To what extent can Lady Macbeth be considered the fourth witch in Macbeth? Support your answer with reference to the text.

To what extent can Lady Macbeth be considered the fourth witch in Macbeth? Support your answer with close reference to the text.

Lady Macbeth can be considered the fourth witch in Macbeth to a great extent.

Firstly, Lady Macbeth is wicked. She calls upon "thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell" so that her "keen knife" will be unable to see "the wound it makes". Although her senses are so alive and acute, Lady Macbeth's speech is filled with the desire for blindness or darkness, so she calls on "thick night" to blot out her sight. Her plan to kill Duncan just to obtain the title she desires is outrageously ruthless. Lady Macbeth even tells Duncan to "leave the rest to her [me]", completing her transformation from woman to man. She is sure that she will be able to murder Duncan and fulfil her desire of becoming Queen.

Lady Macbeth by George Cattermole.

The sleepwalking Lady Macbeth

Sarah Siddons in the Sleepwalking Scene

Hence showing that Lady Macbeth, who is willing to go to extreme lengths to get what she wants, is wicked and lacks "th' milk of human kindness".

Secondly, Lady Macbeth is cruel. As soon as she received Macbeth's letter telling him about the Witches' prophecies, she already had a brief plan of what to do to "have thee crowned withal". She takes action immediately, and creates a plan to kill Duncan. Lady Macbeth plans to drug Duncan's two chamberlains "with wine and wassail" when he is asleep so they will not be aware of what is happening, and will hence be unable to protect Duncan. By doing so, the servants shall have to "bear the guilt of their[our] great quell". Lady Macbeth's true cruelty is shown when her death has no effect on the play as she is not considered a hero. Her character is...