Is it arguable that lady Macbeth is the fourth Essays -

Is it arguable that lady Macbeth is the fourth witch?' Discuss the character of lady Macbeth in response to the above statement. Shakespeare wrote the play 'Macbeth' explicitly for James I. The King was such a supporter of theatre that Shakespeare's company even became known as 'The King's Men'. King James's claimed that his lineage could be traced back to Banquo. Witchcraft was taken extremely seriously in Shakespeare's time, and if anyone was found to be practising witchcraft, they were sentenced to death. It was taken even more seriously than normal as James I was so afraid of witches that he even wrote 'Daemonologie' in 1597. This justified why witches should be persecuted under English law. The law against witchcraft in England was passed by parliament in 1563 at the wish of James I and was not appealed until 1951. In the play 'Macbeth', Lady Macbeth provides the ambition, the justification and the actions which drive the events of the play forward. She is made to act as a catalyst in Macbeth's evil doings. It is arguable that Shakespeare presented Lady Macbeth as a witch in the play in order to appeal and flatter James I. In the play Macbeth treats her as his equal and in his letter to her in act 1 scene 5, Macbeth calls her his 'dearest partner'. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, seems tougher and more pragmatic. She says she wants to 'pour (her) spirits' into his ear and quickly Shakespeare shows how determined and ambitious she is. For instance, in his letter to her, when Macbeth calls her his 'dearest partner' her response is to ask where Duncan will go after his visit. This suggests that she is efficient, orderly and wants to get things done. Lady Macbeth has a very strong influence on Macbeth and is one of the main reasons as to why he acted as he did. Lady Macbeth is not certain whether Macbeth is too kind and is deprived of the evil that he is in need of in order to match his ambition. She says I fear () is too full'o the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way. For this reason, she pressures him greatly into the prospect of committing regicide. Much the same as the witches, Lady Macbeth drives her husband to regicide with her taunts and questioning of his manhood. She persistently pressures him on by questioning his courage, and from the beginning, she calls upon the, Spirits that tend on mortal thoughts, to help her in her quest. The thought of becoming queen dominates her causing her to act out of line. Lady Macbeth plays a great role in the conspiracy against the king, pulling on the strings of her puppet, Macbeth. Lady Macbeth's growing ambition to be queen helps her to achieve great power. She has a growing obsession with becoming queen and this causes her to act with all the qualities of a witch, including the fact that she has no regard for morality, she is deceitful, and she is malicious. Macbeth is doubtful of his wife's plan to kill the king, however Lady Macbeth skilfully pressures him with statements questioning his masculinity, courage and by saying that his love is worthless to her if he refuses to go through with her plan. She says to him, screw your courage to the sticking-place in order to encourage him to be more villainous and optimistic about his actions. She uses compelling expressions to castigate Macbeth's of lack of commitment, even going as far as saying that she would dare to kill her own child for it, and dashed the brains out if I so sworn as you have done this if such a situation were to emerge. Lady Macbeth's confident reassurances and flatteries ensure Macbeth that there is no chance of them failing. She frequently uses powerful rhetorical questions su ch as, we fail? to enhance the effect of flattery and taunting. Lady Macbeth calls upon thick night and pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell so that her keen knife will be unable to see the wound it makes. Although her senses are so alive and acute, Lady Macbeth's speech is