In Shakespeare's Macbeth is Lady Macbeth the real villain?

It is this regicide that marks Macbeth's downfall: it is only after Duncan's murder has taken place that Macbeth becomes his own man in committing evil and Lady Macbeth withdraws from prominence. Before this, Macbeth was largely reluctant and it was only she who was the active force in driving him towards evil.

However, the later remorse and guilt which leads her to madness and suicide also suggests that she, like Macbeth himself, are victims of forces beyond their control. Remember that it is the presence of the witches (personifying the idea of The Three Fates) that introduce the prospect of evil - their chant of "fair is foul and foul is fair" indicates their intentions - they are the chief influencers of events and manipulators of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Without the self-fulfilling prophecy of Act I, Scene III, Macbeth and his wife might not have thought of eliminating Duncan.

Lady Macbeth's behaviour before Duncan's death is very extreme and potent much like that of the witches. She calls on dark spirits to possess her and her talk of dashing a baby's brains out in Act I, Scene VII is reminiscent of the witches in Act 4 adding a "birth-strangled babe" to their cauldron. All this seems to begin to disappear after Duncan's murder and the onset of remorse and madness to many readers suggest that she has come out of the trance of being somehow possessed or enchanted by evil (i.e. the influence of the witches).

Whatever the case, to call her "the real villain" is a vulgar over-simplification and doesn't quite ring true, especially when you consider how much WORSE Macbeth's crimes are after the murder of Duncan.

First answer by Charlotte-m. Last edit by Vitellius. Contributor trust: 7 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 8 [recommend question]