Lady Macbeth- the most evil character?

Lady Macbeth- the most evil character?

1. She commits suicide

   • This shows the audience how powerful Lady Macbeth is - noone else took her life but herself
     • Link to Hitler
   • In addition it shows her as weak as she cannot handle murder which reinforces the stereotype that women are weak

2. "unsex me"

   • She is so madly ambitious about her husband becoming king that she calls the spirits of darkness to make her able to murder .
     • Lady Macbeth says "unsex me" as women in the Jacobean times were considered as weak and unable to murder and in order to make herself murder she wishes be a man, that was considered brave ,strong and able to murder.

3. "undaunted mettle should compose nothing but males"

   • Macbeth implies that she is a masculine soul inhabiting a female body
     • This shows how evil she is as even her husband (that cherishes her) compares her to evil
     • She asked the spitits to "unsex her" which seems to be the last step to her being able to murder.
   • Shakespeare uses the word "mettle" which means a person which can cope well with difficulties which shows her as the superior one in the relationship.
     • Ironic as she is described as being able to cope with difficulties but when Macbeth kills Duncan she is more affected mentally than Macbeth

4. like a voice on the back of Macbeth's mind

   • Macbeth at times, for example before Duncan's murder, rethinks murdering and denies going to kill Lady Macbeth.
     • Lady Macbeth is like the devil whispering to his ear pointing him to murder, even though his conscience tells him to not do it.
       • often uses dishonour and emotional corruption to manipulate Macbeth to execute her will
         • It shows to the audience how evil she is as she uses negative manipulation skills
           • This links to the witches and how Lady Macbeth seems to use similar techniques to the witches .
             • Showing that while on the outside she is shown as this graceful figure inside she is what seems to think and act like a witch(4th witch).

5. True colours revealed with imagery of blood, violence death.

   • Throughout the play whenever Lady Macbeth talks or is presented to the audience she is almost always related to blood, violence