lady macbeth persuasive moves essay

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Lady Macbeth as a Powerful Female Character in Shakespeare's Macbeth

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Published: Nov 19, 2018

Words: 1912 | Page: 1 | 10 min read

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Introduction, the power of lady macbeth, works cited.

• Bradley, A. C. (2008). Shakespearean tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth. Penguin Classics.
• Cavell, S. (2005). Disowning knowledge in seven plays of Shakespeare. Cambridge University Press.
• Garber, M. (2010). Shakespeare's Ghost Writers: Literature as Uncanny Causality. Routledge.
• Greenblatt, S. (2018). Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Howard, J. E. (2003). Shakespeare's art of oratory: Unpacking the power of persuasion in Macbeth. College Literature, 30(2), 112-130.
• Johnson, C. (2015). Lady Macbeth and the Daemonologie of Hysteria. Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 45(2), 341-364.
• Kliman, B. (2008). Macbeth. Infobase Publishing.
• McEachern, C. (2013). Spenserian ambiguity in Macbeth. Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, 43(2), 353-369.
• Robinson, T. (2017). Power in Macbeth. The Online Journal of New Horizons in Education, 7(3), 14-21.
• Shakespeare, W. (2010). Macbeth. Simon and Schuster.

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Act 1 Scene 7. What is the importance of persuasion in the scene? How does Shakespeare make the scene appeal to the audience? The importance of the scene is that Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan

Jayne Stupple

Act 1 Scene 7. What is the importance of persuasion in the scene?  How does Shakespeare make the scene appeal to the audience?

The importance of the scene is that Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan. In Macbeth's soliloquy he agonises with his conscience over killing Duncan. However Macbeth's mad ambition will be his downfall. Scene 7 is crucial to the rest of the plot as it sets the play in motion.  Shakespeare attracts the audience's attention through his use of imagery; changes in pace, to maintain atmosphere and tension; rich language, and contemporary references. Throughout Act 1 Shakespeare introduces us to the the characters and the central conflicts of the play

        Shakespeare uses Act 1 scene 7 to show his audience the dimensions to Macbeth's character. Shakespeare has shown his audience that deep down Macbeth does have a conscience. In Macbeth's soliloquy Shakespeare uses rhythm, repetition and alliteration, "if it were done" "tis done"  " if it were done quickly" the use of "it"  being a pronoun as Macbeth cannot bring himself to use the word "kill " - a noun.  He begins, trying to persuade himself that if the killing of Duncan had no consequence he could do it. "If th'assassination could trammel up the consequence and catch with his surcease, success."   However he then begins to see there are many reasons he should not go ahead with the murder.   "We'd jump the life to come."  During this period people believed they would be judged in the afterlife for the sins they committed on earth. He continues, "this even- handed justice commends th'ingredience of our poisoned chalice to our lips"  Here Shakespeare uses a metaphor, the sins you commit will return unto you,  this being Macbeth's fate at the end of the play. "so clear in his  

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great office, that his virtues will plead like angels, trumpet- tongued."  With the personification of his virtues Shakespeare has used imagery well. The audience would have been of the opinion that this would have been a sin to take the life of such a noble man.  Shakespeare's use of language with alliteration and similes gives even more power to this violent act against this honourable king.   "That tears shall drown the wind".  Macbeth is aware of the universal grief and eternal damnation that will be the result of Duncan's murder.  The only reason he can give for the killing is his ambition.  Shakespeare has, with his charctisation of Macbeth shown us that even though he is a good man he is also weak.

The only reason he can give for the killing is his ambition. " I have no spur to prick the sides of my intent but only vaulting ambition."  Shakespeare has shown Macbeth's character to be more complex, and he has an overwhelming need for power and glory.   Shakespeare has used this soliloquy so his audience can identify with the character; we all have a side to us that is not beyond temptation.  The temptation for Macbeth was the power and ambition he craved.

