Lady Macbeth is an ambitious and ruthless woman who desires power and status. She appears stronger and more callous than Macbeth as she manipulates him to assassinate Duncan. However, as the bloodshed continues, her guilty conscience becomes more affected than Macbeth’s. Unlike Macbeth, who grows insensitive to the murders that he has committed, she descends into madness and (apparently) commits suicide as she becomes less capable to withstand the horrors of her crime.
Lady Macbeth’s ambition and ruthlessness is evident when she asks for the spirits to “unsex [her]” so her “manliness” will give her strength to be cruel and perform murder of Duncan without remorse and compassion. Her strength of purpose is in contrast to Macbeth’s “nature” as he is “is too full ‘o the milk of human kindness”1.4 p45” to commit murder. This is confirmed later by Macbeth’s admission that his only motive for the murder of Duncan is his …show more content…
He instigated the murder of Banquo and Macduff’s family without egging from Lady Macbeth. He rationalises that the witches’ equivocation meant that he cannot be killed by one who is “woman born”; and he cannot be defeated until the “Birnam wood [moves]”. At Dunsinane facing defeat, he shows indifference and insensitivity to the horror cries of women caught in battle, citing that being instigator of much slaughter in his life horror doesn’t frighten him anymore. After receiving the news of death of Lady Macbeth, he reflects on the value of life and the inevitability of death. He regards people are as just “poor players” in life who fret around on life’s stage and when they die they are “heard no more”. He considers all his actions including murder are just part acting on life’s stage and have no consequences. Even facing crisis and defeat, Macbeth shows no remorse or