Macbeth essay :: essays research papers

A Character in Her Own Right   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Behind all the great men of Shakespeare, there is a women close behind, who is often over looked. These women are just as crucial of a character as the men they follow. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Macbeth is a mere tool, there to carry out orders for his wife, both of whom desire nothing more than to rule. Together they will do anything, including murder, achieve their goal. Lady Macbeth proves to be a tragic figure and possess every capability that a man is able to. Although female, Lady Macbeth has proven herself as a central influence to the plot of the story, her strong, individualistic ways and ruthless plans prove to be the rise and downfall of her husbands reign as king and death, as well as her own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the reader is first introduced to Lady Macbeth in acts one and two, they receive some insight into who she is and what she stands for. Lady Macbeth is reading a letter from her husband and learns of his desire to be king and to what lengths he claims he will go to achieve it. In her response, the presence of a realistic mind set is obvious. She frankly tells her husband that he can not be a good man while taking what is not his. She gets straight to the point and uses other tactics of persuasion to make sure her point is clear. â€Å"Hie thee hither. / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear/ And chastise with the valor of my tongue/ All that impedes thee from the golden round† (I.iiiii.24-27). Here she is using her sexual hold over Macbeth to further her power over him and get her own way. Lady Macbeth also proves to be truly ruthless as she wishes herself a man filled with cruelty and thick blood so she will not feel any remorse. She also speaks of bashing babies against the wall and wishing for night so that her knife can not see what is does and heaven can not tell her to stop. Lady Macbeth will not let her husband back out of the plot and clearly has thought of everything so the murder goes just the way she wants. She does everything except the actual deed. Lady Macbeth states to her husband, â€Å"My hands are of your color, but I shame/ To wear a heart so white† (II.