Act
I, scene 5, II. 12/15-27/30 magnifies the evil personality of Lady
Macbeth.
After reading a letter from her beloved husband, she muses
over the possibility of his kingship, and she begins to reflect upon
his “gutless” nature. Her horrendous nature soon defiles in her
mind her husband's image until he is a weak link to her plan: She
understands that he would never hurt another in cold blood, as he
will always appeal to heaven and therefore, he must be controlled.
Knowing that he will not even lie to benefit their cause in becoming
rulers, she decides to pursue manipulation of Macbeth so that
gentleness will engender great evil. To the play, this is the turning
point where Lady Macbeth becomes the voice of the antagonist—evil
itself; her charm is sure to confuse and persuade the man with a
crowning choice (Macbeth).
Characterization is direly developed at this point as Lady Macbeth seems to almost personify the evil that will soon plague Macbeth's ultimate decision, thus showing that a beautiful appearance may conceal a hideous and demonic core. Her development as a critical character draws hatred from a wary audience. In this passage, the idea that one decision can change good into bad is reflected and then amplified and reveals the effects upon Macbeth's decision in evilness as well as the weakness in human nature towards greed. Lady Macbeth is truly characterized and then composed into the antagonist's voice at this juncture.
Characterization is direly developed at this point as Lady Macbeth seems to almost personify the evil that will soon plague Macbeth's ultimate decision, thus showing that a beautiful appearance may conceal a hideous and demonic core. Her development as a critical character draws hatred from a wary audience. In this passage, the idea that one decision can change good into bad is reflected and then amplified and reveals the effects upon Macbeth's decision in evilness as well as the weakness in human nature towards greed. Lady Macbeth is truly characterized and then composed into the antagonist's voice at this juncture.
Hi Abigail :)
ReplyDeleteYour blog is simply AWESOME! The deep red roses feel ambiguous-love that! They represent deep love, passion, desire; so enigmatic-perfect for Lady Macbeth, yes?
Your analysis of her character is done well :) A broader discussion of her often includes how we see her as evil because she is so determined to achieve power; however, a man with the same desires would most often not be characterized as evil-what adjectives would you use to describe the character of this passage had it been a male?
With regards to character analysis, you will improve your responses if you always use very specific-and more than one-references to words/phrases directly from the passage. For example, we understand that she realizes she will have to persuade him to take action, but she states she will "chastise with the valour of my tongue." "Valour" has such positive connotation-brave, courageous, yes? The word "chastise" is actually a form of the archaic, chasten-to inflict pain for moral improvement. Hmm . . . what could you read into her character with this in mind?
One caution with regards to play analysis; You should avoid using terms like "turning point" unless it is accurate. Shakespeare's plays employ a formula as follows: Act I, exposition (people/problem); Act II, rising action; Act III, turning point; Act IV, falling action; and Act V, climax and resolution.
With regards to GRUMPS (grammar, usage, mechanics, punctuation, syntax-sentence structure), your writing is fantastic: Great word choice, and I enjoy your varied syntax-you are a WONDERFUL writer :)