Lady Macbeth portrays both evil and good qualities. In the beginning of the play, she is introduced as evil, overly ambitious, and heartless. During the play her weak, vulnerable, and guilty side develops showing that she's not as wicked as she was first described. This contradiction of personalities makes it difficult knowing whether to like or dislike her character. This also creates a problem when deciding to feel sympathy for her. Lady Macbeth is very complex, complicated character in the play, "Macbeth", which causes the audience and readers to have mixed emotions and feelings towards her.
As the play progresses, Lady Macbeth is seen as two completely different people. At first she is incredibly determined for Macbeth becoming king and is more ambitious than he is. She showed no conscience, guilt, or fear in planning Duncan's murder or smearing the guards in blood to make sure her deeds were never exposed.
Lady Macbeth by George Cattermole.
The sleepwalking Lady Macbeth
Sarah Siddons in the Sleepwalking SceneAs the play moves on Lady Macbeth gradually starts to realize the consequences of her actions. She knows that everything she has done couldn't be fixed and that she's going to have to live with her sins forever.
Lady Macbeth's different personalities make it hard for a reader to know to feel sympathy for her. At first, she's is cruel and doesn't have any feelings. Later on, she is a grieving woman full of guilt from her past ambitions. How are you supposed to know her true personality? The reader shouldn't feel the sympathy for Lady Macbeth though. If a person is insensible enough to plan to murder someone, nobody should feel remorseful, especially since the person she planned to kill was honoring her husband for his good deeds. No matter how terrible Lady Macbeth feels, she doesn't deserve the sympathy from the readers.
Lady Macbeth is an...