What are the contrasts in character and behaviour between MacBeth and Lady MacBeth?

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What are the contrasts in character and behaviour between MacBeth and Lady MacBeth?

MacBeth is a play written by William Shakespeare, which traces the downfall of MacBeth due to his ambition. MacBeth, the main character, is a nobleman, the Thane of Glamis, as well as a Scottish general in King Duncans army. Later he becomes the Thane of Cawdor and eventually King of Scotland. To achieve this he resorts to violent measures, and murders his way to the throne with the help of his persuasive wife, Lady MacBeth. Lady MacBeth is a woman who cleverly takes advantage of her husbands love for her to persuade him to kill in order to be crowned king of Scotland. Despite this she finds that she cannot cope with the guilt, which eventually leads to her suicide and later, MacBeth dies in battle. Although MacBeth and Lady MacBeth love each other, they grow further and further apart as the play goes on.

Before the murder I realise that MacBeth is very highly thought of in

Scotland for his prowess in battle as he receives many compliments from a sergeant Brave MacBeth,

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and even from King Duncan

Valiant cousin

However Shakespeare then uses the supernatural to tempt MacBeth, who is indecisive earlier in the play, and whose prophecies at this point, when he meets up with three witches whom he had already met

suggest that he will become Thane of Cawdor and later, king of Scotland. MacBeth is

now encouraged to contemplate kingship, although he does not to take any action due

the fact that he has a conscience. However he is beginning to believe it is possible,

because of the prophecies coming true, when he becomes Thane of Cawdor.

And, for an earnest of a greater honour,

He bade me from him, call thee Thame of Cawdor. When Duncan states that Malcolm shall be the next king of Scotland, MacBeth’s ambition is sparked and the idea of killing Duncan is shown by the dark imagery in his soliloquy.

Stars, hide your fires

However, although MacBeth likes the idea he still cannot bring himself to commit murder. This is in total contrast to his wife, who is used by Shakespeare to push her husband. As soon as she receives the letter telling her of the witches prophecies she says decisively,

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be

What thou art promised.

She shares his ambition and is single minded in her efforts to make MacBeth King In order to do this more effectively she even calls on evil spirits to remove any traces of kindness and generosity from her;

Unsex me here And fill me from the crown to the toe top

full of direst cruelty.

Lady MacBeth plans the murder in detail and will not allow MacBeth to even think of failure. In contrast, MacBeth is indecisive, shown by his weighing up the pros and cons, and eventually saying,

We will proceed no further in this business.

However MacBeth, is accused of not being manly by his wife, and is persuaded to go ahead with the murder showing that his wife is stronger willed. I feel that MacBeths uncertainty about whether to go forward with the plan to murder king Duncan is because he looks ahead towards the consequences, If the assassination could trammel up the consequence,

whereas Lady MacBeth looks no further than the murder.

I see the second act as the turning point in the play as in this act MacBeth finally kills King Duncan and gains the confidence which enables him to repeat the deed later on. Just before MacBeth is to murder Duncan, the supernatural is again used by Shakespeare in the shape of a dagger, to highlight MacBeths guilt and weakness and to show that he still has a conscience.

Is this a dagger which I see before me , The handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee.

Because MacBeth still has a conscience during the murder of Duncan he panics and forgets to smear the guards with blood and leave the fatal daggers with them. Even after talking to his wife he still cannot bring himself to return to the scene of the crime and relies on his wife to go back. Although Lady MacBeth, is stronger- willed than MacBeth, she is not as strong as she believes herself to be. I can see this when she has a very anxious conversation with her husband.

Did you not speak, When, Now, As I descended, Ay, Hark

Shakespeare uses a staccato effect to show their guilt and how worried they are.

Directly after the murder of Duncan MacBeth panics and is so shocked that he needs his wife, Lady MacBeth, to tell him what to do. The difference between them is clear in their attitude towards the blood on MacBeths hands after he has killed Duncan. MacBeths imaginative nature is clear in the imagery he uses.

Will all great Neptunes oceans wash this blood

Clean from my hand

However in total contrast to MacBeth, his wife consoles him when she tells him,

A little water clears us of this deed.

