In the play 'Macbeth' by William Shakespeare, the evil, ambitious and hard qualities possessed by the protagonist Lady Macbeth, were important in contributing to the overall impact of the play, as the rise and fall in her character, could also be compared to the rise and fall of the reign of her husband, Macbeth, as the usurping king of Scotland. However, towards the end, we see that Lady Macbeth is not the same character she was at the beginning of this play.
Upon finding that her husband, Macbeth, had been given the title "thane of Cawdor" which was predicted by the three "weird sisters," she also finds out in the letter, that these sisters greeted her husband with "Hail King that shalt be!" Macbeth hints his thoughts and she discovers his ambition of becoming king. "Thou mightst not lose the dues of rejoicing by being ignorant of what greatness is promised thee." Here Lady Macbeth pictures herself as the queen; thus, her ambitious nature is also awakened. She can then help her husband with committing the "deed", as she fears that "he is full of the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way." She knows that he is not confident in carrying out the murder of the present king, Duncan, in order to fulfill his ambition. So she takes it as her responsibility to help him have what he "esteemst [as] the ornament of life." She calls on the evil spirits to "unsex her" and fill her from "the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty." Therefore, she rids herself of all human emotions, and becomes a hard and evil woman who is void of all feelings.
Upon Macbeth's arrival, we see how she cajoles him into the murder by talking to him of how it shall be done: "when Duncan is asleep . his two chamberlains will I with wine and wassail- Macbeth is uncertain but his wife is determined. "O never shall sun that morrow see!" He thinks upon the consequences of such a deed: " that we but teach bloody instructions which being taught, return to plague the inventor.
