The Manipulative Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth

Shakespeare’s unfavorable word choice illustrates Lady Macbeth’s manipulative ways  to get what she desires throughout this passage. Shakespeare's words made it obvious to the read of what kind of person she is, and what she is willing to do to get what she wants for herself, and Macbeth.

To begin with, Lady Macbeth starts off by telling Macbeth, “But screw your courage to the sticking-place”. Shakespeare is referencing a crossbow string being pulled taut by turning a wooden screw. When the screw is turned to its fullest point, and can’t go any further, it is in its sticking place, making the crossbow ready to fire. Lady Macbeth is telling Macbeth that he needs to ready his courage for his upcoming deed. Macbeth is tense and tight like the Crossbow string, ready to snap any minute. Lady Macbeth is controlling Macbeth, and telling him what to do. She is like the screw holding onto the string until it is ready to be released. She is telling Macbeth what to do until he understands it all, and until his courage is fully achieved. After Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have completed their task, and after the crossbow string has been released, The string is not tight or tense anymore, just like Macbeth felt before he wanted to do this task. In  Act 1, Scene 7, Page 2 Macbeth said, “Prithee, peace I dare do all that may become a man; who dares do more is none.” Macbeth was voicing to  Lady Macbeth to kindly stop challenging him, and to stop pushing him and making him feel weak.  He feels detached to Lady Macbeth and her plan before  they even attempted it.

In addition, after Lady Macbeth’s plan worked, she felt powerful and dominant. Lady Macbeth did not want anyone to know that they did it, she then states, , “ who dares receive it other, as we shall make our griefs and clamor roar upon his death?”. Lady Macbeth is tricking people into believing that she is sad, and shocked about the death of Duncan. Lady Macbeth is constantly tricking people, and is full of herself. For example, Lady Macbeth was making Macbeth feel like a coward and useless. Just like how Lady Macbeth said “ their drenched natures lie as in a death, what cannot you and I perform upon the unguarded Duncan.” The metaphor that Lady Macbeth uses is showing how little Macbeth has to do, and how Lady Macbeth will make the murder  look easy. “Letting “I dare not” wait upon “ I would, “ like the poor cat i’ th’ adage?” Lady Macbeth is referring to Macbeth as a cat trying to get a fish but is scared to get its feet wet. Macbeth is similar to the cat always changing his mind. Lady Macbeth misses the ambition he used to have.

Lastly,  Lady Macbeth is trying to hide her and Macbeths murder of Duncan. For example “ and the receipt of reason” Lady Macbeth wants to be queen so she can hold a big value of power. She wants Macbeth to be king so they both can have power over everyone and everything. She wants to be the biggest receipt and have all the power and value but she doesn’t want anyone to know the reason for how she became queen and how Macbeth became king.  Lady Macbeth doesn’t want anyone to blow her cover. For example, “his spongy officers, who shall bear the guilt of our great quell.” Lady Macbeth is blaming the murder of Duncan on his drunk servants that don’t remember anything because “the warder of the brain, shall be a fume.” Duncan's servants got their memory washed and like a fume because she has gotten them so drunk that they were asleep like pigs. Lady Macbeth has got away with killing Duncan and blaming it on his servants because she is manipulative.

In conclusion,  During Macbeth, Shakespeare's unfavorable word choice has concluded that  Lady Macbeth has been controlling Macbeth and has been doing anything she can to get what she wants for herself and Macbeth so they can become queen and king.