I can see that she is practical and can deal with present problems but does not look ahead, which is ironic when I think of the sleepwalking scene.

When King Duncan is discovered to be dead MacBeth is unsure how to react and so becomes over-zealous, killing the guards. Suspicion starts to spread because of MacBeths irrational behaviour. However to distract people and to shift the attention which is on MacBeth, Lady MacBeth faints. It is clear that Lady MacBeth is more practical and clear-sighted and that MacBeth depends on her.

After MacBeth and his wife are crowned King and Queen at Scone, MacBeth becomes more dominant and distant. I am surprised to find that he no longer involves his wife in any of his plans. This next plan is to dispose of Banquo and his son as the witches have prophesied that the descendants of Banquo will be crowned kings of Scotland. Lady MacBeth has not been told of his plans.

Be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck.

However it is the manner in which MacBeth attempts to kill Banquo and his son which is more important. MacBeth poisons the minds of three murderers and gives them instructions about when and where to kill Banquo and Fleance. This is unbelievably different to when he and his wife were planing the murder of Duncan and shows just how much confidence he has gained. This time he has planned the whole thing himself, but hired others to do the deed. Hence he has become independent of Lady MacBeth.

Despite MacBeths planning of Banquos murder on his own, Lady MacBeth is still the stronger mentally, evident when she tries to calm her husband during a banquet, during which he sees his second vision; Banquos ghost, another symbol of his guilt.

Thou canst not say I did it never shake

Thy gory locks at me.

However Lady MacBeth quickly takes the initiative, saying that MacBeth is ill. She later taunts him for being unmanned, which shows her mental superiority and that she is much more quick-thinking than he is. At this point MacBeth tells his wife that he is at the point of no return and the start of his downfall.

I am in blood

Steepd in so far that, should I wade no more,

Returning were as tedious as go oer

At the beginning of Act Four MacBeth significantly makes a conscious decision to visit the witches, showing me that he is now choosing evil.

I will to-morrow,

And betimes I will, to the weird sisters.

The witches are playing with MacBeth, although he does not realise this!

None of woman born shall harm MacBeth

This seems to guarantee MacBeths position as King of Scotland, as does the next apparition

MacBeth shall never vanquishd be, until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.

However the only apparition which worries MacBeth is

beware MacDuff

He now no longer attempts to hide his evil but embarks on a reign of tyranny, for example ordering MacDuffs family killed. MacBeth has become a tyrant totally steeped in evil, considering himself invulnerable.

In contrast Lady MacBeth is now very vulnerable which is contrary to how she behaved earlier in the play. She seems to have gone insane as a result of her guilt which is also exposed, but in a different way to that of MacBeth as she sleepwalks. She constantly washes her hands which refers back to the time when her hands were covered in blood. Although then, she told MacBeth that a little water clears us of this deed she now shows that this is not so.

All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this hand.

By this, I think she means that she can never be forgiven for the sins which she committed earlier. However, the most noticeable form of her guilt is when she sleepwalks and mutters words which have the potential to incriminate her husband.

The thane of Fife had a wife

She is obviously suffering mental anguish and eventually commits suicide. MacBeth has also changed, but in contrast to his wife he has grown colder and more callous. When he hears of Lady MacBeths death he shows no grief, merely saying

She should have died hereafter.

Unlike Lady MacBeth he feels no remorse which is in contrast to the MacBeth earlier on in the play. He realises that life has become mechanical, evident in the repetition of ;

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

To the last syllable of recorded time;

However MacBeth senses the end and his death due to the fact that Malcolm, and the English army are approaching to overthrow him. At this point MacBeth must be anxious and starting to feel his kingdom slip away due to the news of the desertions from his army and realises that the witches were playing with him . However MacBeth still decides to fight to the death and die like a brave soldier. In a sense MacBeth too is contemplating suicide because, although he knows his castle could withstand a siege, he goes out to fight and is killed by MacDuff.

I find the differences between MacBeth and his wife interesting, especially the way their roles are reversed as the play goes on. At the end of the play I see that MacBeth and his wife are viewed alike in death despite their obvious differences of character and behaviour earlier on in the play.

this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen.

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