Essay: Explore Lady Macbeth’s Share of Responsibility in Macbeth’s Fatal Ambition

When faced with the opportunity to achieve one’s greatest aspirations, many may choose to sacrifice their beliefs and morality. In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, Macbeth, a nobleman and soldier, is told a grand prophecy by three witches that he will ascend to the throne of Scotland. Macbeth, prompted by his wife Lady Macbeth, initially murdered King Duncan in his sleep to diminish the time between his eventual kingship. However, increased paranoia and unbridled power leads Macbeth to carry out numerous other slayings, marking his own descent into madness as a result of ambition. Lady Macbeth manipulated her husband into committing Duncan’s murder in order to obtain the Scottish crown, but this does not make her primarily responsible for Macbeth’s actions as they were executed according to his own free will.
Firstly, Lady Macbeth only carries partial responsibility in regards to the murder of King Duncan. When Lady Macbeth hears of the prophecy, she suggests that Macbeth murder Duncan in his sleep while he is staying under their roof. Despite Macbeth also wanting to obtain the crown, he was adamant to out of concern for repercussions. After being emasculated by his wife, Macbeth tries to salvage the attack on his masculinity by proclaiming, “I am settled, and bend up Each corporal agent to this terrible feat” (I.vii.92-92). Macbeth has fully committed himself to the act of killing Duncan after his manliness was threatened by Lady Macbeth. Her ability to manipulate him and even upstage his masculinity imply how much more ambitious Lady Macbeth is as compared to her counterpart. Since she was the one to convince her husband to prove himself a true man, Lady Macbeth does bears responsibility as the catalyst that ultimately pushes Macbeth to murder his predecessor, but she does not physically take part in nor does she actively force Macbeth to assassinate the King. As a result, with the Duncan dead and his sons fleeing for safety, Macbeth now stands clear to ascend the throne, but the same cannot be said for Macbeth’s legacy.
Secondly, Lady Macbeth bears little to no responsibility in the murder of Banquo, Macbeth’s closest companion. Macbeth recalls the witches prophecy for Banquo, as it is prophesied that Banquo’s sons will inherit the throne, but his own will not. No longer feeling secure in his authority, Macbeth refuses to hand down the crown and “Rather than so, come fate into the list, And champion me to th’ utterance… It is concluded. Banquo, thy soul’s flight, If it find heaven, must find it out tonight”(III.i.76-162). Not wanting to relinquish his authority, Macbeth decides to challenge the prophecy and kill Banquo and his son Fleance. After the murder of Duncan, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth feel unhappiness, but realize that enough blood has been shed that they can no longer refrain from carrying on with their supremacy. . The primary difference between Banquo’s assassination plot and Macbeth’s prior killing is that he has more familiarity with Banquo, as they were comrades in arms during war. Prior to Banquo’s death, Macbeth depicts him as an enemy to the country when he sends murderers after Banquo and Fleance. This implies that, at this point, Macbeth is so obsessed with his limitless power that he will not allow those closest to him to stand in his way. Lady Macbeth urged her husband to allow nothing to stand in the way of his ambitions towards the crown, but she had no part in the planning of Banquo’s murder and is not a culpable figure in his death. Following the death and apparition of Banquo, Macbeth begins to grow increasingly restless and paranoid.
Finally, in regards to Macbeth’s most unjustifiable act of bloodshed, Lady Macbeth bears to responsibility whatsoever in the deaths of Lady Macduff and her son. Consumed by paranoia, Macbeth returns to the witches to ask of another prophecy, one that may foretell the end of his reign. He is told by apparitions to “Beware Macduff! Beware the Thane of Fife!”(IV.i.81-82). In addition to being told to be cautious of Macduff, Macbeth is told that “… The power of man, for none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth” (IV.i.91-92). To which Macbeth replies, “Then live, Macduff; what need I fear of thee? But yet I’ll make assurance double sure And take a bond of fate” (IV.i.93-95) before branding Macduff a traitor to the crown and sending murderers after him. Macbeth has stated that he does not fear Macduff as he cannot be harmed by anyone birthed from a woman. However, despite believing that Macduff is no threat to his kingship, Macbeth still sends murderers after him, killing Lady Macduff and his son instead. Unlike the prior killings, Lady Macbeth is not at fault since she neither played a part in nor encouraged the death of Macduff’s family, as they didn’t appear to be an obstacle that compromised the power of the King.
Lady Macbeth is a strong proponent in killing to gain power, but she cannot be held accountable for the demise of numerous characters at the hands of Macbeth. While she actively manipulated Macbeth’s fragile masculinity, she did not physically take part in Duncan’s murder. And as Macbeth followed her suggestions to remove potential adversaries in his killing of Banquo, Lady Macbeth ultimately had no part in it and was unknowing of the plot. Additionally, Macbeth spilled the blood of those he found to hold no threat to his authority, contradicting Lady Macbeth advocating murder if there was something to be gained from it. While an individual may encourage certain behaviours or virtues in another, they are not solely responsible should the impacted act upon them.