Is Lady Macbeth a fiend-like Queen? - page 3
Keywords: william shakespeare lady macbeth fiend-like queen drama
By exploiit on 19/06/2010
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 3 of 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
in thine own act and valour as though art in desire?” and further provoking him by telling him to “live a coward in thine own esteem”. She then attempts to encourage Macbeth to commit the crime, explaining that she herself would have “plucked [her] nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out”. This aggressive description adds to the idea that she is a fiend, showcasing her ruthless attitude and her lack of remorse for the deviant act she and her husband are about to pursue. Of course, Lady Macbeth’s state of intoxication helps to counter this claim. Although her growing hostility is impossible to defend, we have to be sympathetic to the fact that Lady Macbeth cannot act on her own plot in a sober state of being – her need to be drunk proves that she must fight the mammoth guilt of what she is about to do.
Shortly after Duncan’s murder, we watch Lady Macbeth’s mental state decline dramatically, as she cannot wash the thoughts from her mind. Her guilt is so great that she is found constantly sleep walking, and at one point found to be washing her hands. She asks, “will these hands ne’er be clean?”, suggesting that no matter how much she tries to rid herself of the memories, she continues to be haunted. We feel no sympathy, knowing that she has been a major part in the murder of the King, but we can at least identify the profound effect that the murder has had on her well-being, and we are able to acknowledge that however much a fiend Lady Macbeth is, she is still human and experiences human emotions.
As the play progresses, we see the ultimate deterioration in Lady Macbeth’s self. Macbeth’s abiding secrecy is key in her final breakdown, as she feels he is betraying her after her selfless efforts. Macbeth withholds information, such as his plan to kill Banquo, in order to protect his wife’s already sickly mental condition. A sense of irony arises as we realize that both characters’ attempts to benefit each other prove to be the systematic breakdown of their once trusting relationship. Neither character intended to selfishly pursue the crown, but instead wanted to add to the happiness of their other half. Sadly, this is not acknowledged by either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth, in results in the suicide of our ‘fiend-like queen’, when Macbeth is informed
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