“His fiend-like queen” Does this seem a fitting judgement of Lady Macbeth? Essay

Upon beginning the play, one number one believes that doll Macbeth does indeed possess the evil, inhumane characteristics of a fiend.Within minutes of reading Macbeths letter, in which he informs her that according to the prophecy of the witches he is a king that shalt be, she contemplates regicide, in the belief that fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have Macbeth crownd withal. though this introductory scene portrays her as fiend-like, despite condemning Macbeth for being too fill o the milk of human kindness, she herself is worried that compunctious vistings of genius will shake her fell purpose of shoot. She then turns to demonic spirits, calling them to fill her from the crown to the toe full of direst cruelty.It is the feminine traits of compassion and fallibility often attributed to women of the Jacobean era that causes to dame Macbeth beg the spirits to unsex her here and take her milk for gall, for womens capacity for cruelty was considered to be inferior to that of men. Lady Macbeth is fully aware of her weaknesses both as a human and especially as a woman that may impede them from the golden round. From this we see that Lady Macbeth is non naturally evil, for she calls upon the supernatural to aid her in the murder they are planning to commit. This is alike shown in terms of language, for Lady Macbeth speaks in iambic pentameter, which conveys the human amount beat. This is in contrast to the non-human, fiendish, witches who use a different verse form. Therefore Lady Macbeths verse shows that not only is she human, she, unlike the demonic, has a heart.Though it is Lady Macbeth, through seductive verse, emotional blackmail and her powers of manipulation, who finally persuades Macbeth to deplete Duncan it must be remembered that murder was not, initially, the idea of Lady Macbeth.It was Macbeth who, on the fulfilment of the first prophecy of the witches, entertains horrible imaginings of murder yet fantastical. As a woman, it is true that Lady Macbeth was only able to achieve success through her maintain and, perhaps, she may have exploited his weaknesses in order to gain power. Nevertheless, from a different perspective, it may appear that Lady Macbeth simply encouraged and supported her husbands ambition, for it is Macbeth himself who satisfies his black and deep desires by killing Duncan.It is also evident that though Lady Macbeth may be fiend-like in word, she appears to be quite human in her actions. For Malcolms judgement on Lady Macbeth seems utterly justified when she talks of the babe that milks her, for she claims that even while it was smiling in her face/ Have seethed her nipple from his boneless gums,/And dashd the brains out, had I so sworn. It follows that fiend-like is a true description of her character, for it is only an evil, inhumane fiend who would murder an innocent and helpless baby.However, Lady Macbeth soon reveals her inconsistency when she confesses that she would have murdered Dunca n had he not resembled her father as he slept. From this comment we see that Lady Macbeth is more humane than she would like to believe. She also claims that she has known how tender tis to spang the babe that milks her. Lady Macbeth has experienced love and this love must still remain, for it is her love for her father that stops her killing Duncan. Therefore Lady Macbeth cannot be fully fiend-like as she possesses the decidedly human quality of love.Paranoia causes Macbeth, against his wifes wishes, to hire murderers to kill his former friend Banquo, and his son Fleance. Lady Macbeth feels that their desire is got without content and begs her husband to leave this when he hints at disposing of Banquo.He ceases to involve his partner of greatness in his plans and she is evidently no eternal dominant in the relationship. Instead Lady Macbeth is now in the position which befitted a Jacobean wife, for, according to prevalent Christian belief, the husband was the head of the family.W hereas Macbeth appears to no longer possess a conscience, Lady Macbeth is plagued by hers. She sleepwalks regularly, for unnatural deeds do breed unnaturaltroubles and is afraid of the dark, having a light by her continually, even carrying a candle whilst sleepwalking. This is in contrast to the time when she called come thick night she is afraid of the darkness which she erstwhile summoned. She, who scorned Macbeth when he feared that regicide will cause them to jump the life to come, now fears eternal damnation. She pleads with the damning guilt to leave her, crying out, out curse spot. In her disturbed sleep she instructs herself to wash your turn over, in the hold that a little water will straighten out them of this deed. However, it is soon clear that Macbeths fear as to whether all great Neptunes ocean wash this blood/Clean from his hand is not unfounded, for Lady Macbeth soon despairs that these hands will neer be clean.Earlier in the play Lady Macbeth is shown to be a m aster of language in her manipulation of Macbeth. Due to her upset state of mind she has lost the ability to speak in verse and instead uses distracted prose. At one point her language breaks down to doggerel, on her remembrance that the Thane of Fife had a wife.Lady Macbeth is no longer aware of her surroundings, as her mind recalls the various murders of Duncan, Banquo and the Macduffs. It is difficult to ascertain whether at times she is public lecture to herself or to Macbeth, for she is evidently in conversation with someone, exactly who is not clear, though she makes one reference to My Lord, Macbeth. Her insanity is also shown by her the inconsistency of her speeches and her heart disregard for chronology, for she abashs the order of the murders as well as the present with the past. Her parting words recognise the hopelessness of her situation, for she knows that whats through with(p) cannot be undone.This also shows that, unlike her husband, Lady Macbeth feels remorse f or their actions. She is sorry that their actions cannot be undone. Macbeth, on the other hand, shows no sign of regret, for he feels that he is in blood/Steppd in so far, that should he wade no more, /Returning were as tedious as go oer. Murder, including that of innocent, women and children are part of course with him. A distraught Lady Macbeth begs No more o that my Lord, no more o that, for memories of the murders serve only to torment her, though it is she who earlier unfeelingly remarked that whats done is done with the belief that things without all remedy/Should be without regard. Her guilt has driven her to near insanity and her conscience is so disturbed as to confuse her mental faculties.Eventually, Lady Macbeth by self and violent hands/Took off her life for Lady Macbeth is unable to bear the burden of guilt any longer and suicide appears to be her only option. According to Jacobean belief, suicide led to certain damnation, and Lady Macbeths untimely end is evidence of her despairing of hope in the next life, for she will now jump the life to come having resigned herself to deep damnation. This, if anything, is proof that Lady Macbeth is not fiend-like. Lady Macbeth regrets their actions, begging her husband to cease his murdering, a sign that unlike her husband, she still possesses a morsel of humanity. Lady Macbeth is by no means evil, for evil has no conscience, whereas the conscience of Lady Macbeth is very much in evidenceAs an audience we witness, through the medium of the stage, the breakdown of Lady Macbeth. We watch her eventual unravelling, from her initial ambitious purposeto murder the king, to her final, desperate act of suicide. We gradually realise, that Malcolm, blinded by the knowledge that Lady Macbeth was instrumental in his fathers death, is too harsh in his judgement of her. By showing signs of remorse, not to mention an unwillingness to kill Duncan and an inability to be cruel without aid, Lady Macbeth proves that she has no t the evil of a fiend. She is for sure not without conscience, having been tortured by guilt, nor is she without feeling, for she has known how tender tis to love. I conclude, therefore, that though Lady Macbeth is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a gentle wench, she is certainly no fiend. Though, at the beginning of the play she may have appeared to be as evil and inhumane as a fiend, by its closing, she is seen to be a wretched, desolate woman who deserves our pity.