Macbeth Essay Prompt #1

There are a few characters that can be considered as Macbeth’s foil character but the character that fits the title as the foil character is Lady Macbeth. This is true because they are complete opposites at the beginning and end of the play. In the beginning of the play Macbeth is very cautious about killing Duncan. While Lady Macbeth is saying that he should just kill him and not think about it.. After the killing Macbeth feels a lot of guilt and is worried about what other people will think about him. Lady Macbeth tells him not to be scared and questions his manhood. She feels that he is weak and that if she had killed King Duncan she would have just forgot about it. This highlights both of them because Macbeth is seen as a noble person because of his regret and it shows the reader that Lady Macbeth is a heartless woman because she is so business like about the murder. At the end of the play they switch places Macbeth becomes the business like killer and Lady Macbeth is thinking about the people they murder. Macbeth kills Banquo’s wife and son. After the killing he feels no compassion. However Lady Macbeth says that killing them was unnecessary because they were just a woman and child. This shows her sympathy towards these people. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are definitely foil characters because at the beginning Lady Macbeth is heartless while Macbeth is sympathetic and at the end they switch places. Lady Macbeth’s transformation as a person definitely highlights Macbeth’s characteristics because of how they react to the events that happen in the play differently.