Macbeth And Lady Macbeth Switch Roles Essay, Research Paper

Throughout the play “Macbeth”, two of the main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth gradually exchange roles. Macbeth is the kind, caring one of the two in the beginning, but completely changes as the play goes on, as with Lady Macbeth. She starts out as an evil, vicious beast. She is an evil woman who is bond and determined to kill Duncan. At the end of the play this character feels guilt for what she has done and has taken the personality, which was that of her husband in the beginning.At the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth speaks and shows her shows how cruel and heartless she really is; “And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty”. This shows she has no good in her, what so ever. Macbeth on the other hand, began as a good respectable character. When Lady Macbeth speaks of killing Duncan, he gives many reasons for reasons that he could not do so. Some of the reasons he gives in that speech are, that Duncan respects him, and trusts Macbeth. Duncan is also related to him by blood, and if he were to kill him he would never be able to rid himself of the guilt; wash the blood from his hands.At the climax of the play Macbeth makes plans to kill Banquo, with out Lady Macbeth, without anyone. This is a turning point because up until now, Macbeth was a respectable man, who didn’t feel the need to kill for the crown. But suddenly he decides he is going to go against everything he has believed in up till now.As the play comes to an end, Macbeth has gone mad. He kills Macduff’s whole family, all the children, and even the young, innocent babies. He loses control and doesn’t care about anyone or anything. He is now pure evil.Lady Macbeth has now realized her wrong doings. She realizes how cold and dark she once was. She now wants to carry a candle with her at all times, to have the light with her always. She is now trying to get the stench of blood off her hands, but is unsuccessful. The guilt of murdering Duncan eats away at her. She gets to a point in which she can’t take the guilt any longer, and she commits suicide.Inconclusively, Lady Macbeth transforms from the masculine character we meet in the beginning, to a more feminine, caring, and is actually ashamed of her previous actions. Macbeth on the other hand started out with morals and a conscious that helped him do the right thing and then is transformed into an evil character who is heartless in who’s lives he takes. All in all, these two characters switch roles throughout the play.