CA English

' Every author or playwright has a distinct ‘voice’; how they apply their words through expression and the use of language. This is how we [the audience or reader], can tell the difference between Lady Macbeth’s personality and ambitions, and the woman in the Laboratory’s. Robert Browning has chosen the medium of poem, and Shakespeare is a playwright. Although very different forms of literature, both writers manage to convey solid characters through their own methods. For instance, Lady Macbeth is strong willed; an example of this is when she persuades her husband to kill King Duncan, and when he hesitates at the thought, she says ‘…we’ll not fail!’ This gives Macbeth the assurance he needs to go on, showing he also respects his wife and trusts her judgement, or that he is slightly scared of her – she is a formidable character, ‘…infirm of purpose…’. We can also say the lady in the Laboratory is also exceptionally motivated, wanting to kill her lovers new girlfriend, ‘…say ‘no!’, to that pulses… come-and-go’. She is also an intimidating character, ‘…quick – is it finished?’

We can see that Lady Macbeth and the woman in the Laboratory are very similar people, but with dissimilar situations – the Laboratory lady isn’t striving to be Queen and Lady Macbeth does not want to kill Macbeth. However, they both don’t mind killing other people ‘…should drop dead…’, and are both driven by love and determination ‘…screw your courage to the sticking place...’. To add to this, they are both dangerously jealous of other people – King Duncan for Lady Macbeth, as she wants to be Queen and Macbeth King, and the girlfriend of the woman in the Laboratory’s lover, as she wants to be with him and not her.

When we, as the audience/reader, first meet Lady Macbeth she is reading a letter sent to her, from Macbeth. The letter is about Macbeths meeting with the three ‘…weird sisters…’, [or the witches, as they are later known as]. He goes on to tell her about their prophecies they