Analysis of Macbeth “The Rise and Fall of a Lady”

“The Rise and Fall of a Lady” Who wouldn’t dream of having glory, loyalty, and most of all the title of being a royal? With all this one could expect to be happy and content with life, but everything has two sides. One side is what we want our dream to be, and the other is the reality of what we wanted. Nought's had, all's spent, Where our desire is got without content; 'Tis safer to be that which we destroy Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy (3.2.6-9)
She was strong, she displayed savoir faire when needed, and she was powerful. So how can she go from being on top of everything, to go insane and dying at the bottom alone? “Although a bold, ambitious, worldly woman, she from the first believes them, implicit faith in witchcraft and magic being evidently general, if not universal, in Scotland at this period.” (Shakespeare-online) Lady Macbeth is an opportunist. When she wants something important to her she makes it happen. When she heard that she possibly had a chance at having a higher name, she took it and ran with it. Lady Macbeth thought of not just being the wife of a thane but as the wife of a king and she wanted the title of Queen. Lady Macbeth from the first scene that she was introduced has been very in control of where she thinks her life should go. So she manipulates the people around her and her surroundings to fit to her way of thinking without a second thought about the repercussions. And chastise with the valor of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round,
Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
To have thee crowned withal. (1.5.15-18)
Lady Macbeth talks about how she will convince Macbeth to become a man and kill Duncan during scene five. She wants the title more than caring about what her husband wants. She is so determined for her husband to be crowned that she manipulates him into doing the nefarious deed of killing King Duncan in his sleep. She sets up the plan, makes him do it, and then chastise him for even hesitating before he killed Duncan. This shows that in the beginning Lady Macbeth is simply worried about the title at this point and not at the consequences of her actions that she and her husband have just committed.
When Macbeth killed King Duncan, it really changed him. He came from being a loyal and brave soldier to killing King Duncan, who trusted him, while this did not even faze Lady Macbeth. She was ruthless when it came to how Macbeth felt. She didn’t care how he was becoming a mad man, deranged by his most inner thoughts kept in the cache of his mind. All she told him was to get over it. “Go get some water, And wash this filthy witness from your hand,” however he could cope with being a murderer; she didn’t care as long as he kept it quite. (2.2.46-47) What she didn’t see that would happen in her dream of being a royal, is that her husband would actually have a conscience about his actions that he caused by his own volition. She wanted her dessert without first eating her supper.
At the beginning of act three Macbeth has ordered the death of his good friend Banquo, without telling Lady Macbeth until after he gave the order. During this act we begin to see the change in dynamic of their character’s role. Macbeth has already made an order to kill without even acknowledging Lady Macbeth’s thoughts on the subject. She is the person who was so driven and ruthless to become queen in the beginning, and now we see her begin to take Macbeth’s disposition in becoming unhappy and growing discontent with her new title. She is losing her touch and is now beginning the descent into her demise.
With all this battling in her head she still displays a great amount of savoir faire at the grand celebration for Macbeth. During this celebration we see a side that we are familiar with Macbeth. He becomes unraveled and is belligerent, thinking that he see Banquo’s ghost. He’s yelling and throwing a giant fit at nothing in the air. While here is Lady Macbeth thinking at the tips of her toes, saying this is Macbeth, he occasionally goes into fits and has ever since he was a child. She is very smooth when assuring that Macbeth is well and just to ignore him. We see a little bit of their old selves in this act, with Lady Macbeth taking control of her husband’s emotions. She questions his manhood she belittles him out of his trance. We see a sliver on how they used to act towards each other.
In act five, there is a completely different Lady Macbeth that we now see. She has gone completely mental. She is sleep walking, talking about washing her hands, she has become so sick in her mind, that it has affected her physical health. Lady Macbeth is so ravaged in her mind by all these deaths that had to happen in order for her to remain with her title, that it has ruined her.
Out, damned spot! Out, I say!—One, two. Why, then, ’tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky!—Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him. (5.1.25-30)
Lady Macbeth is so worried about the deaths of Duncan, Banquo, and Lady Macduff, that she is driven to insanity by them. In actuality she has only been a part of the plot to kill Duncan and none of the others. She is so guilt ridden by the others deaths, that she basically blames it on herself and is just miserable that her and Macbeth’s relationship has just fallen apart.
“The queen, my lord, is dead.” (5.5.16) Lady Macbeth has finally fallen prey to her nefarious actions. She died alone without Macbeth. She in the end felt the most guilt even though she had only been an accomplice to one of her husband’s actions. “She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word.” (5.5.17-18) Macbeth didn’t care that his wife just died. He said it was inevitable, but it was only inevitable because of what they both did for power and their own selfish greed.
Lady Macbeth had it all, glory, loyalty, and most of all the title. What she did not expect to receive is the burden that came with it. They had to constantly work at trying to maintain their title and in the end of the day it was just too much to bear and it ruined them. Lady Macbeth wanted many things, but what she wanted and what she dreamt, were two completely different things.