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• Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare that tells the story of a Scottish nobleman called Macbeth.

• Macbeth and his wife, Lady Macbeth, are the main characters and their ambition and eventual downfall is key to the storyline.

• Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth into killing the king and she also frames the king’s guards for his murder.

• Later in the play, she is haunted by guilt and dies in tragic circumstances.

Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most famous female characters. The character has been played by many well-known actresses including Judi Dench, Marion Cotillard and Helen McCrory.

Click through the slideshow to see Lady Macbeth’s key moments

Manipulative
Lady Macbeth fears her husband is too kind to murder the king so she manipulates him. She plans the murder and takes control of events. She makes Macbeth feel as if he is weak and unmanly if he cannot commit the murder. She also reminds Macbeth of what a powerful and great team the pair of them make, and uses that to convince Macbeth that together, they can do anything.

Cruel
Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth appears cold-blooded and cruel. She makes fun of Macbeth, calling him a coward when he hesitates to join in with her plan to murder King Duncan. She even says that if she had the same motive as Macbeth she would do anything – even kill a child of her own – if she had to.

Two-faced
She welcomes King Duncan warmly even though she is planning his murder. She also advises Macbeth to be two-faced.

Vulnerable
Despite her powerful image at the start of the play, Lady Macbeth is also vulnerable. The murder of King Duncan affects her mental health.

The relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is central to the play. At the start of the play they call themselves “partners in greatness”. Macbeth trusts his wife and listens to her advice. She is able to manipulate Macbeth into killing King Duncan.

However, once Macbeth is king he plans Banquo’s murder himself, without telling Lady Macbeth. When Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost at the banquet, Lady Macbeth makes excuses for his strange behaviour. They are still a partnership, but Macbeth seems to be acting outside his wife’s control. All Lady Macbeth can do is watch as Macbeth continues to be violent, including ordering the murder of Macduff’s family.

In Act 1, Lady Macbeth appears as a powerful, confident character. Although she is at first in control of the situation, by the middle of the play Macbeth begins to make decisions without her knowledge.

At the start, Lady Macbeth ruthlessly plans King Duncan’s murder, but later she is tormented by guilt. Underneath her hardness and cunning, she is vulnerable. She starts sleepwalking and talking about Duncan’s murder in her sleep. In the end, she kills herself, overcome with guilt.

In Act 5, scene 1, Lady Macbeth walks and talks in her sleep. She imagines there’s a spot of blood on her hand that won’t wash off. Her gentlewoman is so worried, she has called the doctor.