Compare and Contrast: Macbeth & Lady Macbeth In the play Macbeth, ambition, strength, and insanity play major roles in how the characters Macbeth and Lady Macbeth behave and react. Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth present all 3 of these behaviors at one time or another during the play. However, there behaviors progress in very different ways. While Macbeth gets stronger and more ambitious, Lady Macbeth does the opposite. She starts out strong and ambitious, but becomes weaker and more reserved.
In the beginning of the play Macbeth is cautious and somewhat suspicious of the witches. He only starts to really think of the idea that they might be telling him the truth when they hail him as the thane of Cawdor, which shortly after, he receives …show more content…

Lady Macbeth's ambition and strength are lower at the end of the play than any other time. However, her insanity is at its high point. She keeps to herself most of the time and not only does she not control Macbeth anymore, she barely speaks to him. When they do talk Macbeth barely listens and calls her "My dearest chuck," a big change from when he previously referred to her as his "dearest partner of greatness". She is so disturbed by the murders that she talks about them in her sleep. She also sleep walks around her room trying to wash the blood off of her hands. She eventually gets so guilty and insane that she kills herself. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both present ambition, strength, and insanity at one time or another during the play. The difference between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is that Macbeth gets stronger and more ambitious as the story progresses but Lady Macbeth becomes weaker and less ambitious. All there behaviors progress opposite of each other except insanity. They both become increasingly insane towards the end of the play and it eventually leads to both of their