Essay On Lady Macbeth's Wife

In Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth is a dynamic character with varying short term ambitions which all relate to her overall goal of self-betterment. The downward spiral of Lady Macbeth’s character has a direct correlation with the apparition of the two characters marital relationship. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth starts as a ruthless character, with a thirst for power that eventually leads to her emotional demise and loss of sanity. Likewise, the couple’s relationship starts as strong and communicative but transitions into an emotional and physical separation as Lady Macbeth gets closer to her breaking point and Macbeth becomes mad with power.

At the beginning of the play, Macbeth shows a large amount of affection towards his wife, who we see in her usual state of darkness. We are introduced to Lady Macbeth’s strong character, who desires power. She wants to ensure that Macbeth becomes King and when her husband has doubts, she tells him “Only look up clear. / To alter favor ever is to fear. / Leave all the rest to me.” (I.5.63-65), demonstrating her strength in capability of creating a plan to achieve her goal. Macbeth shows his love

“Why do you keep alone, / Of sorriest fancies your companions making” (III.2.10-11). Unlike before, when Lady Macbeth was strong and sure of her decisions, she is now overcome with doubt, worrying all the time about if she made the right decision to push Macbeth into this. When talking to herself, Lady Macbeth says “Naught’s had, all’s spent, / Where our desire is got without content. / ‘Tis safer to be that which we destroy / Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.” (III.2.6-9), showing that she no longer has desire to live knowing that it would be easier to be dead and at peace then to live with the guilt of what she’s