Lady Macbeth

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     Shakespeare’s writings contain many dark and manipulating people, but none as dark as Lady Macbeth.  Throughout the play Macbeth, Lady Macbeth could be described as a puppet master who toys with the feelings and emotion of Macbeth.  Lady Macbeth is a very dark person, and whenever she is alone or with Macbeth, the darkness and cruelty makes itself shown.     
      One of the main concepts of the play Macbeth is madness.  This madness all begins with Lady Macbeth.  Her most defining scene of her true character is shown in Act 1, Scene 5, Lines 47-50 “Come, you spirits, that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me with the direst cruelty.”  This calling on the evil spirits show how she desires to filled with what she calls, “the direst cruelty.” She wants to feel no remorse for the sins she needs to commit in order to help her husband, Macbeth.  However, this evil and spite does have its negative effects on its host.  Just as a parasite feeds of the host organism, Lady Macbeth mentally deteriorates under the guilt that came with the spite and malice she desired.  Towards the end of the play and her life, she deteriorates to a state of sleep walking and constantly washing her hands in hopes of washing away the blood of Duncan and the accompanying guilt.  This corrupted mental state leads to her suicide by the end of the novel.
     Physically, Lady Macbeth appears to be the normal housewife of a nobleman.  In reality, she is a dark manipulating fiend.  She manipulates Macbeth to the point where he no longer feels humanly emotions or morality and remorse for the reckless killings he has committed.  For example, she persistently bullies Macbeth into killing Duncan by questioning his.  In other words, Lady Macbeth made Macbeth ambitious to become king, which propelled his tyrannical actions later on in the play. 
     The character of Lady Macbeth can be summarized in three words: dark, evil and cruel.  She manipulates and deceives Macbeth throughout the play and leads him to murder innocent people.  Her manipulation was the driving force of the play and caused the madness and malice that consumed Macbeth.
 
Chris Harris