In Shakespeare's Macbeth, how does Lady Macbeth's character move the plot?

Question

Also, why is the character important?

Answer 1

Not only does Lady Macbeth play the seed of the killing the king in Macbeth's mind, her own madness then foreshadows the downfall of Macbeth in the rest of the play (Out damn spot, anyone?)

There are several theories in literature discussing how since she could not give Macbeth children as a legacy, she wanted to give him a throne instead. Some of these theories are legitimate, and some of them are concocted by crackpots. Depends on who you're talking about.

In a lot of ways, however, Lady Macbeth *is* the plot. She is willing to do the dirty work when Macbeth cannot, effectively emasculating him--again, a throwback to their childlessness.

Answer 2

When Macbeth first comes home, having just heard from the three witches that he will be king, it is Lady Macbeth who comes up with the idea to kill Duncan. Even though Macbeth argues with her, thinking it is a bad idea, she persuades him. Her ambition to be queen leads Macbeth to want to be king as well. This raises the question: does Lady Macbeth bring a naturally good man (Macbeth) down to do bad deeds, or do her actions just show Macbeth for what he truly is (a murderer)?
Without Lady Macbeth, would Macbeth have killed Duncan? If she hadn't persuaded him, well, who knows? He might have wrestled with the idea of killing him, but maybe his goodness would have won out in the end. But because Lady Macbeth was there, she started the chain of killing.
After Macbeth kills the king, he and Lady Macbeth start to panic. What if someone finds out they killed the king? This makes them afraid, and to keep people silent, they have to kill them. It's easy to see why this led to their downfall at the end of the play.
Hope that helps! :)

Answer 3

Lady Macbeth is the most well rounded, and one of the most crucial characters in the play. I have not finished reading it, but I will give you this. She is the one who suggested to her husband that he kill the king. Macbeth was very hesitent, and most likely would not have commited the deed if not for Lady Macbeth. She is my favorite character in Macbeth.

Answer 4

She persuades Mac beth to kill the King, but later regrets doing such actions... She acts as a idol to Macbeth, but she mentally breaks down and comits suicide
Look on sparknotes:

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Answer 5

she is the one that persuades macbeth to kill the king