Character Profile: Lady Macbeth

Guilt and Madness

Lady Macbeth starts as the ruthless catalyst for the plot but ends consumed by guilt.

• Beginning: "Unsex me here" (Asking to lose her feminine conscience to commit murder).
• End: "Out, damned spot!" (Hallucinating blood that won't wash away, symbolizing permanent guilt).

Homework Help: Compare her mental decline with Macbeth's mental hardening. As he grows more violent, she grows more fragile.