Psychoanalysis of Lady Macbeth - Lady Macbeth’s character transforms fervently seeking
power to sombre self-destruction. Her personality is not static but evolves with the
progression of events. Her involvement in the murder plot reveals three distinct phases:
First, the inflated “id”, where she desires supreme honour and becomes the instigator of
Duncan’s murder by the ambitious Macbeth. The second phase involves the restraint of the
“superego”. After Duncan’s death, Lady Macbeth starts showing remnants of humaneness,
proving she is not an entirely evil woman. The third stage is an irreconcilable “ego”. From Act
V onward, it becomes evident that Lady Macbeth is on the brink of collapse, urging for
candles throughout the night, sleepwalking in an attempt to cleanse herself of guilt, leading
to her eventual revelation of suicide through Malcolm’s words.
Lady Macbeth’s entrance in the play begins with reading a letter. As she reads her husband’s
letter, every word seems to carry Macbeth’s hidden joy in her eyes. She understands her
husband, his true thoughts, and the actions he might have to face but cannot bear. In Act 1,
Scene 5, Lady Macbeth’s assessment of her husband’s character reflects her personality. She
acknowledges Macbeth’s ambition, taunts him for lacking the necessary wickedness to
match his ambition, and advocates for taking the “nearest way”, mocking his “milk of human
kindness”. From the moment she reads the letter, a fervent belief ignites within her—destiny
is about to crown Macbeth, and the key to success lies with her. She is determined to use the
“valour of her tongue” to eliminate any hesitation in Macbeth’s heart and, with her cunning,
place Duncan willingly at death’s door. Thus, upon Macbeth’s return to the castle, Lady
Macbeth eagerly expresses strong ambition and forms a plan for murder. Lady Macbeth lacks
any internal conflicts or doubts like Macbeth. She is filled with self-confidence and self-
assurance. Moreover, Lady Macbeth does not consider the danger and consequences of
murder, dismissing the presence of others and potential retaliation. She does not doubt that
a little scheming can deceive others’ perceptions, and once she “puts on a show of loud
lament”, no one would dare disbelieve. She lacks a moral compass, believing she can do
whatever she wishes. She provokes and challenges Macbeth, using words like “coward”,
intolerable for a man, and a soldier would scorn such language. In Lady Macbeth’s view,
righteous emotions are shameful “cowardice”, life’s honour is mere excess “decoration”, and
unbridled ambition becomes a symbol of love. The “id” or subconscious, is the core of the
human psychological structure, housing desires that are hidden and suppressed, possessing
primitive and animalistic characteristics, free from moral and rational constraints. The
subconscious is constantly hidden in the depths of the human psyche; secretly active until
conditions are met, awakening it, breaking through the preconscious, and entering
consciousness. A letter awakens Lady Macbeth’s subconscious. In this stage, Lady Macbeth’s
subconscious rapidly expands, rational inhibitions are lost, murderous thoughts surge forth,
and the feeble self cannot control the subconscious. The superego seems to lose all power.
Lady Macbeth’s plea to the spirits to rid her of her feminine tenderness in that particular
speech indeed conveys her ruthlessness. However, even in this context, we can glimpse her
concern that “pity” or “natural compassion” might shake her determination. In fact, from Act
3, Scene 2 onwards, we witness a significant change in Lady Macbeth. Although Macbeth has
already seized the throne, and she has enjoyed all the earthly glory and wealth, she begins
to complain that “all is but toys”. This change is primarily due to Macbeth, as his mental
anguish disrupts her tranquillity. What she never anticipated is the cost of love—her
husband, once so devoted, becomes distant. Thus, despite achieving the goal of being
queen, the envisioned supreme happiness turns into a mere illusion. She conceals
disappointment with willpower, adopting a masculine toughness to dismiss concerns. With
consistent confidence, she advises Macbeth: “What’s done is done; let’s not dwell on it”.
However, during the banquet scene, she pretends to be unaffected on one hand,
entertaining guests, while on the other hand, revealing the tautness of her inner strings. One
can imagine that in her past manner, she would have used her “tongue’s courage” to mock
Macbeth fiercely; yet now, she refrains from saying much. After the guests disperse, she
displays profound weariness and a resigned reluctance to continue supporting the
disillusionment she has long endured. While she still sympathizes with Macbeth, there is also
disappointment in her feelings towards him. Therefore, when he proposes to visit the
witches and execute some “dire deeds”, she remains unresponsive, and the initial fervour
has vanished. She merely advises Macbeth to sleep well, like “innocent sleep” for everyone,
stating, “Yet do I fear thy nature; It is too full o’ the milk of human kindness”. Though the
words are directed at Macbeth, they reflect her state as well. Thus, Shakespeare adequately
prepares for Lady Macbeth’s severe condition when she reappears in Act 5.
From Lady Macbeth in Act 5, we observe that only one thing, one impression, remains in her
entire memory—the act of murder she experienced. In her restless sleep, it becomes an
indelible mental agony. Impressions she denies or scorns during the day reappear in her
uneasy sleep with an intuitive sense of terror. She feels her hands are stained with blood,
continuously trying to wash them, yet she believes they can never be cleansed. This is a
suppressed inner cry of despair. Macbeth referred to his wife as “my dearest” in his letters.
He confided his ambitious aspirations, wholeheartedly believing in her words, and always
heeding her advice when making decisions. She used various methods to stimulate him,
urging him to summon the courage to undertake “deeds of consequence”. To become the
true man Lady Macbeth admired and appreciated, he committed the following desperate
acts. However, as Lady Macbeth gradually distances herself from her husband, the instigator
of Macbeth’s crimes becomes marginalized, turning from an agitator into a mere spectator
of Macbeth’s atrocities. The pleasure derived from satisfying the id diminishes, while the
influence of the superego gradually strengthens. This increases her mental burden—one end
being the heinous crimes committed to fulfil subconscious desires, another end covering up
those crimes to maintain Macbeth’s rule, and yet another end facing a renewed and
vehement moral condemnation within her consciousness. When Lady Macbeth questions
who would not believe Macbeth, she never anticipates the punishment that life and herself
will bring. After committing colossal sins, she now revisits the murder scenes in her dreams.
This self-assured, ruthless, and bold woman begins to feel fear. She is afraid of the night, and
hell, and contemplates the fate of others. Some might think her “conscience” has awakened,
yet the tone of her words about being unable to wash away the bloodstains sounds more
like disgust than remorse. The mental agony in her sleep does not equate to a surrender or
admission of guilt. Consequently, she cannot escape the psychological hell she finds herself
in. Nevertheless, it’s noteworthy that the blood she previously dismissed without concern is
now so vivid in her thoughts. The conflict between morality and desire ensues, with the
unconscious, subconscious, and conscious elements interwoven in an irreconcilable manner.
