Question

Explore how Shakespeare presents the character of Lady Macbeth in this extract.

Answer 1

Answer:

Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth with a strong sense of ambition and greed which would have been expected more in a man when this was written, implying she is no longer a feminine character. The quote "Unsex me here" implies she doesn't want the gender bias that will come with being a ruler. She is openly rejecting femininity which would have been foreign to the audience watching the play at the time.

Furthermore, Lady Macbeth is presented as an evil being, associating with demons and the suoernatural. This would have terrified the audience as most people were very religious and superstitious. Likewise, the king at the time King James was obsessed with demonology and witchcraft. The play was written for the King, and this would have interested him. We see in the quote Come you spirits, tend on mortal thoughts" she is calling upon demons to help her in this crime and turn her pure with cruelty. This shows that Lady Macbeth is evil as Macbeth was approached by witches whereas his wife calls upon them.

In addition, Lady Macbeth is presented as a fem fatal - the female villain-. We see this in the quote "come to my womans breasts and take my milk for gall" this suggests she is rejecting the only thing that was seen as any value in a woman and replaces it with poison. Shakespeare is breaking the female stereotype of the Jackobean era, a woman had to be delicate, submissive and sweet whereas Lady Macbeth rebels against her expectations and becomes the most dangerous villain of the play.