Manipulation in Macbeth Essay Example

Throughout the play ‘Macbeth’, Shakespeare uses a variety of language to demonstrate the themes of strength and weakness and persuasion. One example of this is the scene in which Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan. In this scene, Lady Macbeth uses a varsity of language, questioning his bravery and masculinity, to persuade Macbeth to kill King Duncan. In this scene, Lady Macbeth rejects her feminine nature as she attempts to convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan by saying that she would kill her own child If she had sworn to Macbeth that she would as Macbeth had sworn to her that he would kill King Duncan so that he could become King. Lady Macbeth shows both strengths and weakness throughout the play. She demonstrates strength when she persuades Macbeth to kill King Duncan, showing her strength and her ambition to become queen. Lady Macbeth also shows weakness when, at the end of the play, she can no longer bear the guilt of being responsible for the death of King Duncan and kills herself. The actions of Lady Macbeth have a very important impact on the play. If she had not persuaded Macbeth to kill King Duncan, the outcome of the play would have been very different. If Lady Macbeth had not persuaded Macbeth to kill the King, it is likely that several other deaths would not have occurred also, including the deaths of Banquo and Macbeth. Therefore, the actions of Lady Macbeth had a very important impact on the play. 

One scene in which Lady Macbeth shows her manipulative nature and the power that she has over Macbeth is Act 1 Scene 7. In this scene, Lady Macbeth shows strength as she persuades Macbeth to honour his oath to her and to kill King Duncan. In this scene, Lady Macbeth uses a range of language to persuade Macbeth, questioning his bravery and masculinity if he does not go through with the agreement to kill King Duncan. When Macbeth says that he will “proceed no further” with the plan to kill King Duncan, Lady Macbeth immediately begins to try and manipulate him into proceeding with the plan. When Macbeth says that he will not kill King Duncan, Lady Macbeth questions his “love” for her. By saying this, Lady Macbeth is attempting to emotionally manipulate Macbeth. She is suggesting that if Macbeth loved her, he would kill King Duncan for her. She suggests that, if Macbeth refuses to kill King Duncan, he is demonstrating to her that he no longer loves her. This demonstrates Lady Macbeth’s manipulative nature. 

Lady Macbeth goes on to ask if Macbeth is “afeard” at the thought of killing King Duncan and asks if he is prepared to “live a coward” by refusing to kill King Duncan. By saying these things, Lady Macbeth is questioning Macbeth’s courage and bravery. She is suggesting that, if Macbeth refuses to kill King Duncan, he will always be a coward. She suggests that the reason why Macbeth has refused to kill the King is that he is too afraid to do so. This shows how manipulative Lady Macbeth is as suggesting to a soldier that he is a coward would be a terrible insult. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth was described as a brave warrior and bravery is an incredibly important quality to soldiers. By calling Macbeth a coward, Lady Macbeth is questioning his bravery and valiance. These would be very important qualities to Macbeth, and being called a coward by his wife would be very troubling for Macbeth. Lady Macbeth uses the importance of bravery and the dishonour of cowardice to a soldier like Macbeth to persuade and manipulate Macbeth. 

Lady Macbeth also questions Macbeth’s masculinity by saying that he was a “man” when he agreed to kill King Duncan and that he would be “so much more the man” if he killed Kung Duncan. By saying this, Lady Macbeth is suggesting to Macbeth that he will no longer be a man if he does not agree to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth questions his masculinity, as well as his courage and bravery, suggesting that he will be a coward and no longer a man if he does not go through with his promise to Lady Macbeth that he would kill King Duncan and become King. Lady Macbeth also says that Macbeth would be “more the man” if he agreed to kill King Duncan. This may make Macbeth believe that Lady Macbeth will always see him as a coward and not as a real man if he does not agree to go through with the plan to kill King Duncan. It suggests that the only way to shows that he isn’t a coward is by killing King Duncan. This may make Macbeth feel as though he has to kill King Duncan to prove his courage and masculinity to Lady Macbeth. 

Lady Macbeth also says that she would “[dash] the brains out” of her own child “has [she] so sworn”. Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth that she would be prepared to kill her own child if she had sworn to Macbeth that she would. This suggests that Lady Macbeth is saying that she values her relationship with Macbeth more than anything else, even more than the life of her own child, and would be prepared to do anything for him. She’s exploits her relationship with Macbeth, saying that she would do anything for Macbeth and making him feel as though he has to kill King Duncan for her. This is also an example of how Lady Macbeth rejects her feminine nature as she says she would be prepared to kill her own child, suggesting a lack of maternal instinct. It also suggests that she rejects all aspects of femininity that could be perceived as weakness by some people. 

By the end of Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth has once again agreed to kill King Duncan. This emphasises the strength of Lady Macbeth and the influence that she has over Macbeth. This shows her strength as she has succeeded in persuading Macbeth to kill King Duncan. This shows that she knows how to manipulate Macbeth into doing what she wants him to do. This also shows strength of character as, unlike Macbeth, Lady Macbeth never wavered from her decision that killing King Duncan was the best course of action. She did not change her decision and did not decide to go back on her word or to not go through with the plan. This suggests that she is a strong and decisive person with the ability to persuade others to do what she wants them to do. 

Lady Macbeth is also shown as being a strong and manipulative character in other sections of the play. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth manipulates and controls Macbeth, persuading him to do what she wants him to. Lady Macbeth was the one who thought of the plan to kill King Duncan so that Macbeth could become King and she could become queen. She manipulates Macbeth and persuades him to agree to killing King Duncan, showing her strength and the influence that she has over Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has a great deal of control over Macbeth and knows how to manipulate him. This suggests that she is a strong character as she is able to persuade others that she is right and that they should do as she says. 

In conclusion, Lady Macbeth uses a range of language to manipulate her hips and into doing what she wants him to do. Lady Macbeth insults and belittles Macbeth, calling him a coward and questioning his masculinity. She questions their relationship and if he truly loves her. She says that she would be prepared to kill her own child for him while questioning if he even loves her. She uses a combination of emotional manipulation and insults to Macbeth’s pride to persuade him that she is correct and to manipulate him into going through with the agreement to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth plays a very important role in the play ‘Macbeth’ as she convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan, one of the most important events in the play which also led to a number of other key events in the play. If Macbeth had not killed the King, the outcome of the play would have been very different. It is likely that, if the King had not been killed, there would have been no battle between Macbeth and Macduff, and several deaths including those of Banquo and Macbeth would never have occurred. Therefore, Lady Macbeth played a key role in the play because, if she had not convinced Macbeth to kill King Duncan, he would not have done it and the play would have been very different. Lady Macbeth is an important female in literature as she represents themes and attributes that are not often associated with women, and particularly not of female characters written at this time. Lady Macbeth rejects her feminine nature, it is likely that she does this as she sees it as a weakness. Lady Macbeth instead shows strength, decisiveness and power over other characters in the play. Lady Macbeth is perceived by the audience as a strong and decisive character with power over other characters in the play and the ability to manipulate them easily into doing what she wants them to do. Lady Macbeth is a strong character as she is intelligent, decisive and cunning. At the time when the play ‘Macbeth’ was written, men were seen as stronger or more capable than women. It is likely that Lady Macbeth’s rejection of her femininity and feminine nature is a way of showing strength that was not often associated with women at this time. Therefore, Lady Macbeth is a strong character.