How Far Does Shakespeare Present Lady Macbeth As a Dominating Character

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William Shakespeare's timeless play ‘Macbeth’ was written in the early 1600’s. The themes include Good vs Bad, and the danger of ambition which is deeply explored throughout the play. Shakespeare touches upon the influence of the supernatural and the lying contrast between loyalty and guilt. The protagonist of the play is Macbeth- the scottish general and the Thane of Glamis. Macbeth was an extremely respectable member of society. He was seen as a brave and noble man . Prior to her death, Queen Elizabeth I funded all of Shakespeare's theatrical works, it was this financial support that enabled Shakespeare to thrive and prosper as successful playwright.

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Therefore it was crucial for Shakespeare's longevity as an infamous writer that his plays appealed to King James I in order for him to continue to fund Shakespeare's endeavors. King James had a strong belief in witchcraft, thus Shakespeare included wide aspects of witchcraft in ‘Macbeth’. Lady Macbeth embodies elements of all the blatant themes of Macbeth such as power and ambition- as she is desperate to overthrow King Duncan and become royalty to the throne.

Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a dominating character , as the playrite constantly portrays her as someone ahead of her time. During Elizabithen times, women were viewed as inferior to men and were believed to only be useful in doing household chores. Once married a woman's body and her possessions automatically belonged to her husband as if they were just an accessory. However, Lady Macbeth is equal to her husband and is respected by him .

“Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with the valor of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round.” Shakespeare uses this contrast to demonstrate that despite women being considered weaker , Lady Macbeth's approach to achieving her goals were just as effective. Shakespeare stresses the pronouns ‘I’ and ‘My’ in the iambic pentameter of the verse to further exhibit that Lady macbeth will be the one and only to push her husband into the murder. Unlike most women, she was not tender and did not have maternal qualities. This is evident in the quote “ I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out.” This tells the audience that Lady Macbeth is ruthless and evil. The use of the phrase ‘dashed its brains out’ insinuates how aggressive she is to the point where she would kill her own child in order to get what she wants. This is an extremely shocking idea for any mother to admit, which shows that Lady Macbeth was not the ideal woman of the time and opposed to the morals and characteristics of motherhood during the 16th and 17th century.

Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a dominating character by showing that she has the power to manipulate Macbeth. She is power hungry and devious. This is demonstrated in Act 1 Scene 7. “Was the hope drunk?, Wherein you dressed yourself? Hath it slept since? And wake it now, to look so green and pale.” This quote shows Lady Macbeth attempting to persuade Macbeth into going through with the plan to kill King Duncan and take the throne. She manipulates him by making him feel like he wasn't in the right mind frame to go through with such a heinous act. This is exemplified when Lady Macbeth says “Was the hope drunk.” This tells us that she thought that it would've been impossible for Macbeth to agree to such a risky plan. Shakespeare is presenting to the audeince that Lady Macbeth doesnt think that her husband has the courage or bravery to go through with the murder and suggests that he wasnt himself when agreeing to the plan. She uses a rhetorical question because ‘Was the hope drunk’ she doesn't expect an answer from him because she already knows what he is going to say- and believes him to be weak and inferior.

Lady Macbeth is trying to force him to confront the issue he is hoping to avoid and to admit to himself and to her that he doesn't have the steeliness or the tenacity to slay King Duncan. Thus making him feel insecure and small, which shows that Lady Macbeth was extremely manipulative and was driven by power. She used all means necessary in order to get ahead and questioned Macbeth's manhood, making herself seem superior to him- as though she was the ‘man’ in the relationship. This is proven in the quote “When you durst do it, then you were a man. And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man.” She attacks his masculinity in the hopes that he will prosper and thrive into a alter ego willing to butcher King Duncan.