The Psychological State Of Mind Of Lady Macbeth Essay, Research Paper

In the tradgy Macbeth the are many different characters that can be analyzed. Many characters said one thing or acted one way but felt something else. This is common among many people today. But one character that really stood out to me was Lady Macbeth.

Lady Macbeth was a very confused person. She wanted so much for her husband and would do almost anything so that he would become king. Macbeth wasn’t as out going or neurotic as Lady Macbeth. He was more of a timid and quiet person. The first major event that Lady Macbeth takes on is when she realizes Duncan will be visiting Inverness. “She must immediately sense that she must encourage Macbeth ‘to catch the nearest way’- that is, she must encourage him to murder the king at the soonest opportunity.”(Calandra 18) Lady Macbeth is planning to kill Duncan without thinking of the consequences. She is very confused and is actually scared. However, she wants her husband, Macbeth, to be king and refuses to let anything stop her. Her mind is set now and she has become very determined to get what she wants. Lady Macbeth has to be stern and become his controller. “Lady Macbeth immediately launches into a soliloquy on her husband’s ambition to be great, revealing he concerns about certain weaknesses in his character which, she thinks might impede his climb to further greatness.” (Calandra 18) At this point she is just beginning her climb to insanity, weather she knows it or not.

During act 1, scene 7, Lady Macbeth begins to get angry inside. She is mad because Macbeth has left the king’s table. “She will have none of his procrastination and excuses and she will not accept his wishing to enjoy his new honors awhile longer before he murders the man who bestowed them on him.” (Calandra 22) She has Macbeth scared and worried so she has nothing else to do but scare him and piss him off. At this time she has so much anger inside that is just making her plans to kill Duncan even stronger. It has become an obsession that she won’t let go until it is carried out. “Lady Macbeth is made of sterner stuff than her husband.” (Wright ) They now go on to kill Duncan. The plan was all set up and everything was ready. Even waiting for his she is anxious and concerned. Macbeth gives her the news of Duncan’s death. She is very nervous inside and it is finally hitting her that she has carried out a murder.

From this point on she becomes more and more obsessed with reaching for her goals of Macbeth to become king. Mentally she is very unstable. She is realizing that she has more people to take care of in order for him to get the position. Lady Macbeth is so determined that she says she’d rather sacrifice her own child rather than fail to pursue their murderous intentions. All her values and morals have escaped from her mind and been forgotten. Her mind was set on this goal and there wasn’t going to be anything to get in the way of it. Although she is scared and tense, she hides those feelings to go on with her plan. Unfortunately, she doesn’t think too much about the consequences of getting caught for murder.

At this point Macbeth is worried, frightened, nervous, neurotic, scared, and weak. She pushes him so much that it makes him angry. This was exactly what she wanted him to do. Her manipulative ways gets even more people murdered. Because he is so scared he goes along with her and plans out the rest of the murders. He has now become stronger and takes over. “He plans the murder of Banquo without her knowledge and even when she is told vaguely of his intention she appears but little interested.”(Bradley 344)