Asher Period 1 - Isabel Koo

In Macbeth by Shakespeare, there are numerous examples and situations where certain characters’ actions and commentary affect their fate. One character that Shakespeare uses the device of characterization on is Lady Macbeth. She has shown many faults, reactions, consequential thoughts during the play towards herself and others such as her husband, Macbeth.
In Act 1, Lady Macbeth performs her soliloquy. She talks about the supernatural knowledge that the three Weird Sisters have and how the letter she is reading speaks of the crown Macbeth is to gain over Glamis and Cawdor. However, she questions if Macbeth can go through with her plan so that he may become King. Eventually, Lady Macbeth is able to use sexuality to persuade Macbeth into doing what she wants him to do – to murder Duncan. Her comments when finding out that her very own husband is to become a powerful man over the land of Cawdor, excites her. She shows a strong desire for power over not only Macbeth, but also what Macbeth owns and can control once he inherits the throne over Cawdor. Her thoughts drive the action of this story forward because she is pushing Macbeth into something which will enable him to become a king, yet cause an irreversible consequence to both of them all because of the fate they must entail.
Macbeth begins the wicked plan, it seems, with chills running down his spine and sweat pouring down his face. Evidently, Macbeth is in a constant struggle between his sense of right and wrong and his thirst for power, which feeds off Lady Macbeth’s own desires. Fate comes in once again, and uses a hallucination of a dagger pointing straight to Duncan’s bedroom chamber in order to lead the way for Macbeth. Once Macbeth finally creeps into Duncan’s sleeping chamber, he hesitates to use the dagger on him, but manages to follow through. Now the deed is done, and this part shows a point of no return for Macbeth and his dear wife, Lady Macbeth.
Although Macbeth succeeds in seizing the crown, there is still a feeling of danger due to the line of men that are able to possibly overpower Macbeth and steal his position. Furthermore,since it is far too late for him to back down, he feels the need to get rid of all possible heirs of the throne; Lady Macbeth encourages him to do so. This decision results in the deaths of Duncan’s servants, Banquo, Lady Macduff, and her son. It seems like a never-ending murder scandal that only causes more chaos and corruption. As the play goes on, Lady Macbeth faces a challenge for herself. She is diagnosed with mental instability and sleep walking because her actions have racked an immense amount of guilt. Ultimately, she becomes insane and admits to her faults while the Doctor and his nurse listen to her.The Doctor speaks of how he regrets hearing of her guilts and actions because they are so gruesome and murderous. Lady Macbeth ends up dying and Macbeth is slain by Macduff in his own castle. This shows the end for the both of them as fate truly produces its ultimate result. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth were destined from the start, to brutally fail.
Accepting the moral of this play created by Shakespeare, one learns that the actions they take drivestheir own fate into a direction that has already been mapped out. Generally speaking, Shakespeare created an idea of this unchangeable journey that one will take whether it be their will or not. He appropriately uses devices of characterization to clarify the perception of fate by the characters’’ actions, comments, other characters’ comments on them, and their thoughts.