Lady Macbeth 's Role in Shakespeare's Macbeth

Macbeth is William Shakespeare’s shortest play but arguably the most intense in terms of actions and different human personalities. Macbeth is about a bloody rise to power and the tragic downfall of an honoured soldier - Macbeth; already a well-known warrior of his time in Scotland , he receives a prophecy stating that he would be King by three witches and kills the reigning king to get to that position. His wife (Lady Macbeth), being a strong force of persuasion and a culprit in the murder, he is also aware that the second prophecy that claims Banquo – his friend- sons would become Kings could be a threat to him and therefore eliminates Banquo but fails to kill his son. At the end, Macbeth is “…slained…” by Macduff and Lady Macbeth becomes a sleepwalker, both of whom face nightmares and hallucinations of the murders they committed. As aforementioned, Lady Macbeth has a strong influence on Macbeth’s decisions and this is could be because of her evil driven ambitions, manipulative nature and her authority in the household.
Lady Macbeth’s opening scene shows her ambitions and her deepest desires. In Act 1, Scene 5 (Line 41- 43) she says “Come you spirits….fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty…”. This could be a pun; it could refer to filling from the head to toe or as a queen’s crown which demonstrates Lady Macbeth’s thirst for the throne. She also commands “spirits” to “come” which means she has a dark side or rather a witchy side to her which is in contrast with people of her time, who believed strongly in God and viewed witchcraft in a negative light. We also hear of spirits in Line 26 “pour my spirits in thine ear…”, which could also mean she is in touch with the spiritual world and doesn’t mind the art of black magic, additionally, she wants to put her natural femininity aside so she can do any deed necessary to get the throne. Furthermore, her evil driven ambitions is portrayed by her speech again in Line 64-65 of Act 1, Scene 5