Why Does Shakespeare Use Pathos In Macbeth

Using the art of rhetoric, Lady Macbeth persuaded Macbeth to kill King Duncan and a few other characters. Anytime Macbeth had a doubt in his mind, she would easily manipulate him with her words. The words Lady Macbeth told her husband partly set the tragic events of this play in motion. In scene I act VII of “Macbeth”, Lady Macbeth specifically uses Pathos, Ethos, and Logos in order to get the response that she wants.

The scene starts out with Macbeth pondering about whether their plan to murder the king is a good idea. He knows that he should be a loyal subject, have honor, and treat his guests with better care. Macbeth reasons that King Duncan has been a great king who cares about his country and there is no reason for him to be put to death. When Lady Macbeth enters, Macbeth tells her he has second thoughts. Noticeably surprised, she starts out using Pathos which is appeal based on emotion. Lady Macbeth tries to draw an emotional response from Macbeth by asking him if he would rather see himself as a coward and let “I dare not” come before “I would”. Once Macbeth responds, he says he will do what he should as a man. Lady Macbeth challenges his words by saying that if he were a man, something like killing the king should be easy.
She talks of nursing a baby, loving the baby, and seeing it smiling. However, Lady Macbeth goes on to say that despite this, she would easily kill the child if she had the chance that Macbeth was getting. Although Lady Macbeth uses ethos in a negative way, she still brings up character, and compares her supposed situation to Macbeth's situation. In other words, Lady Macbeth is saying that if it's so easy for her to kill someone, then Macbeth should have no problem killing Duncan. Although Lady Macbeth's character is one of manipulation and deceit, she is still able to use