a power hungry and ruthless character. She fears that Macbeth will be unable to become king without her “take no prisoners” attitude. She references the gender barrier in the time by asking to be “unsexed” because there was no authority given to women in the time the play was written. There are historical examples of women who have exerted themselves to become forces to be reckoned with. Queen Isabella of Spain, along with Ferdinand are known for encouraging the Spanish Inquisition, forcing many to be executed if they would not convert to Catholicism.
Lady Macbeth is a strong, ruthless character. She is respected by her husband, and is considered to be his equal. It could even be said that she is the more dominant of the two, her ambition driving her further than Macbeth's. Despite her strong will, she could not be interpreted as a "feminist" character. Her strength and ruthlessness are actively separated from her being a woman, such as when she desires to be "unsexed" in order to have the cruelty to kill Duncan. This mirror's society's impressions of strength and its relationship to femininity. Much like in Shakespeare's time, to be feminine is seen to be weak and submissive, even over-emotional.
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth is an extremely powerful woman who controls Macbeth, and is almost the source of his power. Since she technically creates it by planting the idea of murdering Duncan. She is a ruthless woman who will do whatever she needs to do to get what she wants. Lady Macbeth reminds me of Claire Underwood from the Netflix series House of Cards. Claire, like Lady Macbeth, is a women who helps her husband, Frank Underwood, rise to power as the president of the United States. She does this through backstabbing, devious plans, and even aids her husband in the murder of a reporter. Just like with Lady Macbeth and her husband, Frank would not have been able to reach his position as president without his wife Claire.
ReplyDeleteBethany Gass
ReplyDeleteLady Macbeth is a power hungry individual, even more so than Macbeth him self. She comes off as extremely selfish as she is willing to force her husband to kill the man that has granted many blessing on them. Lady Macbeth is very demeaning. She is constantly putting Macbeth down to force him to do what she wants. At that time women would be seen weak and helpless, but Lady Macbeth turns the tables and is extremely dominant in her relationship with her husband and is seen as an equal. The relationship Lady Macbeth has with her husband is a confidant and adviser. Macbeth confines in Lady Macbeth when he sends the letter stating his occurrence with the "weird sisters" and listens to her when she has suggestions. Lady Macbeth is characterized more like a man than a women in this play. Lady Macbeth has the drive it takes to want to kill a human being and normally a man is only portrayed with that trait. She is also portrayed as ruthless as she verbally abuses her husband to make him kill Duncan. Now a days women are starting to be the dominate figure in the relationship, just like Lady Macbeth is with her husband. Women are starting to stand up for what they want and they will do anything to get it, not to the extent of killing someone, but they are willing to use their manipulating power to over come their spouse.