Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that she will support him and
help plan Duncan's murder in order to secure the throne for Macbeth. When Macbeth
becomes fearful or guilty, Lady Macbeth calls him a coward in an effort to embarrass him
into action. This could also be an example of reverse psychology. Calling him a coward
may induce him to behave bravely. She wants him to feel ambition above all other
emotions. This is how she deals with Macbeth.
What is more
significant is how she deals with herself. In order to be this voice of dissent in
Macbeth's ear, Lady Macbeth conditions herself to behave without conscience and even
goes so far as to wish to become supernatural or less like a woman in order to carry out
this scheme.
readability="17">
Come, you
spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me
here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe
top-full
Of direst cruelty! make thick my
blood;
Stop up the access and passage to remorse, (I.v.
390-394).
Lady Macbeth uses
psychological manipulation to influence Macbeth. There will always be a debate on how
much of a role she plays in the murders Macbeth committed because he does the deeds.
There is also an ongoing debate on how much responsibility the witches
have.
You should also focus on how Lady Macbeth manipulates
herself in order to become immoral enough to go through with it all. So, her technique
is two-fold. She manipulates her husband but first must manipulate herself. Asking
spirits to "unsex" her is a call to make her more masculine (more physical like a
soldier) and less human. An evil spirit does not have to wrestle with a conscience. A
human does.
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