The madness of Lady Macbeth contributes to the theme of power and violence in the play Macbeth. Her character undergoes significant changes throughout the play, with her personality being the second most volatile. Lady Macbeth experiences various stressful situations that push her to a breaking point, and the consequences of these situations endure. It is primarily after Duncan’s death that Lady Macbeth feels the most profound repercussions.
In order to persuade her husband to kill King Duncan, Lady Macbeth utilizes her powers of persuasion. She believes that by taking this risky action, she will be safeguarded by Macbeth’s newly acquired power. However, her involvement in the murder weighs heavily on her conscience, leading to her eventual descent into insanity. Furthermore, Lady Macbeth supports her husband in killing his own friend, asserting some influence despite her overall weakness. As Macbeth gains more power, he distances himself from his wife, neglecting an important relationship. Consumed by his obsession with himself, he fails to rescue his wife from his own destructive behavior and from herself. Her mental fragility is also partly responsible for her own rise and fall. To rid herself of any remorse for Duncan’s murder, in Act I, Lady Macbeth requests to be stripped of her femininity and filled with cruelty. Her hunger for power surpasses that which she believes her husband possesses…
