Lady Macbeth could also be considered to be the antagonist
or villain of the play, which means that she is operating in opposition to Macbeth, or
against his best interests. Shakespeare makes it pretty clear in her speech in Act One,
scene five, that she considers Macbeth too kind-hearted to do what must be done for him
to become king. She then calls on the agents of darkness (evil). She
incants:
...fill me from the crown to the toe
top-full
Of direst cruelty! Make thick my
blood,
Stop up the access and passage to
remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of
nature
Shake my fell
purpose.
She has just, in
effect, created a pact with the devil, and certainly in the crucial early scenes, as
Macbeth is choosing his course of action, her instigation is a key motivation to his
choices. So, Lady Macbeth can be seen to be the antagonist and evil influence that
prompts Macbeth towards his tragic course of action.
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