ohn LadyMacbeth tells her husband, When durst do

ohn LadyMacbeth tells her husband, When durst do

ohn Keating English Honors Lady Macbeth Must Take SomeBlame for Her Husbands Destruction In Macbeth, a playwritten by Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth is partially responsiblefor the destruction of her husband.

Lady Macbeth is not amonster without feelings, however she is tricky and cunningwhen she influences Macbeth to kill Duncan. Lady Macbethsability to influence her husband leads the audience to believethat she is the primary cause for the destruction of Macbeth.The audience is also led to believe that Lady Macbeth isresponsible because she makes up the details of the plan tokill Duncan, while Macbeth was considering not even goingthrough with the murder.

Although Macbeth had the thought ofkilling Duncan, he would not have acted on that thoughtunless Lady Macbeth persuaded him. Lady Macbeth is slyperson, able to manipulate her husband, and this ability tomanipulate Macbeth makes her partially responsible for thedestruction of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth knows that herhusband is too kind to kill Duncan without her help she fearsthy nature; / It is too full oth milk of human kindness / tocatch the nearest way (I.v.

16-18). She is very much aware ofthe fact that she needs to push Macbeth to kill Duncan or elsehe will not do it. We see Macbeths hesitance to murder theking when he lists reasons not to kill Duncan in Act 1, whenhe says, Hes here in double trust: / First, as I am hiskinsman and his subject, / Strong both against the deed; then,as his host, / Who should against his murderer shut the door,/ Not bear the knife myself (I.vii.12-16).

Macbeth then says,Besides, this Duncan / Hath born his faculties so meek, hathbeen / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will pleadlike angles, trumpet-tongued, against / The deep damnationof his taking off (I.vii.16-19). We see that Macbeth does notwant to kill Duncan because he is afraid of being caught.Lady Macbeth knows exactly how to manipulate her husband,and uses that skill while she talks to Macbeth. Lady Macbethinsults her husband by undermining his manliness. LadyMacbeth tells her husband, When durst do it, then you werea man; / And to be much more than what you were, you would/ Be so much more the man (I.

vii.56-58). If Lady Macbeth hadnot insulted Macbeths manhood than he would not havekilled Duncan.

Lady Macbeth provided that extra push thatMacbeth needed to commit such an evil deed. This is theprimary way in which Lady Macbeth is responsible for themurder of Duncan. Lady Macbeth is to blame for thedestruction of her husband because she orchestratedDuncans murder and did just about everything exceptactually kill Duncan.

She plans the murder and she setsthings in motion by giving the wine to the kings servants. Shealso is the one who makes the signal that all is ready. LadyMacbeth solely set up Duncans murder making it as easy aspossible for Macbeth to commit the assassination of the king.This is another way in which Lady Macbeth is responsible forthe assassination of Duncan. The audience does not knowthat Lady Macbeth feels that she is responsible for thedestruction of her husband until the end when shesleepwalks.

Lady Macbeth is excellent at hiding her truefeelings. She especially fooled Duncan with her greathospitality and thoughtfulness. She also is good at remainingcool in tense situations and is good at getting out of tensesituations. For example, when Macbeth was hallucinating atthe dinner party, and was seeing Banqous ghost, LadyMacbeth remained cool and made up a plausible explanationfor her husbands actions. Although she seems to have noconscience, we see at the end when she is sleepwalking, thatshe is deeply troubled. She knows that it is partially her faultfor all the murders, especially Duncans.

Lady Macbeth, haslight by / her continually, Tis her command (V.i.24-25). LadyMacbeth is now afraid of the dark because all the crimes thatwere committed were done in the dark. Her fear of darknessshows the audience that she regrets what she has done andthat she knows what she did was wrong. The thought ofkilling Duncan entered Macbeths mind before he spoke to hiswife.

He first reveals his thoughts when he says, If good, whydo I yield to that suggestion / Whose horrid image doth unfixmy hair / And make my seated heart knock at my ribs / Againstthe use of nature? (I.iii.147-150). Macbeth is utterly horrifiedthat he would think of such a thing as killing his own king. Heis very disturbed that he was capable of thinking about suchtreasonable things. Although Macbeth was upset with himselfabout having thoughts concerning killing Duncan, Macbethwishes that he would have the fortitude to go ahead and killDuncan. Macbeth expresses his desire to be able to killDuncan even though he knows he will regret it when he says,The eye wink at the hand, yet let that be / Which the eyefears, when it is done, to see (I.

iv.59-60). Lady Macbeth gaveMacbeth that extra push that he needed to become a ruthlesskiller. However not all the blame can go on Lady Macbeth, herhusband did not have to listen to her and he did not have tokill Duncan. Macbeth chooses to kill Duncan, it was his ownfree will. Lady Macbeth did influence his thinking, butMacbeth could not be totally blameless, he must take at leasthalf the blame for his destruction. Lady Macbeth, however, isalso responsible and she cannot be getting off the hook, shedeserves what she gets in the end because she was a mainfactor in Macbeths decision to kill Duncan.

This decision ledto Macbeth becoming a ruthless killer for which she must takesome blame.Category: English