Lady Macbeths Role in Macbeths Downfall :: essays research papers

While not the only contributing factor, Lady Macbeth does play a upstanding role in the downfall of her husband. She is a like a catalyst for Macbeth and essentially pushes him to do what he would not have been able to do on his own. Macbeth himself highly ambitious and determined, but his wife is even more so. At first he refuses to kill Duncan but she persists and eventually gets him to do it. It is important to pedigree here that Lady Macbeth pushes Macbeth forward by manipulating him. In this sense, she can be related to Cathy Ames from East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Also, being a woman, she is restrict by the conventions of society which prevent her from doing much. At what point she even wishes that she were unsexed so she could commit the murder herself. Because of this, she pours her ambition and desire for power into Macbeth. Again she accomplishes this through manipulation. For example, at one point when Macbeth is disagreeing with her idea of killing Duncan, she questi ons his manhood ?Art thou afeard / To be the same in thine own act and valor / As thou art in desire? Wouldst thou have that / Which thou esteemst the ornament of life, / And live a coward in thine own esteem, / Letting I make bold not wait upon I would, / Like the poor cat i the adage?She knows that Macbeth is courageous and will never back down from a challenge and this is incisively what happens. He ends up listening to his wife. The relationship between Macbeth and his wife is strong. There is much trust between the two and there is also openness. However, the two ring heads and have opposing views many times. Even so, it is clear that Lady Macbeth is the dominant person in the couple. She is one of the major driving forces of Macbeth. This is shown when they are plotting the murder of Duncan. Macbeth asks her, ?If we should break-dance?? and she strongly replies, ?We fail / But screw your courage to the sticking-place, / And we?ll not fail.? Whenever he is backing down sh e pushes him forward again. This is where a major flaw of our protagonist comes in. Macbeth cannot safety valve the trap of listening to his wife. He is subject to her commands and he knows it.