Lady Macbeth: The fourth witch - Book Report/Review Example

Lady Macbeth - the fourth witch William Shakespeare's greatest tragedies Macbeth showcases how ambition and guilt can lead to the doom of a valiantsoldier. The entire play chiefly revolves around two main characters - the protagonist Macbeth who is a courageous Scottish general and the thane of Glamis, and his beloved wife Lady Macbeth, ambitious than Macbeth himself and with lesser degree of feminine qualities or morals that a woman would normally have. Besides, the king of Scotland, Duncan, the most noble and benevolent ruler whom Macbeth murders, and the three witches, who appear in the very first act of the play with supernatural powers coupled with mischief and malice, and whose predictions sow seeds of ambition and self-doubt in Macbeth that propel him towards committing the heinous crime.

The scene opens with the three witches appearing before Macbeth and Banquo (noble general) prophesying that Macbeth will be honored with the title of Cawdor and Banquo's children will become the kings of Scotland, and disappear. Macbeth, after hearing from Duncan himself that he has been honored the title of Cawdor, his belief about the witches' predictions deepens and he communicates to Lady Macbeth. On hearing the news about the predictions and Duncan's visit, Lady Macbeth feigns the role of a fourth witch because she is conjured up by evil and harmful thoughts.

She rejoices the visit of Duncan as a death knell and schemes to murder Duncan to gain the thrown through evil means. It is clearly visible that the fourth witch is shrouded within Lady Macbeth, which is reflected in the form of wicked thoughts conceived by her. It is unusual of Lady Macbeth to think cruel because any other woman in her place would think of welcoming and honoring the guest, instead she is plotting treachery and murder. In Act 1, Scene V, she calls upon the spirits to unsex her and fill her with cruelty from head to toe, and to make her blood thicker so that the murder plan would be accomplished.

It is obvious that Lady Macbeth's evil intentions bear similarities to the witches' day by day evil deeds. It is unusual of a dainty lady to think malicious ahead of a man and scheme upon a most ruthless plan. Macbeth, though loyal and good by nature is at the same time driven by ambition. His ambition is fired by the witches' prophesies, but he is more ruled by his conscience and self-doubt. But, as Macbeth reaches the castle, Lady Macbeth goads him to execute her plan. She perceives all possible means and plays the fourth witch to coerce him to carry out the evil deed.

In Act 1, Scene VII, when Macbeth is reluctant to betray Duncan, and murder him, Lady Macbeth provokes him by mocking at his sheer unmanliness. She goes to the extent of stating that if it were her she wouldn't even hesitate to kill a baby suckling at her breasts, which clearly projects her abysmal wickedness that is veiled within her in the form of an evil witch. She also convinces Macbeth and dispels his fears by stating that the suspicion can be indicted on the drunken servants. Macbeth, all the while hesitant to execute the plan, noticing the manly mettle in his beloved starts believing her and succumbs to his lady love, and prepares himself to murder despite having apparitions of a bloody dagger.

It is for certain that Lady Macbeth has taken the role of a fourth witch because if not for Lady Macbeth's intense persuasion, Macbeth wouldn't have dared to execute the plan. Macbeth is an ambitious and valiant solider, but weak at heart, which is displayed in his childlike fear when he refuses to go back to the scene of murder to smear the servants with the blood. In deep contrast, Lady Macbeth is stronger with a brave heart who dares to go back to Duncan's chamber and place the bloodied dagger with the servants.

From the start of the meticulous assassination plan till the end, Lady Macbeth is robed as a witch, and displays gumption as a tigress, but after the act, she is disrobed of the entire valor and just as any woman she is weighed down so much with guilt and sin that she is driven to commit suicide. To conclude, it is indicative that Lady Macbeth's lust for power has taken over her and transformed her into the fourth witch, or she is empowered by the evil forces or providence has forced her to play the fourth witch.

Referenceshttp//shakespeare.mit.edu/macbeth/full.html