After being a note-taker last week and reviewing the things I had written down, I noticed that I had also written about Lady Macbeth also speaking in paradoxes at some points and the fact that her reversal of gender was a paradox in itself. Thinking of the witches being directly associated with the paradoxes, I couldn't help but associate Lady Macbeth with them.
It seems that, while the decisions ultimately end up in Macbeth's hands and no one else's, the witches do play a part in his influence. The big question we get out of this is would Macbeth have done any of this on his own if the witches hadn't said anything to him? Of course, the argument could go on forever, but in my opinion, if we are going to say that he was influenced by other people than himself, I think the final push ends up in the hands of Lady Macbeth. She is the one who basically calls him a sissy if he doesn't kill Duncan, what with all the milk talk and everything. She again accuses him of not being a man in the banquet scene when he sees Banquo's ghost. I guess you could say she's a pretty good early example of "tough love".
It just seems to me that the character of Lady Macbeth is all too similar to the characters of the three witches. Even when she calls upon the powers to "unsex" her seems a little reminiscent a sort of witchcraft. So basically, I would say feel free to call Lady Macbeth a "witch" if you really don't like her.
6 comments:
I agree with you 100%! Like someone said in class today, I think it was Eric, I wonder if Lady Macbeth is kind of like the fourth witch? I believe she really has a lot of pull on Macbeths actions throughout the play and she too is messing with the idea of fate.
I didn't even think about Lady MacBeth being a fourth witch until I read this. I think it's definately a possibility. I wonder if MacBeth wouldn't have done half the things he did if she wasn't there.
I think its a really interesting observation that you made about Lady Macbeth being like one of the witches. I never really looked at her that way until I read this post. While reading the last acts of the play I definitely see what you are talking about.
Lady Macbeth is the ultimate guilty party. Macbeth might have been foolishly ambitious, but like each of you said, she's a witch in her own right. I mean, come on...she invokes the power of the devil! I feel like I consider her a more conventional witch, though, unlike the weird sisters, who are more prophet-like, in my opinion. I honestly think of Lady Macbeth as leaps and bounds more evil than they are.
I also agree with what you said about Lady Macbeth being a fourth witch. She seems to provoke Macbeth's actions in a way similar to the witches. One distinction though is while the witches are merely prophesying to Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is more forceful in her attempt to get him to act.
I agree with everyone that Lady Macbeth could very well be classified as a fourth witch. I also completely 100% think that the witches impacted the outcome of the play. I feel as though people took their prophecies too far, and went out of their way to make them come true. If they had never heard the prophecies than they wouldn’t have tried so hard to stop them from coming true or running towards them at high speed.
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