Lady Macbeth's Emotional Manipulation

Women have not always had the respect and equality they have today. In Shakespearian times women were often regarded as insignificant beings with the sole purpose of bearing children, especially sons. They were never seen as intelligent or equal to men. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth challenges social norms and plays the role of the most influential person in Macbeth’s life. She uses her position as Macbeth’s wife to gain power and persuade Macbeth to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth’s overt ambition to become Queen and her emotional manipulation of Macbeth ultimately causes her husband to commit regicide. When Lady Macbeth is first introduced into the play, her ambitious nature is quite evident. Her desire for power and disregard
Lady Macbeth uses guilt as a method of manipulation by making Macbeth feel as though he owes her for breaking their trust and changing his mind about killing the King. Lady Macbeth then continues by saying “When you durst do it, then you were a man,” stating that until Macbeth kills Duncan he will not be considered a real man. Against the backdrop of consistent pressure and emotional manipulation applied by Lady Macbeth, Macbeth finally decides to kill the King. In the first two acts of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Lady Macbeth shows herself to be a formidable woman with aspirations and a plan. She is clear about her desire to become Queen of Scotland and by way of her internal conversation, she plans her manipulation. By knowingly manipulating Macbeth and applying consistent pressure, Lady Macbeth executes her plan. She encourages Macbeth to see killing King Duncan as the only logical next step to fulfill the prophecy. Lady Macbeth’s intent, blatant disregard for life, and emotional manipulation of her husband make her morally responsible for the murder of King