Is Lady Macbeth the epitome of evil?

We are introduced to Lady Macbeth with her reading a letter sent by her husband, telling her of the witches’ prophecies. It is the first time the audience sees Lady Macbeth and it is important as it gives us our first impressions of her. Reading aloud allows the audience to see her true character straight away revealing her cruel and cold nature. She is determined to persuade Macbeth to act on the supernatural prophecies knowing his nature “Is too full o’th’milk of human kindness” and any sympathy the audience may have is directed towards Macbeth rather than his wife. She, too, is intensely ambitious, and cannot bear to even mention the kingship directly only saying “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promis’d”

There are immediate connections to evil when Lady Macbeth says “The Raven himself is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan” This bird imagery symbolises an omen and we see that Lady Macbeth feels no remorse or guilt about her thoughts on killing Duncan. The audience is aware of her sense of sole responsibility and control by the

Many lines suggest that Lady Macbeth believed she would kill the king herself “Come, thick night, / That my keen knife see not the wound it makes” but in the end it is Lady Macbeth who has some sort of finer feelings about Duncan saying “Had he not resembled / My father as he slept, I had done’t” and this touch of humanity may allow the audience to feel a certain amount of sympathy for her.

words “Under my battlements” which show that she is now supremely firm in her purpose. Her speech continues and she seems to evoke evil by reiterating the word “Come” which is addressed to darker powers.

The audience’s feelings of loathing towards her may be softened when she starts to lose her mind, but not even the dismal loss of grace and power can make the audience emphasise with her. There are moments in the play where her vulnerability and naiveté changes our stern outlook towards her, but because of the chain of events that led from her plan to murder Duncan, she can easily be regarded as the epitome of evil and an inhuman figure.

After Duncan’s murder, Lady Macbeth regains control over her husband and ensures he is dressed in the appropriate nightwear to avoid suspicion and has washed any blood off himself. Ironically, towards the end of the play, Lady Macbeth becomes obsessed with imaginary blood all over her hands that she thinks no water will be able to wash off: “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.”

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