The Wickedness of Lady Macbeth
Upon hearing the news of the prophecies told to Macbeth, Lady Macbeth unveils her evil ambitions of how to make Macbeth king. Before Macbeth approaches Lady Macbeth, she predicts that Macbeth will not have the will to pursue the throne; therefore, Lady Macbeth feels that she will have to convince Macbeth to do so. She at once seizes the opportunity, and never flinches from her objective until all is over. The letter given to Lady Macbeth, her plan to kill Duncan, and her mental deterioration show her responsibility for the death of Duncan and her wickedness throughout the play.
Having read the letter, "Lady Macbeth calls on all the forces of evil," (Chute 170) and jumps into thoughts of how to influence her husband to fulfill the prophecy that he had witnessed. She starts by praying, "Come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty; make thick my blood..."
Lady Macbeth by George Cattermole.
The sleepwalking Lady Macbeth
Sarah Siddons in the Sleepwalking Scene(I. v. 38-41). With this she wants the spirits to remove any feminine attributes that will intervene with her plan to kill Duncan. This prayer or request to the spirits suggests that men are more capable of cruelty than women. This is very ironic, because it seems that Macbeth, the war hero, would be the one that devises the plan to kill Duncan, but he is battling his thoughts of committing murder. Lady Macbeth executes her plan, convincing her husband to go on with the murder by insulting him and his masculinity. With this, Lady Macbeth seems more suited in committing the murder than her husband.
As Macbeth becomes more confident in killing the King, the messenger informs Lady Macbeth "The King comes to-night."(I. v. 29) No...