When people are influenced by other people, often their actions are altered and their personalities are transformed. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth takes advantage of the opportunity provided by Macbeth's weaknesses and convinces him to commit heinous crimes. In the beginning, Lady Macbeth is the dominant character and she persuades her husband to follow her lead and kill their king, Duncan. It is this role in the murders that ultimately leads to the demise of Macbeth. Before the lunacy of King Duncan's murder, Lady Macbeth begins to take advantage of Macbeth's growing weaknesses (Coleridge 185). When the witches come upon Macbeth at first, he is very hopeful, but in time he turns a blind eye to hope, and begins pursuing the prophecy given to him by the weird sisters. Since Macbeth was indecisive about what he should do in order to solidify his role as king, he looked for help from his influential and provocative wife, Lady Macbeth (De Quincey 191).
Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargent...
Lady Macbeth by George Cattermole.
The sleepwalking Lady MacbethLady Macbeth's commanding powers geared Macbeth toward the most extreme option-eliminating King Duncan (Jameson 193). At first, Macbeth suggests they should, "...proceed no further in this business.." (I. vii. 32), and have nothing more to do with the murder. Lady Macbeth's sly influence finally, by the end, won over Macbeth completely on her idea (Fletcher 66). By this time, she has seized the opportunity given by Macbeth's low mental state and has turned him into a puppet with her words (Coleridge 185). Lady Macbeth's influence is often brought on by a taunt. Typically, Lady Macbeth teases Macbeth for being a coward. Macbeth's only way to prove himself and show he is a man who is in control is to commit the crimes she teases him of not being capable enough to do (Waith...