Question

Lady Macbeth (Act 1; Scene V):

Lady Macbeth (Act 1; Scene V):

Glamis thou art, and Cawdor; and shalt be
What thou art promised: yet do I fear thy nature;
It is too full o' the milk of human kindness
To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great;
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it: what thou wouldst highly,
That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false,
And yet wouldst wrongly win:
thou'ldst have, great Glamis,
That which cries 'Thus thou must do, if thou have it;
And that which rather thou dost fear to do
Than wishest should be undone.' Hie thee hither,
That I may pour my spirits in thine ear;
And chastise with the valour of my tongue
All that impedes thee from the golden round,
Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem
To have thee crown'd withal.


Macbeth (Act 1; Scene VII):



Use the excerpts from Macbeth to complete the following task:


Write an essay of at least three paragraphs, supporting the assertion that the character of Lady Macbeth is passionately ambitious while the character of Macbeth is more cautious. Be sure to include evidence from the text to support your answer. Remember to clearly state your main point and use correct citation in your response.

Answer 1

Lady Macbeth was very ambitious and confident in herself, which would lead her to do anything in her power to obtain something she really wanted. She sometimes even wishes to be a male in order to take care of business herself, instead of counting on her husband. Afterwards, when Macbeth and herself take action in their first murder, she loses all that confidence she had at the beginning. This leads her to the point of taking on her own life, since she cannot handle the blame she feels.

On the contrary, Macbeth did not have the same confidence that Lady Macbeth had at the beginning and he wasn't ambitious. He only let himself get manipulated by his wife in order to take action. In contrast, Macbeth becomes more confident of himself and becomes more ambitious than before. Since he felt alive when he killed the king, this idea took over his head and killed anyone who could testify against him and blame him for the death of the king.

Answer 2

Lady Macbeth:

She is a very confident woman, which is obvious from the way she thinks and fights for her husband. She is very ambitious and wants Macbeth to have a more prominent role in the kingdom. At times, she curses his lack of ambition and confidence and wishes she was a man so that she could do all of these things on her own instead of relying on her husband.

On the other hand, when she and Macbeth commit their first murder of Duncan, she loses that confidence and starts not only doubting herself and their cause, but also feeling great guilt that drives her to madness.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Macbeth:

On the other hand, Macbeth initially lacks confidence and ambition. He relies on his wife to tell him what to do and how to fight for what he (or rather she) wants.

However, as time goes by, he becomes more and more confident, especially after the prophecy from the witches and the killing of Duncan. After his first murder, he cannot seem to stop and is driven by crazy ambition, which results in everyone's death.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best evidence from Macbeth that proves that Lady Macbeth does not trust Macbeth to live up to his ambition is the constant belief that he is weak and has not the aspiration to become great her own wife conveys. This is explicitly shown when her wife helps him carry out Duncan's murder. She even goes as far as doubting him because of his fear and nature which she depicts as kindness.