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Essay / The Importance of Confidence and Irony in Shakespeare's Macbeth
Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth of his faults so that he can correct them. After Lady Macbeth reads Macbeth's letter, she says to herself, "Thou art Glamis, and Cawdor, and thou shalt be that which is promised unto thee." Yet I fear your nature; It’s too full of human kindness…” (IV15-17). Shakespeare chooses to make Macbeth appear reasonable. Stating that Macbeth is “full of human kindness” defines Macbeth as a caring person (IV17). Shakespeare describes Macbeth as a ruler with a caring heart, but presents him as Lady Macbeth stating that Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth of her faults so that he can correct them. Shakespeare makes Lady Macbeth a wife who is not blinded by the fact that she and Macbeth share a name; Lady Macbeth sees Macbeth and all his faults. As Shakespeare characterizes Lady Macbeth, he chooses to create a strong-willed woman who wants to take control of her marriage and does so by revealing to Macbeth her flaws and how to improve them to progress. After Macbeth changes his mind and considers killing more to gain power, Lady Macbeth asks him, "Was hope drunk in which you dressed yourself?" Has he slept since? (I.VII.39-0) Wonder if he has given up on his dream of conquering any potential power and if he has given up. Shakespeare intended to question whether or not Macbeth was making the noble choice by questioning him through Lady Macbeth. Shakespeare intends to characterize Lady Macbeth as a power-hungry wife by asking her to ask her husband to reconsider his decision not to kill those in power to increase their power.