A Battle Against One’s Soul: An Analysis of Lady Macbeth’s Functions as the Other Self to Macbeth

Abstract

The play Macbeth is one of William Shakespeare’s most well-known tragedies. This research is intended to analyze the functions of Lady Macbeth as the other self to Macbeth. She is not only the motivator of Macbeth’s self-assertion, but also the silent bearer of Macbeth’s burden of conscience and the reflector of Macbeth’s self-alienation. Undoubtedly, Lady Macbeth plays a crucial role in the tragic end of Macbeth since it’s she that improvises Macbeth to commit crime. Her incitements and actions, nevertheless, are only the overt show of Macbeth’s inward eagerness to assert himself as a brave man. Lady Macbeth, furthermore, conscientiously suffers the burden of Macbeth’s sense of guilt later on. And her alienation from Macbeth indicates the latter’s self-alienation, who has gone the wrong direction but can no longer find the way back. Their relationship shows the process of Macbeth’s self-definition and vividly depicts the ambivalence of Macbeth’s tortured self.