Lady Macbeths Character

 Traits/characteristics

Ambition: She is filled with a burning desire for Macbeth to seize the throne so that she might be Queen of Scotland. She longs for her and Macbeth to have “sovereign sway and masterdom” over the whole country. Her determination to achieve this goal is evident when she declares that Macbeth “what thou art promised.”

Ruthlessness: She is willing to let nothing stand in the way of her ambitions. She is not willing to wait and see if the witches’ prophecy comes through and Macbeth becomes King of Scotland in the future. She is determined “catch the nearest way” to power by murdering Duncan and seizing the throne. Her ruthless determination is evident when she declares that Duncan will not live out the night. The greatest indication of Lady Macbeth’s ruthlessness is when she calls the evil spirits to strip her of her femininity “Come you spirits that tend on moral thoughts, unsex me here.” She is so desperate for power that she is willing to “sell her soul” in order to achieve it.

Manipulative: Lady Macbeth reveals herself as a master manipulator. She knows her husband and she is capable of pressing his buttons in order to get him to do what she wants. She skilfully overcomes Macbeth’s reluctance to murder Duncan by questioning his manliness. She declares that if he were a real man he’d agree to murdering Duncan “when thou durst do it, then you are a man.”

Dominant: Lady Macbeth is presented as the dominant force in her and Macbeth’s relationship. She shows this as she was able to manipulate Macbeth into murdering Duncan. She taunts him by suggesting he is a coward. She suggests if he was a real man he would do what was necessary to make his dream of power a reality.
Decisive: Lady Macbeth shows how decisive she is when she first hears that Macbeth could be King, she immediately thinks of killing Duncan so Macbeth can be King and she can be Queen. She decides that she and Macbeth are going to do whatever it takes to kill Duncan to make this happen. She is the one who came up with the plan that will allow them to murder Duncan and commit regicide and not to be suspected of doing so.