Topic > The importance of trust and irony in Shakespeare's Macbeth

Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth her faults so that he can correct them. After Lady Macbeth reads Macbeth's letter, she says to herself, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt thou be that which was promised thee. Yet I fear your nature; He is too full of human goodness…” (IV15-17). Shakespeare chooses to make Macbeth seem sensible. Stating that Macbeth is “full of human kindness” defines Macbeth as a caring person (IV17). Shakespeare writes about Macbeth as a ruler with a caring heart, but introduces him as Lady Macbeth by stating that Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth his faults so he can correct them. Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a wife not blinded by the fact that she and Macbeth share a name; Lady Macbeth sees Macbeth and all his faults. As Shakespeare characterizes Lady Macbeth, he chooses to create a strong-willed woman who wants to take charge of her marriage and does so by telling Macbeth her flaws and how to improve them to further herself. After Macbeth changes his mind about killing more to rise to power, Lady Macbeth asks him, “Was the hope in which you clothed yourself drunk? Have you slept since then? (I.VII.39-0) Wondering if he has abandoned his dream of acquiring all potential power and given up. Shakespeare intended to question whether or not Macbeth made the noble choice by questioning him through Lady Macbeth. Shakespeare intends to characterize Lady Macbeth as a wife who craves power by making her ask her husband to reconsider not killing those in power to increase their popularity.