Shakespeare has skilfully ordered the Scenes in Act 1 to keep his audience guessing. Macbeth at this point is an honourable and brave man in contrast, Lady Macbeth has murderous intentions, her ambition is stronger, she knows Macbeth will need persuading, and that he has a conscience "your face, my thane is a book where men may read strange matters"  Act 1 scene 6.  She encourages him to be deceitful in his appearance "to beguile this time." "Look like th'innocent flower but be the serpent under't" Shakespeare's use of imagery in the language is very powerful, portraying the beauty of a flower changing to the evil of a deadly serpent. At the end of Act 1 Scene

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6 Lady Macbeth is confident Macbeth will murder Duncan. The dramatic irony here is that Lady Macbeth is unaware of Macbeth's indecision. As Shakespeare moves on, the pace quickens.  Where as Macbeth's soliloquy was slower and more thought provoking the next part of the play has the audience hanging on every word.  Can Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to go ahead with this awful deed?  When they meet again Lady Macbeth is stunned to hear Macbeth has changed his mind.  " We will proceed no further in this business"

Can Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to go ahead with this awful deed? When they meet again Lady Macbeth is stunned to hear Macbeth has changed his mind.  " We will proceed no further in this business."   Lady  Macbeth challenges Macbeth  "was the hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself?" Here we see Shakespeare's use of imagery as clothing, you can remove or put on feelings at will just like clothes and as with clothes the outer garments can conceal the inner thoughts. She continues, "such I account   thy love."  We know Macbeth loves his wife deeply. As he calls her " my dearest partner   of greatness."   (Act 1 scene 5.) She uses this power she has over him. "Art   thou afeard,"     "when you durst do it, then you were a man."  The audience would understand that Macbeth would have been distraught that his wife thinks him a weak man.   In society during this period men were considered the more powerful. How cunning Lady Macbeth was to attack his masculinity. With the use of metaphor "like the   poor cat I'th'adage."  Lady Macbeth suggests Macbeth wants the crown but does not want to do the deed to obtain it.  At this point she uses calm deliberate speech to persuade Macbeth.  

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Shakespeare now changes the pace, keeping the tension for his audience. Macbeth now standing up to his wife, " I dare do   all that becomes a man; who dares do more is none."  Again she challenges his manhood. " When you durst do it, then you were a man.   Then Shakespeare grips his audience with, Lady Macbeth telling Macbeth "Tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, plucked my nipple from its boneless gums and bashed it brains out, had I so sworn as you have done to do this."  His audience would have been shocked and horrified at the image of this terrible act, Shakespeare's skill at keeping his audiences' attention very evident here.  This is now the turning point, She has persuaded him.  He has doubts, " if we should fail." Shakespeare now speeds things up even more, giving the scene a sense of excitement and urgency. "Screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail ." Shakespeare uses a metaphor again here.   Macbeth, now convinced, listens to his wife's plan.  Shakespeare uses rhyming couplets in the last line " away, and mock the time with fairest show : false face must hide what the false heart doth know."   Showing us how important it is, they provide a sense of sudden resolution.  Macbeth knows what he is about to do is wrong but his ambition spurs him on. From this point on there is no turning back.

This crucial scene in the play has given structure to the entire play, from here Shakespeare enables the audience to question, who is responsible for Duncan's murder?  Macbeth or Lady Macbeth?  It makes the issue far more complex and interesting.  At this point in the play do the two characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth represent the two sides to Macbeth's character?  Lady Macbeth with the more masculine role: determined, strong and powerful, Macbeth softer, weaker and

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with a conscience. As the play progresses they switch around, as Macbeth becomes more evil as his ambition grows  

With the successful killing of Duncan, Macbeth's character slowly begins to change.  As he becomes more shocking, violent and evil, Lady Macbeth becomes weaker and later her conscience ultimately leads to her death this is crucial  to the clear representation of the perplexed character of Macbeth...  

         With the use of witches, the supernatural, and the dark atmosphere throughout the play, the self-destruction of Macbeth through his ambition, Shakespeare has made this tragedy a contemporary play of the times.  

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• Word Count 1369
• Page Count 5
• Subject English

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