Lady Macbeth Seduces Macbeth In Many Ways

Essay, Research Paper

Lady Macbeth does everything in her power to seduce Macbeth. She comforts him and gives him strength after Duncans murder. She emasculates and belittles him to convince him to commit the murder. She covertly seduces Macbeth by her suicide. When Macbeth finds out about her death he loses all hope and gives up on life.

After Macbeth’s deed was done, he would of succumb to his guilt if it weren’t for lady Macbeth. His paranoia started to get the best of him. Macbeth thinks that someone has heard him commit the crime, " I have done the deed, didst thou not hear a noise? " (Macbeth, II, II, 15) The good Lady tells Macbeth she heard nothing, she is comforting him by reassuring him that no one heard a thing, " I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry. Did not you speak? " (Macbeth, II, II, 16 – 17) Macbeth feels guilt and pity for what he has done to Duncan, he looks down on himself. [looking at his hands] " This is a sorry sight. " (Macbeth, II, II, 22). Lady Macbeth comes through and shows Macbeth comfort and strength before he loses it and does something irrational. When Macbeth returns to his chamber after killing Duncan and Lady Macbeth learns that he didn’t carry out the end of the plan, the reader sees a moment of panic in Lady Macbeth. She quickly regains her composure, though, and decides that she must complete the plan herself. She says to Macbeth, "Give me the daggers. The sleeping and the dead are but as pictures."

(Macbeth, II, II, 67-70) She knows they have to be strong together and must start covering up for their crimes, " These deeds must not be thought after these ways; so it will make us mad." ( Macbeth, II, II, 34 ). She is comforting Macbeth and making him stronger. Lady Macbeth’s character has to be the strong one between the two of them. If she was weak like Macbeth they would of never have gone through with the murder. Lady Macbeth is the backbone of the pair, Macbeth by himself is a weak character. By seducing Macbeth, she helps him cope with the murder and they get away with it, all because of Lady Macbeth’s strong willpower and ability to seduce Macbeth. Lady Macbeth forces strength upon Macbeth, who is too scared to go back to the scene of crime and have to see what he has done, " Ill go no more; I am afraid to think what I have done; Look on’t again I dare not. "(Macbeth, II, II, 51- 52 ). She shows care and compassion when Macbeth returns to the bedchamber after killing the king. He is stunned by the act that he has committed and Lady Macbeth, with the tenderness of a mother, calms her husband. The good Lady wasn’t always comforting Macbeth though.

Before the murder Lady Macbeth did nothing but bash Macbeth. She emasculated him a lot. She accuses him of lacking manhood. The good Lady tells Macbeth that she thought he was a man when he was talking about the idea of killing Duncan, but now she thinks he is less than a man because Macbeth doesn’t want to go through with the murder,

" when you durst do it then you were a man; and to be more than what you were, you would be so much more that a man. Nor time nor place did then adhere, and that their fitness now does unmake you." (Macbeth, I, VII, 49 – 54).

She claims that "that which rather dost fear to do," could be fulfilled if, "I may pour my spirits in thine ear" (Macbeth, I, V, 23-25). What she is doing there is telling Macbeth to let her be his guide, not to fear what she has to say and everything will go ok if Macbeth listens and does everything she tells him to do. Macbeth is not man enough to handle this situation and has no idea what to do in Lady Macbeth’s mind. The good Lady calls upon the spirits to help her out, make her evil and take away her sexuality by making her a man, " Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts! Unsex me here…" (Macbeth, I, V, 39 – 40).