Is Lady Macbeth the villain of the play? Essay

The fact that dame Macbeth is called a fiend-like queen by Malcolm automatically carrys the audience view her as a demon, thus making the audience dislike her stock-still more. wench Macbeth could be viewed as an evil demon or as a shop ative and vice-eaten wife. all the same there are many events and circumstances which we should take into consideration before any conclusions are formulated. brothel keeper Macbeths deceptive, persuasive and potentially entrance-like manner should not be overlooked. Although she is the instigator of many of the tragic events in the play, she also comes across as being a loyal and validatory wife.We first meet with skirt Macbeth in Act 1, delineation 5 where she could be viewed as being very close to Macbeth as it envisionms that she knows him very well. When she reads his letter she does not mock him or doubt his character once which shows that she could indeed be the loyal wife. Although she sees Macbeth as being kind and brave, she a lso shows her witch-like qualities when she labels that she will pour spirits into his ear to rent him take aim more courage in order to kill Duncan to gain the throneThat I may pour my spirits in thine ear. peeress Macbeth calls upon evil spirits to remove her gentler shadeings so that she doesnt looking any guilt or fear. This would make the audience view dame Macbeth as a witch or a demon and thus making them take an instant disliking to her.When Macbeth arrives at their castle at Inverness he talks with chick Macbeth and then it becomes apparent that Lady Macbeth has a plan which will gratuity to Macbeth becoming King. Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth to act normal when Duncan visits the castle, but to be dangerous and sneaky underneathYour hand, your dialect look like thinnocent flower,But be the serpent undertWhen Duncan arrives at the castle, Lady Macbeth appears to be a very welcoming and c aggrieveing hostess and her flattery hides her intentions.In Act1, image 7 Lady Macbeths true character comes to light and we see that she taunts and accuses Macbeth of cowardice. The dash that she treats Macbeth in this stage setting contradicts the fact that she was a very supportive wife to start with. She taunts his strength and even accuses him of not lovely her enough. Macbeth saying that he doesnt want to kill Duncan makes Lady Macbeth very angry and she says that he has worried a augur and also that she would sooner kill her receive baby that break a promise feelings that very few women nurture. Lady Macbeth seems to manipulate Macbeths feelings very easily and it is obvious that she has a very big influence on Macbeth, and eventually, Macbeth decides to kill Duncan.Even though there are many events which support the fact that Lady Macbeth is the baddie of the play, in Act 2, Scene 2, we see that she is not as operose and as strong as she showsThat which hath made them drunk, hath made me boldWhat hath quenched them, hath given me fire.This show s that Lady Macbeth had to have a drink to calm down and to make herself brave as she keeps on hearing noises in the night and she is convinced that they are the screams of Duncan, when in fact they are owls. When Macbeth returns from Duncans room with two daggers she fears that he has not committed the murder and then she says that she could not have committed the murder as Duncan looked excessively lots like her fatherNeither Macbeth nor Lady Macbeth think straight in this scene, but it is Lady Macbeth that decides to return to Duncans room with the daggers and put them next to the guards to ensure that their plan goes as they intended. This could be her way of helping put the murder to a complete close and to ensure that they do not feel guilty. Lady Macbeth then plans an alibi and tells Macbeth that she does not feel guilty. The enormity of his crime grows along with the confidence of Lady Macbeth which could be a sign of worse events to come.When news of Duncans murder goes ar ound the castle, Lady Macbeth again acts well in the defence of herself and Macbeth by covering up her guilt and knowledge of whats happened by fainting in order to draw attention away from Macbeth as not to give too much away. The fact that Lady Macbeth is a consummate actress creates a feeling of insecurity in my mind as whether to trust her or to doubt everything she does, which I am sure is a feeling felt by any reader or audience of the play.The fact that Lady Macbeth is the villain of the play so out-of-the-way(prenominal) is somewhat changed when we reach Act 3, Scene 1 when we see that Macbeth plans to murder Banquo. This murder goes underway without Lady Macbeth finding out which could then support that Lady Macbeth is not the villain of the play and the precisely actor that she planned the murder of Duncan as a way to fulfil her husbands one and only ambition to become King. Macbeth shows that he is for once in complete control and that he is killing Banquo from his o wn choice, and is not being urged to do so by anybody else.Lady Macbeth appears to be a very supportive and loyal wife in Act 3, Scene 2 where we see that Lady Macbeth helps Macbeth to overcome his feelings of guilt and insecurity.At the banquet, Lady Macbeth again proves to be a very good actress as she welcomes the guests with a favourable smile and she then covers up Macbeths strange behaviour with a convincing story. When Macbeth starts to see the tinge of Banquo sitting next to him, Lady Macbeth reassures him that there is no ghost and then she covers up for him so that the some other guests do not view his actions as strange or suspiciousWhy do you make such faces? When alls doneYou look but on a stool.The way that Lady Macbeth acts on several occasions shows that she is capable of hiding her real feelings which could have lead to the events later on in the play.The next time that we meet with Lady Macbeth is in Act 5, Scene 1 where we see that she is very ill and sleep wal king. Lady Macbeth shows great feelings of remorse which shows that maybe she is not the villain of the play. Whilst asleep, Lady Macbeth re-enacts the night of Duncans murder through washing her hands in the air and talking bulge damned spot Out, I sayHer words echo events of the past and this shows that she is permanently thinking of the murders that have taken place. Her caring and supportive manner comes through in the way that she speaks in her sleep and this would again support that she is not the villain of the play. At the end of this scene her true guilt and the fatality of her ailment is expressed when the doctor tells Lady Macbeths gentle woman to take away any objects which she could harm herself with as he fears that she may commit suicide, this fore-warning does indeed occur later on. In Act 5, Scene 5, Lady Macbeth does actually commit suicide, this is true evidence that Lady Macbeth could not live with the guilt of what has happened and her gloominessThe queen my l ord is dead.The news of Lady Macbeths death brings great sorrow upon Macbeth and this makes him realise the futility of his life. This would say that he loved Lady Macbeth and that maybe she wasnt the pushy and cruel wife that she appeared to be.I intermit that Lady Macbeth was not the villain of the play because she was driven to suicide by the actions of her husbands actions which she realise were wrong as soon as they were carried out. She did not take part in any of the murders she was just now the instigator of one. The fact that she could not bare to live any longer due to being over come with remorse makes me think that she obviously felt sorry for what happened and that she could not be a villain if she realised the serious nature of what happened as many people do wrong but do not realise that it was wrong. I think that the reason that she planned the murder of Duncan was to fulfil her husbands ambition and to become queen, a title which she did not feel greatly any way.