In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare constructs Lady Macbeth as someone who we view as controlling and, to a certain extent, conscienceless. Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband, Macbeth, into murdering King Duncan, in a bid to obtain the Scottish throne. The majority of the upcoming evidence is from Act 2: Scene 2, in which Macbeth has just slain the King.
At the start of Act 2: Scene 2, Shakespeare’s choice of language helps construct Lady Macbeth’s controlling nature. Lady Macbeth proclaims, ‘That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold’. She has been drinking with Duncan’s guards, who will later be framed by Lady Macbeth as the killers of Duncan. Her use of the word ‘bold’, links to the gender stereotypes of the Jacobean Era; men were considered strong and courageous. By having Lady Macbeth use the term ‘bold’, Shakespeare reverses the gender stereotype, building the image of someone who is in charge and in control. This ploy works so well in Macbeth, because it is unique to the plays of Shakespeare’s time.
Lady Macbeth is made to seem even more controlling when she interrupts Macbeth midway through the scene. Macbeth speaks of his fear that someone has witnessed the murder, but he is cut short by his wife. ‘What do you mean?’ questions Lady Macbeth, wishing for him to get to the point. This action portrays Lady Macbeth as the leader of the murder plot and of their relationship. This further reinforces the reverse of gender stereotypes, with Lady Macbeth being the ‘man’ of the relationship.
Throughout the scene, Lady Macbeth remains in control. When Macbeth looks upon his bloodied hands, which carry the daggers that killed the King, and says ‘This is a sorry sight’, Lady Macbeth instantly challenges he husband, ‘A foolish thought to say a sorry sight’. Lady Macbeth believes that Macbeth is acting foolishly and that he is incorrect to bemoan his decision, after all, they are now in a position from which they can seize power. By overruling Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is made to seem conscienceless by Shakespeare; Macbeth claims that it is a ‘sorry sight’, the word sorry implying that he is feeling guilty for what he has done. With Lady Macbeth saying that it is not a ‘sorry sight’, Shakespeare makes her seem as if she feels no guilt and that she does not have a conscience to listen to.
Lady Macbeth’s portrayal as a cold-hearted human, ignorant to their own conscience. She suggests that they can escape the ramifications of murdering the King of Scotland by fetching ‘some water’ to wash away their actions. This also adds to her control; she uses the imperative, telling Macbeth to ‘go get’ water. By suggesting that they can rid themselves of this business, Shakespeare makes Lady Macbeth seem oblivious to her conscience and to an extent, conscienceless. This lack of conscience comes from when she requests the spirits to cover the ‘wound’ of her knife, referring to the, then, upcoming murder, with the ‘dunnest smokes of hell’. This is Lady Macbeth asking for the shrouding of her conscience. The fact that she asks for this, is Shakespeare making her seem as if she is the fourth witch in the play, which is interesting because the people of Jacobean Britain believed that witches lived amongst regular people.
In conclusion, Shakespeare constructs his character, Lady Macbeth, as a cold-hearted, leader of events. Shakespeare does this by using language related to power and the imperative in Lady Macbeth’s speach, as well as the in-charge manner in which Lady Macbeth’s speaks to her husband. The reversal of gender stereotypes in this section of the play would be an interesting prospect for potential audiences of Shakespeare’s time; a controlling woman in those times was unnatural, adding to the supernatural theme of Shakespeare’s work and creating an oxymoronic series of events.
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