The Transformation of Lord and Lady Macbeth

Madi Lambert

Macbeth Paper

Mrs. Malone

14 April 2015        

The Transformation of Lord and Lady Macbeth

        Shakespeare's Macbeth is a tragic play about two people who stretch to the farthest lengths and even murder to obtain the royal crown. Lord and Lady Macbeth have many moral differences when the play begins, however, their roles reverse as the play progresses. 

        Lord and Lady Macbeth both display great ambition when they hear the witches prophesies but, their ambitions drive them in different directions. Although Macbeth desires the crown, he is very loyal to his cousin King Duncan. He is a war hero, who owns much land and is loved by all. Lady Macbeth is the complete opposite; she has always been evil and power seeking. She calls on evil spirits to make her sexless so that she will have the heart to kill King Duncan. She creates an evil plan for Duncan’s murder and shares it with her husband.

This gives Macbeth a hunger for power and begins in inward battle in his mind about whether or not he should kill the king.

        When it is time to kill the King, Lord and Lady Macbeth begin to change. Lady Macbeth starts to get a conscience because she cannot kill the king due to him looking like her father in his sleep. Macbeth compromises his morals and performs the evil deed. Not only does Macbeth kill the king but he adds to the plan by killing the guards. Lady Macbeth is shocked at Macbeth's deeds to the point that she faints. This is the main time in the play were the most change occurs in both characters. 

        As the play goes on Macbeth takes on the role of planning evil deeds while Lady Macbeth is only an innocent bystander. Macbeth is aware of his evilness because he says “I am in blood. Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (3.4.135–137) This is Macbeth’s way of saying that he is only going to keep murdering until he gets the ending result. Macbeth displays his ultimate act of evilness by ordering the death of Banquo. After Banquo is killed Macbeth murders the innocent wife and children of Macduff.

        Even though Macbeth does not feel the guilt of his murders Lady Macbeth is dealing with her guilt in a unique way. She is sleepwalking and being observed by a doctor. Lady Macbeth is so guilty that even her sleep is disrupted. She says “ Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. O, O, O!” (5.1.50-52) Macbeth wanted the doctor to heal Lady Macbeth and take away her guilt but in reality the murder of Duncan is something she will deal with for the rest of her life. In the end of the play, the audience sees the final result of Lady Macbeth’s guilt through her personal suicide. Macbeth does not sympathize with Lady Macbeth’s conviction because he feels no guilt. Macbeth’s heart is so dark that he is called evil by the witches. The witches say upon his arrival,“By the pricking of my thumb something wicked this way comes” (4.1.45)