1. In your opinion, is Lady Macbeth a cold-blooded murderer? Why or why not?
Yes, I think that Lady Macbeth is a cold-blooded murderer, because although technically she did not murder King Duncan herself, she planned it, suggested it, and played a role in the completion of it. She laid out the dagger, and drugged all of the servants to make sure that they wouldn't wake up. Being the dominant spouse of the two, she convinced Macbeth that doing this would only result in a benefit for the both of them. Lady Macbeth is heartless and refers to Macbeth as a coward for being an emotional wreck after the murder. Her own feelings and emotions are inexistent, as most people would have a mental breakdown after committing such horrid actions.
"Infirm of purpose!/Give me the daggers: the sleeping and the dead/Are but as pictures."(2.2.53-54)
"My hands are of your colour; but I shame/To wear a heart so white." (2.2.64-65)
2. Lady Macbeth has her own antics throughout the play. Why does Lady Macbeth faint in Act II? Does it serve its purpose? Explain.
Lady Macbeth faints in Act II to persuade people that she really is innocent, and to convince them of her "disbelief". This way, she is seen as the helpless Lady who had to witness a horrible scene. It does serve it's purpose, because she probably won't be considered as one of the suspects when investigating the murder.
"Help me hence, ho!/Look to the lady." (2.2.130-31)
"Are stol'n away and fled, which puts upon them/Suspicion of the deed." (2.4.26-27)
3. How does Macbeth's attitude toward Duncan change after the murder?
After coming to a realization of what he's done, Macbeth is overwhelmed with this feeling of guilt . He has all these emotions and regrets about the crime that he just committed. "Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst!" (2.2.74) However, Lady Macbeth forces him to face the reality that King Duncan is dead by calling him a coward. By doing so, Macbeth puts all of his feelings past him, and is able to easily lie to avoid getting caught for the murderer. "There's nothing serious in mortality/All is but toys: renown and grace is dead/The wine of life is drawn. (2.3.100-3) Before the murder, Macbeth would've done anything to show his faith to the King, but when placed in the hands of power, all of that was changed in an instant.
4. If so pressuring on Macbeth, why didn't Lady Macbeth kill the king instead of Macbeth?
Lady Macbeth didn't kill the King herself because she mentioned that he looked a lot like his father in his sleep. "Had he not resembled/My father as he slept, I had done't." (2.2.12-13) Even for a cold hearted person like Lady Macbeth, she couldn't go through with the idea of killing someone that was close to her. Instead of doing the act, she used her dominance to force Macbeth, while she was the mastermind behind the whole thing. "I laid their daggers ready/He could not miss 'em." (2.2.11-12)
5. Now that Macbeth has killed the king, do you think he must do anything else to reign as king? Explain your answer.
Besides avoiding getting caught for the murder, there is nothing else that Macbeth must do to reign as king. In Act 2, Scene 4, Macduff was explaining that he was already selected to fill the king's position. "He is already named, and gone to Scone/To be invested. (2.4.31-32) If he is able to overcome his guilt, Macbeth will reign as the new king.
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