Lady Macbeth's Madness
The strive for power can be an addictive drug. Once someone has a small taste of power, it gets more and more addictive, and what do all addicts do to get their next fix? Absolutely anything. William Shakespeare demonstrates this very well in the play Macbeth. The way that Macbeth gets his power is by his wife’s own thirst for power. His wife, Lady Macbeth, is able to make Macbeth do whatever it takes to get to the top through manipulation and exploitation. One way that Lady Macbeth is able to get him to do what she wants is by questioning his willingness to go through with his plan. In the drama, Macbeth’s enthusiasm fluctuates between the eagerness to receive power and the hesitation on what he must do to be able to get the power. At the
end of act I, Lady Macbeth interrogates her husband’s eagerness, asking, “’Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?’” (Shakespeare, I, vii, 39-40). Lady Macbeth was questioning her husband’s plan, asking him if he was drunk when he came up with the arrangement. Lady Macbeth is trying to prompt Macbeth to go through with the plan by questioning his virility and willingness to do what it takes to get the power. The Lady Macbeth is manipulating Macbeth to motivate him to get what he deserves. This is just one of the many reasons why Lady Macbeth is a powerful influencing force on Macbeth.
end of act I, Lady Macbeth interrogates her husband’s eagerness, asking, “’Was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?’” (Shakespeare, I, vii, 39-40). Lady Macbeth was questioning her husband’s plan, asking him if he was drunk when he came up with the arrangement. Lady Macbeth is trying to prompt Macbeth to go through with the plan by questioning his virility and willingness to do what it takes to get the power. The Lady Macbeth is manipulating Macbeth to motivate him to get what he deserves. This is just one of the many reasons why Lady Macbeth is a powerful influencing force on Macbeth.